list.co.uk/fi lm Reviews | FILM
THRILLER THE ROBBER (15) 101min ●●●●●
CRIME SALVO (12A) 104min ●●●●● DRAMA STARRED UP (18) 106min ●●●●●
Filmhouse’s distribution arm continues to snap up what the UK’s mainstream film companies have left on the shelf, with a long overdue release for this Austrian thriller. A marathon runner takes advantage of his unusual stamina by robbing banks and fleeing on foot. But the approach taken by director Benjamin Heisenberg is more mysterious and minimalist than hyper-kinetic.
Why does Hans (played by Andreas Lust) run? Why does he translate his ability to win on the track into a skill for stealing? Not especially out of greed, or even thrillseeking; more because he can. The Robber is a film as much about the loneliness of individual consciousness as about the activities of one unusually-wired criminal.
A slow-burning homage to Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï, Salvo uses the familiar trope of a stone-cold killer (Saleh Bakri) who falls for a female character connected to one of his victims. This time round, it’s blind woman Rita (Sara Serraiocco), sister and housemate to the man who arranged an ambush on Salvo’s Mafia employer. There’s lots to love about Salvo. The sudden, brutal
action sequences are shot with a cold distance reminiscent of Matteo Garrone’s Gomorrah, while a lengthy scene in which Salvo silently infiltrates Rita’s home is a masterclass in sustained tension-building. The audience is often put in Rita’s position, with impeccable sound design playing an integral part in portraying her perception of the world.
It’s beautifully crafted, with tense chase scenes, Sadly, where writer-director team Fabio
fine cinematography and a thoughtful if distant depiction of the dynamics of a relationship devoid of emotional openness or articulacy. Viewers craving explanations for character behaviour are likely to come away unfulfilled, but for those who prefer a bit of existential vagueness to being led by the nose, this is a thought-provoking as well as a technically impressive piece of work. (Hannah McGill) ■ Limited release from Fri 21 Mar. Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza succeed with Rita, they fail with Salvo. Their shark-eyed assassin is so firmly established as blank and merciless that any subsequent humanising of his character falls flat. He even befriends a mistreated neighbourhood dog: the hoariest of ‘hitman with a heart of gold’ clichés. For a film with so much good in it, it’s a shame the central character fails to hit the mark. (Niki Boyle) ■ Limited release from Fri 21 Mar.
A gut-wrenching and insightful look at life behind bars, told through the experiences of an alternately frightened and ferocious teenager, Starred Up is the ninth film from director David Mackenzie (Young Adam, Hallam Foe). Jack O’Connell (Skins) gives an attention-grabbing performance as Eric Love, a 19-year-old offender who’s been moved prematurely to an adult facility in London because of his violent behaviour. The prison in question happens to house his estranged, criminal father, Neville (a terrifically twitchy performance from Ben Mendelsohn). Starred Up is compassionate, brutal and
nerve-wracking, but it manages to highlight the consequences of confinement, staff corruption and the power structures that exist between inmates and officers. First-time screenwriter Jonathan Asser’s script is authentically abrasive and peppered with welcome snatches of humour, while Mackenzie and cinematographer Michael McDonough (Winter’s Bone) capture the volatility of the environment without surrendering sensitivity to character. The cast is uniformly excellent, with even the Melbourne- born Mendelsohn’s wavering ‘Laandan’ accent thankfully not breaking the spell. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 21 Mar.
DRAMA A LONG WAY DOWN (15) 96min ●●●●●
Perhaps appropriately for a film centred around four people who attempt to commit suicide, A Long Way Down initially seems resoundingly Dead On Arrival. But after a prolonged spell of lifelessness, the story unexpectedly develops a beating heart around the halfway point, and concludes as a touching depiction of unlikely friendship and mutual support.
It begins one New Year’s Eve with Martin (Pierce Brosnan), a disgraced former chat show host, making his way to a notorious London suicide spot with clear intent. Once there, his plan is quickly scuppered as three other lost souls turn up with exactly the same idea: Maureen (Toni Colette), full-time carer to her disabled adult son; JJ (Aaron Paul), a failed musician; and Jess (Imogen Poots), the neurotic and recently dumped daughter of a prominent politician. When the story about their almost-suicide becomes headline news, Martin unwisely convinces the other three that they should use this media profile to their advantage.
Making his English-language debut, director Pascal
Chaumeil (Heartbreaker) initially swerves between attempts at madcap comedy and poignant drama, succeeding at neither. Similarly, screenwriter Jack Thorne, adapting Nick Hornby’s bestselling novel, struggles to condense the stories of four main characters into 90 minutes, zipping through incidents but failing to show us who these people are and what is driving them. But the film begins to make more sense and develop substance
when it slows down. A late sequence focusing on Maureen is a powerful reminder of how brilliant an actress Toni Collette can be, and Chaumeil eventually finds a fitting balance of humour and darkness, bringing out Hornby’s deeper points about loneliness and the power of community. (Paul Gallagher) ■ General release from Fri 21 Mar.
20 Mar–17 Apr 2014 THE LIST 59