Length: 10:56
Logline: An ex-con back on the straight and narrow does one last rob in order to provide his young brother with a better life.
Good casting comes into play with the young Simon looking quite like old Simon, played by seasoned northern actor David Crellin. But it's Sean Cernow who stands out as the strongest performer here. Cernow portrays his character physically and with conviction and although he has to navigate a long winded dying scene, comes across as deliberate and professional.
The dialogue is good and naturalistic and certainly in keeping with the regional locale but verges on being a bit overwritten and exposition heavy at the same time. The story plunges into melodrama and sentiment towards the end and although these scenes provid the emotional crux of the film, it does feel a bit hammy.
Good casting comes into play with the young Simon looking quite like old Simon, played by seasoned northern actor David Crellin. But it's Sean Cernow who stands out as the strongest performer here. Cernow portrays his character physically and with conviction and although he has to navigate a long winded dying scene, comes across as deliberate and professional.
The dialogue is good and naturalistic and certainly in keeping with the regional locale but verges on being a bit overwritten and exposition heavy at the same time. The story plunges into melodrama and sentiment towards the end and although these scenes provid the emotional crux of the film, it does feel a bit hammy.
The misplaced flashbacks early on only serve to confuse and could have been placed at a more appropriate place or cut altogether. Saying that, when we do finally delve deeper into those shots we get an emotionally engaging and well executed action sequence which is nicely juxtaposed against the quieter and darker dialogue scenes.
Competently put together, there's minor issues with continuity and a floundering camera (or edit) but on the whole looks good on screen. The soundtrack in the intro scenes feels a little misplaced but is used sparingly and helps build tension later on. Overall, the audience may have to suspend belief at certain points but the emotional heart of the piece is clear and with good meaning if not pretty thickly laid on.
Competently put together, there's minor issues with continuity and a floundering camera (or edit) but on the whole looks good on screen. The soundtrack in the intro scenes feels a little misplaced but is used sparingly and helps build tension later on. Overall, the audience may have to suspend belief at certain points but the emotional heart of the piece is clear and with good meaning if not pretty thickly laid on.
Best Bit: The army shooting scenes.
Worst Bit: Oh, I'm a thief, feel sorry for my terrible life.
Read a condensed review of this film on Twitter here.
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