Jonathan Sothcott - The Films of Danny Dyer

If you stopped the average man over the age of forty in the street and asked them who their favourite British actor of all time is, most would probably reply Michael Caine.

No surprise there.

But if you ask any working-class male under the age of forty the same question, he will almost certainly answer Danny Dyer and so would many of the females in that age bracket.

Dyer is the most bankable British film star we have in the independent sector. A man adored by both sexes. Admired by luminaries such as the late, great Harold Pinter. And he worked his way to the top. The hard way. No favours. No family connections. No help from friends.

But you rarely read about him in the mainstream press in a positive light, even though his films fly off the shelves in supermarkets and DVD shops and fans flock to his personal appearances in nightclubs. Hes a talented, decent, hardworking lad done good. So why the snobbery?

A case in point: On 21 February this year, a low-budget British film was released in a handful of cinemas for even fewer screenings. The distributor never intended it for a wide release. And it brought in a not unexpected 602 in ticket sales.

A non-news story, I think you would agree. But instead, it was given a full-page splash on almost every newspaper, the films supposed failure greeted with glee.

Why? Because Run For Your Wife starred this inexplicably divisive, yet hugely prolific actor, Danny Dyer.

You would rarely read a news story reporting the millions of DVD sales he has generated, and that he is one of the most bankable actors in British film.

Run For Your Wife is indeed bad. Dyer himself would be the first to admit it is not on a par with his work with Pinter. But its not as bad as youve heard and I personally preferred it to Paul Thomas Andersons The Master. I went to see The Master on the day of release in Birmingham. There were just three of us in the cinema. Fewer than the lowest audience figures for Dyers film.

The Master put me to sleep with its delusions of grandeur, mounds of pretension, overlong running time and non-existent plot. Run For Your Wife made me chuckle as Denise Van Outen chased Dyer around, shouting insults at him.

Hollywood makes tripe movies every single day. Yet they rarely get panned like a Dyer film. It seems the press cant stand that a real working-class boy has taught himself this craft and done well. Dyer didnt go to a posh school. He taught himself, impressed everyone from Helen Mirren to Harold Pinter, and now makes a good living for his beautiful family.

Sure, hes made some bad films but who hasnt? And Dyer admits when he makes mistakes.

Unlike any other actor you can name, he admits to his fans when he has made a bad film. Take these recent Tweet exchanges:

Fan: When I see a film with @MyDyer in it, I dont even bother reading what its about because I know its gonna be gooood. #7lives tonight

Dannys response: Hate to do this to ya Grace. Ill be the first to admit Ive made some shit films but 7 lives is fucking awful. #sorry

Fan: just downloaded just for the record on my ipad. What am I going to expect danny?? Love your films. #legend

Dannys response: Bruv. I aint gonna lie. It is the biggest pile of shit I have ever done and thats saying something.

But heres the thing. Hes a genuinely great actor. He appeared in two of Pinters plays at the behest of the late, great writer and its generally agreed that Harold Pinter knows thing or two about visual arts. Dyers breakout role as Moff in 1999s Human Traffic still stands up today as one of the great characters of that decade. In Andrea Arnolds short film Wasp, Dyer turns in a magnetic performance in the lead with Nathalie Press, which led to the film winning an Oscar for Best Short Film in 2003.

In my opinion, The Football Factory is one of the most underrated British films of all time. I genuinely think it to be as good as Trainspotting and far more entertaining. Why isnt it recognised as such? Because heroin is chic and affects all classes, while hooliganism is not, even though it stems from the same social ills.

I find Dyer to be charismatic and eminently watchable. I love the fact that YouTube is full of clips of him at nightclubs completely off his face. His guard is always down. He doesnt try and hide who he is. But he always gets up and goes to work in the morning. He likes a drink, but Lohan he aint.

Speak to anyone who has worked with him and they will say the same thing: he is a total pro. And much more than that. The fridge on the set has run out of milk? Dont worry, pipes up Danny. Ill go. And before the runners have a chance to stop him, he runs off down the road to get it.