TOWER BLOCK

TOWER BLOCK

Introductory text describes how tower blocks were built in Britain to initially popular reviews, but consequently became synonymous with crime and violence. Presumably this is for the benefit of international audiences?

Anyhow, as the text continues to say, developers started plans to knock most of these blocks down and rebuild on their land – only, they encountered unpredicted resistance from tenants unwilling to move out.

This brings us to Serenity House, the London block where this film’s action takes place. All have moved out aside from the rats, and the tenants on its top floor. Why they want to stay put is anyone’s guess though, as their home turf is rife with muggings – such as the one that opens the film, wherein a 15-year-old lad is beaten senseless in the corridor of the block’s top floor. The tenants all lock their doors and turn their lights off rather than intervene, apart from singleton Becky (Sheridan Smith). She tries to break the violence up and gets a battering for her troubles.

Unfortunately the lad dies as a result of his beating. Even so, the tenants of Serenity House maintain a code of silence when an idealistic copper comes knocking at their doors. Even Becky insists she was attacked by random muggers in an incident unconnected to the teenager’s murder.

Events then race on to three months’ time, and Becky has recovered from her ordeal. Indeed, she’s a tad insecure about traversing the grey, foreboding building in which she lives in, but is ready to go out on a works ‘do’ and pull a fella. The morning after, she awakes in her apartment with said chap asleep beside her. Feeling pleased with herself, she gets up and makes coffee for the pair of them. As he meets her at her dining table and starts to get to know her a little better … a bullet blasts through her window and blows half of the unfortunate bloke’s face away.

Recoiling in terror to the corridor, Becky discovers that her neighbours are also being shot at by the same unseen sniper. These include ex-army bloke Nev (Ralph Brown) and his nurse wife Violet (Jill Baker), reclusive alcoholic Paul (Russell Tovey), Jeff (Michael Legge) and his unhappy girlfriend Amy (Loui Batley), wife and mother Carol (Julie Graham) and her internet gaming son Danny (Harry McEntire), foulmouthed "innit" slapper Jenny (Montserrat Lombard) and her two beleaguered young kids, and wannabe gangstas Gary (Nabil Elouahabi) and Mark (Kane Robinson).

Oh yes, presiding over all of them – in a fashion – is swaggering young thug Kurtis (Jack O’Connell). He extorts money from the other tenants on a weekly basis in return for protection against burglary and worse; Gary and Mark are his witless henchmen, when it suits him.

Of course, the fact that someone is aiming a highly efficient semi-automatic rifle in their direction and attempting to pick them off one-by-one (and doing a fair job of it – quite a few die in the early stages of the film, although the most controversial deaths thankfully occur off-screen) means this disparate bunch have to start working together in a bid to escape alive. Their hunter has, after all, ensured that all internet connections and ‘phone signals are down. This lot are very much on their own.

They soon discover that the building is booby-trapped with guns rigged up to shoot whoever opens the lifts etc, making escape even more difficult. So, they must control their tempers and tolerate each other’s quirks to stay out of view from the windows, decipher the message behind illustrations of smiley faces left around the place and figure out a way to get out of this situation alive.

TOWER BLOCK has two directors, James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson. This may explain its unbalanced tone. On the one hand, the film is a gritty urban British thriller which makes efforts to address hoodie culture, class divides, kitchen sink concerns and even a small amount of localised politics. But, on the other hand, it paints an aesthetic palette akin to THE RAID: REDEMPTION (also set in a tower block, don’t forget) and seems to feel the need to subscribe to American action movie conventions – the stylised opening titles; the minimalistic electro score that even has theme tunes for certain characters; the flashy editing and composition of some scenes, set to likewise music, which seem at loggerheads with the earthier drama in-between. It’s tough to tell whether this is a scathing indictment on heartfelt issues or a Hollywood calling card.

Clichéd characters further distance this from any resonation with reality, as does the fact that a few of the key protagonists – Kurtis, specifically – don’t appear to have any consistent traits. I mean, we all know people like these … but their actions here don’t ring true to what you know they would or wouldn’t do. Again, this sense of screenplay schizophrenia seems to be explained rather conveniently by the knowledge of dual direction. However, the screenplay is down to one person only – James Moran (SEVERANCE; TV’s "Spooks", "Primeval" and "Torchwood").

Despite characters that aren’t written too convincingly, the cast is largely excellent. O’Connell convinces and even elicits audience warmth despite portraying a cunt, in a manner that Danny Dyer (too old for the role these days, but perhaps the most obvious comparison in terms of onscreen bolshiness) couldn’t pull off. Smith is a likeable, ballsy lead. Tovey comes into his own as the film progresses. Brown is the heart, an aged stamp of authority over the younger performers who keeps proceedings ticking over nicely at all times.

While the film may be corny and predictable, while it seems staggering that a couple of characters are more concerned about eating than saving their necks at one point, and while the age gap between Danny and Carol may seem more dubious than that between Peter Bark and his mum in BURIAL GROUND, TOWER BLOCK actually does work.

It’s tense. It’s well-paced. You think in the first third that you couldn’t possibly care whether these characters live or die, but you still get emotionally involved in the final half. A brutal finale even provides a minor twist (for those that haven’t already guessed the villain’s identity).

Lionsgate’s R2 DVD presents TOWER BLOCK in its uncut state. The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. As mentioned above, the visual look is similar to that of THE RAID: REDEMPTION. So, expect washed-out colour schemes and blacks that don’t constitute solidity at any turn. This appears to be a stylistic choice of the filmmakers, but it’s an odd one for me. Still, images are sharp throughout and it must be said that the saturated look of the film didn’t harm my enjoyment of it.

English audio comes in 2.0 digital and sounds very good throughout, proffering a clean and consistent playback. Optional English subtitles are well-written and easily readable against all backgrounds.

An animated main menu page leads us into a static scene-selection menu where you’ll find access to the film via 12 chapters.

Extras are restricted to a 6-minute Behind-The-Scenes featurette which finds principal members of the cast and crew talking on location into a handheld camera about their characters, the film’s themes and how the whole thing was inspired by an experience at FrightFest.

The disc is defaulted to open with trailers for ON THE ROAD, THE POSSESSION and SILENT HILL: REVELATION.

TOWER BLOCK has weaknesses, as described above. But if you can overlook these you’ll be rewarded by a surprisingly engaging, occasionally tense little thriller. I found it to provide a quality night’s entertainment, despite its apparent flaws.

Also available on blu-ray.

Review by Stuart Willis


 
Released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment UK Ltd
Region 2
Rated 18
Extras :
see main review
Back