Review #1,036: 'Tyrannosaur' (2011)

Having done some of his best work with director Shane Meadows, it's no surprise that first-time director Paddy Considine turned to the darkest areas of the human soul to find a story that is both violent and romantic, without ever confusing the two. The Meadows/Considine collaborations A Room for Romeo Brass (1999) and Dead Man's Shoes (2004) were an unsettling mixture of mental anguish and kitchen-sink drama, but Considine's debut, Tyrannosaur, keeps the tone firmly within the boundaries of the Ken Loach School of Gritty Film-Making, which help make this often gentle tale of two broken souls finding common ground often difficult to sit through.

An expansion of Considine's BAFTA award-winning short Dog Altogether, Tyrannosaur follows Joseph (Peter Mullan), a heavy-drinking and unemployed widower with extreme anger issues. We first meet him being thrown out of a pub following an unseen altercation, after which he kicks his dog to death in the street in a blind rage. Further anti-social behaviour sees him end up in a charity shop owned by God-fearing Hannah (Olivia Colman). Joseph is abusive and possibly dangerous, but she decides to help him anyway. Hannah's apparently comfortable middle-class life is at odds with the tougher upbringing experienced by Joseph, and he initially scolds her for it. Yet as the charity shop evolves into something of a safe haven for Joseph, he comes to learn that Hannah's marriage to James (Eddie Marsan) is an abusive one, and that she has her own demons to face.

The film certainly doesn't pull its punches. From the opening scene of witnessing the protagonist of the story brutally kill his own animal to a graphic rape later in the movie, Tyrannosaur is uncomfortable viewing but is never out to simply shock. The character of Joseph was based on Considine's father, but rather than being a carousel of unpleasant experiences torn from the directors memories, the film instead ponders whether a life wasted can be redeemed. Joseph and Hannah may seem to be complete opposites, but their shared disappointment in the life they have led and the suffering they have endured makes for a romantic bond that is both believable and profound. The relationship is given extra weight by the performances of the two leads. Mullan is uniformly excellent in a type of role he has done before, but Colman, who was up to this point of her career mainly known for her comedy work, is a revelation. An impressive debut work from an actor I have admired since I first saw him back in '99.


Directed by: Paddy Considine
Starring: Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman, Eddie Marsan, Ned Dennehy
Country: UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,011: 'The Lobster' (2015)

Early in 2015, word-of-mouth was spreading from festival-goers that The Lobster was a strange masterpiece, a dark and bleakly hilarious portrayal of modern relationships that could even compete for the Oscars as long as the voters were not put off by the general weirdness. It however limped into cinemas with little promotion (that I saw), gaining positive reviews from the critics, but was notably absent during awards season. This may have been down to the film being simply too out-there, but I believe it's down to the fact that the incredible precision of the first act gives way to a depressingly bleak and rambling latter half.

The first half of the film is where Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos sets the scene for this not-too-distant living nightmare, where couples must either find a loving partner or face being turned into an animal of their choice. Sullen David (Colin Farrell) arrives at a hotel in middle-of-nowhere Ireland hoping to find a mate. The rules are simple - find love within 45 days or become a wild beast, and David has decided he is to be a lobster. Escape into the surrounding woods and you'll have your former buddies hunting you at night with a tranquilliser gun in the hope of gaining an extra day for each 'kill'. David tries courting the 'Heartless Woman' (Angeliki Papoulia), as she is billed, but things turn sour and he decides to make off into the trees.

The hotel scenes are mostly uncomfortably hilarious. David's new friend, 'The Limping Man' (Ben Whishaw), tries to find common ground with 'Nosebleed Woman' (Jessica Barden) by bashing his head against a wall to cause his nose to gush so they can share something in common, while the Lisping Man (John C. Reilly) is forced by the stern Hotel Manager (Olivia Colman) to put his hand in a toaster as a punishment for masturbating (which is strictly forbidden, while the inhabitants are forced to receive a dry humping from the Maid (Ariane Labed) without ejaculating every morning). Courtship here is routine and emotionless, likely commenting on the ridiculous state of modern dating, which is usually based on linking shared interests and statistics electronically. Whatever happened to a good old natural spark?

It's also depressing, but absorbingly so, but loses its pace once David is in the woods. He meets the leader of escaped hotel guests the Loners, played by Lea Seydoux, whose way of life seems even harsher than the hotels. Romance and sexual activity are punishable by violence and mutilation, but nevertheless David falls in love with the 'Short Sighted Woman' (Rachel Weisz). Once the focus shifts away from the Hotel and the bizarre hook of the films title, the film is just not as interesting while in the world of the Loners. The satire loses its edge and the story could have benefited from 15 minutes or so shaved off. Still, The Lobster is an oddball experience I would recommend anyone to sit through at least once, and features a terrifically restrained performance from Farrell, playing against type.


Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Ben Whishaw, Léa Seydoux, Olivia Colman, John C. Reilly, Angeliki Papoulia
Country: Ireland/UK/Greece/France/Netherlands/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #784: 'Locke' (2013)

Ever been stuck on a motorway at night, anxious to reach your destination, and with the sounds of "are we there yet?" running through your mind? Locke is a British drama by director/screenwriter Steven Knight, the man responsible for Dirty Pretty Things (2002) and Eastern Promises (2007) which takes place entirely in the miserable setting of the M1, and in fact never, with the exception of the opening minute or so, leaves it's protagonist's car. It could easily be dismissed as a narrative trick, a gimmick films often use to elevate it's dull story. But the claustrophobic and dreary setting serves a purpose, a portal into the mind of it's eponymous hero, charismatically performed by the magnetic Tom Hardy, in what is surely his best performance.

On the night before Europe's largest-ever concrete pour (outside of military and nuclear projects), construction foreman Ivan Locke (Hardy) throws his hi-vis and boots into his BMW, and sets off on what will turn out to be a traumatic journey from Birmingham to London. His boss, saved in Locke's phone as 'Bastard', is pissed at Locke for abandoning his post, and duly fires him. Determined not see his work fall apart, he stays in touch with Irish friend Donal (Andrew Scott), who carries out Locke's instructions. He also has news for his wife (Ruth Wilson), who is waiting with his children to watch an important football match. Armed with just Bluetooth and his beloved work binder, it will be a night that sees Locke's carefully constructed world fall apart.

It's hard to describe the plot without revealing too much. Locke's situation lacks originality and complexity, but the film holds your attention with the way the many phone calls he makes slowly begin to claw away at a man whose life, until now, has been a well-constructed success. Such a confined narrative structure demands a great performance, and Hardy, shedding the hard-man persona he developed in the likes of Bronson (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), delivers it with aplomb. With nowhere for the camera to go apart from the occasional glimpse of the road, Hardy holds the screen throughout. Some things don't quite work, such as Locke talking to his dead father (a moment that reeks of lazy exposition), but for a film about a man in a car talking on the phone to people we never see, it's often gripping stuff.


Directed by: Steven Knight
Starring: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie