Shout Factory has brought us a nice
little treat from across the pond. That flick is “Tower Block”,
the flick is a lean, mean and vicious machine. Directed with a break
neck pace by first time filmmakers James Nunn & Ronnie Thompson.
This little flick was written by James Moran who's a veteran of
British television. He's written episodes for everything from Doctor
Who, Torchwood & Primeval. Unlike those series that were heavy on
the syfy, this film is set firmly in reality. If anything the film is
more akin to Moran's first writing credit, the criminally underrated
horror/comedy “Severance”. Tower Block isn't a horror film at
all but the film features a tight script and breathless suspense.
Moran even injects a bit of humor here and there to lighten things up
a bit. The flick falls in line with other siege movies, Assault on
Precinct 13 being one of the biggest influences.
Even the brief opening text echoes
Precinct 13 while informing you of the history of tower blocks. “The
Tower Block was first built for affordable living after the world
war. Communities welcomed them as their excellent views made them
popular places to live. They deteriorated and became a breeding
ground for crime and violence. Re-developers took over, knocking them
down. However, it's not easy moving out existing tenants. Serenity
House awaits demolition. The top floor residents are the final people
left to be rehoused.”. The films tone is set right from the start
as a young man runs for his life, being chased by two hooded thugs.
He runs into the Serenity Tower Block and bangs on doors, only to be
ignored by the tenants. As they listen behind locked doors to the
sounds of the teen being beat to death. This scene sadly has to much
resemblance to reality where people often turn a blind eye to the
events unfolding around them.
One kind hearted individual Becky
(Sheridan Smith) calls the cops (she's put on hold). With no help
from the law Becky tries to stop the attackers but is quickly
assaulted herself. From there we cut to one of the more stylish
opening credits sequences reminiscent of an opening to a David
Fyncher film. We are then introduced to Detective DC Devlin (Stephen
Cree, 300: Rise of an Empire). He has zero luck as each tenant he's
spoken to haven't seen a thing. We skip ahead three months where
Serenity House is close to demolition, we also are introduced to a
host of colorful characters.
Amy's (Loui Batley) relationship with a fella Ormand
(Jordan Long) is on the skids. Daniel (Harry McEntire) is a computer
game nerd who'd rather play Battlefield 3 online then go outside. He's
taken care of by his worrisome mother Carol (Julie Graham). We also
have a rather neglectful mother, a couple of drug dealers and the
buildings residential thug and runner of a protection racket Kurtis
(Jack O'Connell). Everything is business as usual for the residents
until a sniper open fires on the building. Carnage ins sues and the
survivors of the initial wave of gunfire huddle into the hallway to
figure out who's the shooter and better yet how do they escape?
What a refreshing cup o
tea this flick was (Pardon the obnoxious British pun). Going into the
film I was expecting your typical low budget British tower block is
harassed by a group of hoods type of flick. What I got was a sleek, uncompromising and violent little white knuckle pot boiler. It's truly
a film where you have no clue what's going to happen next or who the
next person to get a bullet between the eyes will be. The film
doesn't B.S. Around with pointless melodrama or subplots. It merely
sticks with the tenants and the terrifying circumstances that they
are involved in.
The film is also packed
with a nice bit of social commentary. Tower Blocks seem to be all the
rage these days for settings for British flicks. Everything from the
excellent Attack The Block to Harry Brown to somewhat lesser flicks
such as the missed opportunity which was “The Veteran”. Tower
Block despite being set strickly in one location for most of the
running time is never boring. It manages to keep the suspense steady
for it's 90 minute running time.
This is really the film that the
Assault on Precinct 13 remake wished it could have been. I know I
keep name dropping the Carpenter classic, but in no-way did this film
crib or ripoff that film. But it features the same breathless
suspense and sense of dread that I felt the first time I saw
Precinct. Also special mention should go out to composer Owen Morris
for his dead on synth score.
Shout Factory brings
Tower Block to Blu-ray in an outstanding 2.35:1 1080P AVC encoded transfer. The film was shot on digital with a
heavily desaturated look but that doesn't effect the fine detail and
realistic skin tones. Night sequences look strong with no nasty
digital crush and for the most part it's a crystal clear transfer.
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
does an excellent job at immersing you in the sheer intensity of the
action. The track does an excellent job of showing of the films phenomenal sound design.
Extra's wise we get
treated to a nice commentary track from writer James Moran. Moran has
a enjoyable self deprecating sense of humor and gives plenty of
information regarding the production. Well worth a listen if you
enjoyed the film. Last up is a short but sweet 6 minute making of
feature which features your typical fly on the wall style interviews.
This is 90 minutes of
you're time well spent, do yourself a favor and be sure to check out
this soon to be cult flick out! With a strong audio/video presentation
from Shout! Factory this film comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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