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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Tyrannosaur (Film)

by Julian Wood | February 20, 2012 16:01

It’s dark and tough-going material, but totally worth it thanks to the brilliantly gutsy performances and the hope of redemption always in sight.

There's a large and continuing gulf between British cinema and the Hollywood tradition. However, some actors - like Peter Mullan, who plays the eponymous "tyrannosaur" in this dark and visceral tale - can work in both traditions (he was recently seen in Spielberg's War Horse, for example). The point being that this small film doesn't have any heroics, but to avoid it as a downer would be to miss out on a truthful and moving work. The film offers a lot of good acting and a small glimpse of redemption. Mullan has a long pedigree of playing troubled characters with uncompromising accuracy. Those who remember his brilliant turn as Joe the alcoholic in Ken Loach's moving My Name Is Joe will need no further persuading. 

 

Here he plays Joseph, a man with a murky past who one day visits a charity shop in a Northern England provincial town. Working there is Hannah (Olivia Colman). Initially, she is put off by Joseph's rudeness and the hint of suppressed violence that accompanies him like a bad smell. He is well aware of her reaction to him; in fact, he expects it. Slowly, however, they start to trust each other, and reach out for a shy dysfunctional friendship. It turns out that Hannah has every reason to be wary of men. Entering the scene at this point is James (Eddie Marsan), her jealous husband. From then on, it is an uneasy three-hander which tightens as the film progresses.

 

Both Marsan and Colman are top notch supporting players, whose faces will be more familiar than their names (Marsan was in the Sherlock Holmes films, and Colman was a brilliant foil in Peep Show, the best British TV comedy of recent years). Their performances here are seamless and moving. The film is the debut directorial effort by British actor Paddy Considine from his own screenplay, which completes its pedigree. Tyrannosaur is raw, powerful stuff, but with so much heart.