Journeyman - review

Paddy Considine follows up his incredible debut feature Tyrannosaur with a film that cements his position as one of the best British writer-director-actors in the business. A true triple threat.

Born from his love of boxing, Journeyman is the story of Matty Burton, a middleweight champion who faces a brash, young upstart for the title but will find that his biggest fight will come outside the ring.

He suffers a debilitating brain injury brought on by a vicious blow to the head and is faced with the task of rebuilding his health, his life and his relationship with his wife and daughter.

Rocky III this is not.

It certainly does not fit the format of your standard boxing movie. Yes, there is the scenes of the press conference where Burton verbally spars off against "The Future" Andre Bryte, deflecting jabs left and right about how the match will be "life changing". Then there is the fight which is deliberately shot in a different style to the likes of Raging Bull and Rocky.

But following the fight, there is no "training for a rematch", there are montages but they are of Matty's rehab as he trains for one goal and one goal alone. Winning his wife back.

The heart of the film is the relationship between Matty and his wife Emma played by Jodie Whittaker.

Considine proved with Tyrannosaur that he can write and direct incredible performances for woman with Olivia Colman, and he has done it again here.

Whittaker gives an award-worthy performance here and goes toe-to-toe every step of the way as she tries to find her husband in the man who stands before her.

Their relationship takes some very difficult, shocking turns along the way and the audiences allegiances may shift between the two fighters more than a Russian crowd siding with Balboa vs Drago.

It builds towards the final rounds which features two of the most heartbreaking and moving scenes that will leave audiences in tears after delivering some devastating gut punches.

Journeyman is a real contender for the title of Best British Film of 2018 and may well be standing tall at the end of the year thanks to two genuine knockout performances.

4 stars

Pride - review

Pride is based on the true story of a group called LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) who did exactly that during the 1984 strike by raising money for a Welsh mining town that was suffering at that time.

The film packs a lot into its 120 minute running time.

There is the main thread which looks at the similarities and differences between the two groups and their persecution at the hands of the government and media at that time and how they must overcome any feelings of prejudice to join together.

It also features several subplots for its large ensemble cast which include:

Closeted young man forced to come out to unapproving parents, a return to home in Wales for reconciliation with parent not seen in 15 years, dealing with a potential HIV/AIDS diagnosis, getting a close-knit small town to accept outsiders, a mother learning to make more of herself in terms of employment, etc, etc.

It is difficult for each individual story to get the screen time and closure it needs but most of them are given the appropriate weight due to fantastic ensemble acting from the Pride of Britain including Paddy Considine, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Andrew Scott, George Mackay and Ben Schnetzer.

There is not a weak link in the chain which is exactly what you need in a fight against enemies such as politicians, police, press and prejudice.

Not only is Pride suitable for Miners but it is suitable for anyone looking for a feel-good film this year.

4 stars

Tyrannosaur - review

It would be easy at this point to pull out phrases like "hard hitting" and "a film that pull no punches" but that would be in incredibly poor taste because Tyrannosaur is a film where one of the main themes is domestic violence, so I won't.
But make no mistake, this new film by actor-turned-director Paddy Considine, can be very hard to watch, and stomach, due to some unflinching violence, both physical and verbal.

Joseph (Peter Mullan) is not a nice guy, by his own admission.  He drinks, gambles, fights and alienates everyone around him.  One day he stumbles into a charity shop run by Hannah (Olivia Colman).  She offers to pray for his soul and he writes her off as a God-loving goodie-two-shoes but Hannah is hiding a secret.  She's the victim of horrific domestic abuse from husband James (Eddie Marsan, cornering the UK market on playing absolute creeps).

Much has been made of Olivia Colman and she deserves all the praise and accolades she gets.  Primarily known for comedic work as Sophie on Peep Show, she shows a completely different side to her and delivers a completely raw and devastating performance.  One scene in particular that stands out is when James is apologising for hitting her and she is telling him she forgives him but her face is telling a different story, a mixture of hate for him and herself for allowing it to happen.
Mullan is also terrific as Joseph, a simmering volcano of rage that could erupt at anytime and on anyone whether that be his dog, a neighbour or random down the pub, and pitches it just right that he doesn't alienate the audience completely and draws them into his plight, trying to turn his life around and keep his temper at bay and Hannah may be his solution.
It seems that British actors who turn to directing are drawn to the theme of domestic violence, see Gary Oldman's Nil By Mouth, and in addition to drawing terrific performances from his actors, Considine also wrote the script (which is good except for a slightly clumsy final segment which ties up one of the plot threads) and has crafted an affecting film from grim subject matter but has injected plenty of heart and even a dash of humour that helps to alleviate the risk of the film descending into pure misery porn.
Don't be surprised to hear someone call out Paddy Considine's name when announcing the winner of the Best First Feature at next year's BAFTAs.

4 stars