Tyrannosaur.

This is topical because it was made in 2011! But more than anything else Paddy Considine directed this, so that automatically makes this a must watch for me. So, enjoy!

Honestly not sure if it's a negative or a positive but Considine has a very similar style to Meadows, this feels like a Meadows film which is't exactly a bad thing but I'd like to have thought someone like Considine would have more identity. Although I guess most British Social realism feels the same at the end of the day.

My God is Peter Mullan's performance in this film good, you thought his performance was good in Boy A? Then you are in for a treat here, his performance is something else, what a brilliant, brilliant actor. Colman's performance is also truly chilling, you don't see the true extent of her ability until the last twenty or so minutes when you see just how truly broken the woman of Hannah is, beautiful and haunting. And we really can't forget Eddie Marsan's performance as James, holy shit this guy is frightening, what a chilling but fantastic performance this guy puts on for us. The cast in this film is just brilliant.

The story of Tyrannosaur is ultimately a story of love; Joseph (Peter Mullan) clearly isn't all there with hints to him abusing his late wife, who died from a diabetic heart attack after years of suffering, with an uncontrollable rage that is sending him on a path of redemption, until one day by chance he meets the extremely religious Hannah played by the brilliant Olivia Colman. Question is, can she save him when she is still trying to overcome her own demons? Or will he end up being the one to save her? Really by half way through the film Joseph is really replaced by Hannah as the spotlighted character, it does make the film feel rather messy but really there is only so much you can do with a character like Joseph, so I forgive it.

This film is unrelentingly dark and gritty, which I find surprising because I always found Considine seemed to have rather a black sense of humour and that is what I was expecting to find here but no, it's hard going but luckily compelling enough not to simply give up on - helped by a great cast. And the last half an hour or so will probably be some of the best cinema you've seen all year, mesmerising stuff. Even the character of Tommy, who I suppose is meant to be comic relief, just comes across as sinister. Or even the party sequence, which is actually a wake, so I still can't really count that as a 'happy' scene.

The film is also really a rather generic affair, for British social realism at least - with quite the few nods to Nil By Mouth especially, if not perhaps going a little further than that film ever dared to do and there are a few twists here and there but no massive deviations. So if you're coming here expecting Considine to reinvent the genre, you'll be sadly disappointed. I myself am disappointed, in a sense anyway, since Considine is such a character, I expected something new on the table but still he's a competent director and this is a well made film full of stunning performances and well, I love British Social Realism, so I can't really complain to much.

So do I recommend this? God yes! It doesn't break any boundaries and it is bloody hard going but fuck me this is a fucking masterpiece.

Think About It!

-Locke