Film Review: PIGGY (2012)

Writer/Director: Kieron Hawkes
Running time: 102 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Drama/Thriller
UK Release date: 4^th May 2012

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 19^th May 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is one of those films I heard about on the BBC Radio 4 Film Programme. It’s a bit of an ‘arty’ film show that tends to focus more on British and art-house films. Even so, I’m always interested in what they have to say and this one came quite highly recommended. As usual, I watched it without looking at any reviews or scores on various web sites and I was surprised when I came to write my review just how poorly it had been received! I found it a lot better than the scores would have you believe; it’s far from prefect, but it’s certainly better than the 1/10 that Rotten Tomatoes seems to think it deserves! But I digress, here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Joe (Martin Compston) is a shy young man living and working in London. He idolises his big brother John (Neil Maskell) who looks out for him. But his world falls apart when John is killed by a gang of men who he had been having a spot of trouble with in a local pub. Joe is devastated and even Clair (Louise Dylan), a friend, can’t console him. Enter Piggy (Paul Anderson), who claims to be an old friend of John’s from school. He takes Joe under his wing and teaches him all about life in the big city; how to avoid trouble and how to cope should the need arise. Piggy wants to help Joe in other ways too (no, not like that), he wants to give Joe his revenge for his brother. To this end they begin to track down the five men responsible. One by one Piggy takes his revenge as Joe watches on; but what effect is all this having on Joe? How will this change him?

I found this very dark with extreme levels of violence, For the most part the acts of violence are not actually shown on the screen, they are alluded to enough to make you cringe though. Great performances all round, particularly from Paul Anderson; he played the part superbly! Martin Compston wasn’t all that bad either! As revenge thrillers go, this may not be the best, but it’s certainly one of the darkest I’ve seen in a long time. Maybe it’s just too dark and that’s the trouble with it; I found myself looking at my watch in places which is never a good sign. Certainly worth seeing for Paul Anderson’s performance but definitely not one for the squeamish.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED (Just)

My score: 5.9/10.

IMDb Score: 5.2/10 (based on 254 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1951218/

MetaScore: No Data: (Based on 0 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 10/100 (based on 10 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 37/100 (based on 60 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/piggy/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PiggyTheFilm
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/PiggyTheFilm
Trailer:

Film Review: KILL LIST (2011)

Director: Ben Wheatley
Writers: Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump
Running time: 95 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Crime/Horror/Thriller
UK Release date: 2^nd September 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 9^th December 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I must admit I knew very little about this film before seeing it; I know there is much talk about its director, Ben Wheatley, at the moment with the release of his latest film, Sightseers. Some may find this one quite disturbing in places with scenes of extreme violence and also some very strong language. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Jay (Neil Maskell) is a former soldier who lives with his wife Shel (MyAnna Buring) and son Sam (Harry Simpson). They are in financial trouble because Jay has been suffering psychological problems after a job went wrong in Kiev eight months previously. Jay’s friend, Gal (Michael Smiley), persuades him to take on a new contract with him and they go off to meet the client. I should point out that their work is in the contract killing game. The client (Struan Rodger) seems very interested in Jay and before he leaves, he cuts Jay’s hand with a knife. The pair set about their work but things don’t exactly go to plan and they find themselves embroiled in a very bizarre world indeed. But is there a way out?... I had better leave it there.

The film starts with what looks like an average domestic drama with Jay and Shel constantly falling out and making up. But once Jay and Cal set about their work the whole atmosphere of the piece changes. There is a great sense of mystery with several aspects of the plot not fully explained, leaving it to the audience to decide, this I really liked. I should warn potential viewers that there are scenes of very extreme violence and an awful lot of swearing (so be prepared). Over all, I found it a decent watch with some very nice aspects and an ending that’s left wide open to interpretation… A Brit flick well worth a viewing.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.4/10

IMDb Score: 6.2/10 (based on 10,885 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1788391/

MetaScore: 67/100: (Based on 22 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 75/100 (based on 81 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 57/100 ‘Liked It’ (based on 6,434 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kill_list_2011/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
None available.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.kill-list.com/
Trailer: