Length: 05:00
Logline: A business man abducted by an unknown assailant is given food for thought.
This is a competent enough production let down by a poor plot. It's only after reading the summary that you understand what this was all about. I purposely try to avoid reading those bits until I've watched the film, for if the filmmaker has done their job properly, all the information you're needing should be delivered in the film. Not the case here.
There are a lot of blanks left to fill in. The relationship between kidnapper and kidnapped is unexplained. Tom, played by Patrick Toomey, is obviously important enough to The Man, played by Leon Ajikawo, for him to abduct him in the first place. But his reasons are left for the audience to conclude themselves. I had kind of thought Tom was perhaps the divorce lawyer responsible for the break up of a family but the summary suggests otherwise. Ajikawo's character does at least show motivation enough to have been pushed to the extreme. A man left with nothing to lose. But the lesson he teaches his captive, although powerful in parts, does feel a little flat without our knowledge of in what way his downfall has been Tom's fault.
Both actors do their jobs well and portray believable characters although the short length of the kidnap wasn't enough for me to be convinced of Tom's arc into a now conscientious person. Then again, there is little in the way of character set up for Tom other than the repetitious "men like you" statement from The Man. Dialogue is uninspiring but the performances bring something to it. This feels like a decent idea which hasn't been fully developed before filming and subsequently lacks emotionally because of it. Both setup and conclusion are stronger than the middle part which didn't fulfil on the conflict potential. The Man versus Tom conversation is decidedly one sided.
Plus points are camera quality and editing. Both of which give at least an air of professionality. Pace has variation and used well. Negative points, besides the plot, are my number one hate - no ending. By which I mean, I want to see everything tied up in a nice little bow not left open with us wondering what will happen next. The title also went over my head and I wasn't sure what it was a reference to.
Best Bit: The promise of some interesting drama (which isn't delivered).
Worst Bit: Lack of clarity regarding plot.
Final thought: There was no real point in that balaclava was there.
Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here.
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