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Released By: Magnolia Pictures
Released On: 01/18/2011
Director: Ben Wheatley
Cast: Robert Hill, Robin Hill, Julia Deakin, Kerry Peacock
The Film:
The father of a young child looks down the barrel of a gun in a remote farmer's field with tears running down his face, begging to be spared for the sake of his offspring. An elderly woman is shoved from a bus platform into the street to be brutally run down by a speeding car. These are situations that are not funny. They are despicable actions that should not be laughed at. In the hands of filmmakers Ben Wheatley and Robin Hill, however, they are gut-wrenchingly hilarious.
This is not to suggest that Wheatley and Hill's film Down Terrace is a comedy, because it's not; in the traditional sense of the comedic genre, anyhow. What they have done is compose a dark and tragic screenplay centering around one dysfunctional English family that happens to be involved in organized crime, dropped in a cast of predominantly comic actors, and created a uniquely enjoyable film experience. Before anyone goes crying “Sopranos!†at the mention of the subject matter, be warned that despite the tagline on the cover, “A British Version of 'The Sopranos'†this film is not. (And shame on you, New York Post, for suggesting the comparison).
Bill and Karl (Robert and Robin Hill), father and son, are shown leaving a Brighton court house in the opening scenes of the film, having just been acquitted of an unspecified crime The two return home to Maggie (Julia Deakin), the matriarch of the family home, after a period of approximately six months in jail and commence with business as usual. And indeed, it's like nothing has changed in their absence; family associate Garvey arrives with well-wishes and updates, Eric arrives with a new firearm, and Pringle drops in to pledge his support to the family. Unfortunately, a few pressing details need to be addressed as well. For one, there's the unidentified supposed informant lurking in the family, and two, Karl's girlfriend Valda has turned up pregnant, threatening their cozy family unit.
One would think that these challenges would be nothing to a family well-versed in the art of criminal enterprise and dealing with difficult situations…but one would be wrong. Bill seems more content playing blues guitar and waxing philosophically about the magical mystery tour that was the 60's, and the rest of the “family†are not quite right either. Karl goes from nonchalant to screamingly psychotic in seconds. Pringle (I can't even think of that guy without cracking up laughing) has the ideals but no follow-through, and the others don't fare much better. Maggie seems to have a few tricks up her sleeve, but is she going to be able to take care of the chain-reaction of events that are about to unfold? Or are the higher-ups from London going to have to shut the family down?
The Wheatley/Hill script for Down Terrace is well-done, but this isn't where the real gems of the film are hidden. First and foremost are the performances, from the entire cast. It's very rare to see a film with no weak link, but this one has stellar acting from start to finish, even if most of us on this side of the Atlantic have never heard of them. Robert Hill plays every scene from deadpan to philosophically introspective, to fierce anger like it's the most natural thing in the world, and is also ridiculously hilarious without giving the impression that he's trying to be. Real-life son Robin Hill is also very convincing and likable, and his sudden rages hammer home the personality disorder that he seems to be suffering from. Michael Smiley as Pringle is threatening, sympathetic and wildly comical all at once, and even Eric (David Schaal) pulls a few laughs out of his murderous enforcer role.
In addition to the fantastic performances, Ben Wheatley's direction adds an important element to the film with his decision to shoot in a documentary style. Bringing the camera into the lives of the family in such a personal way is really the only way to do a film like this, and he succeeds wonderfully. Wheatley's direction speaks volumes about his involvement with the story and the characters; as a result, the viewer feels an empathy that would've been lost with a more clinical approach to shooting.
Who in the hell are these people? What do they do? How did they get to where they are in the organized crime hierarchy? The answers to these questions are vaguely touched upon. But by the time the film reaches its emotional climax, it's the characters and their interaction with one another that have become the highlight of the film. If you're looking for a “British version of the Sopranosâ€, or an action-filled crime drama, you're not going to find it here. But if you appreciate well-written dialogue, solid performances, and subtle humour, you will enjoy Down Terrace.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Down Terrace comes to DVD in a 2.35:1 anamorphic aspect ratio and a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The picture looks great, especially for a lower budget film, and there's a good level of detail and clarity in all of the shots. Contrast is decent and the colours seem to be represented accurately. The 5.1 track is more than adequate as well, though the surround speakers and sub aren't going to get a huge workout here. The dialogue and effects are balanced well, and the soundtrack comes through with no audio issues.
The fine folks at Magnet Releasing have also provided a number of extra features. First up is the Acting Screen Test-Bob and Robin Hill, which is a short exchange between the two actors. It runs approximately 1 minute. Another test, the Like Father Like Son Camera Test runs 4 minutes and features Bob and Robin doing scenes in the context of the film, with actor Gareth Tunley playing a couple of different roles.
An Extended Scene-Bill Talks About the 60's is Robert Hill doing his monologue about the 1960's, the edited version of which can be found in the film. This extended version runs almost 10 minutes long, and, as funny as it is, gets a little tiresome after a few minutes.
A Deleted Scene-Bill And The Toad is a 5 minute scene that was cut from the film, and consists of an improvised scene created around a toad that was found outside in the garden. Although the scene didn't work out, watching Robert try to get the toad to drink from a dish of milk is strangely satisfying and quite humourous.
Tricks of the Amazing Wizards is approximately 8 minutes, and from a little research, is apparently a series of short stunts done for the BBC by Ben Wheatley and Robin Hill.. There's a brick in the head, an axe mishap, and a hit-and-run to name a few, and could be compared to Jackass or other “dangerous stunts†shows.
Rob Loves Kerry is a short film (approximately 10 minutes) featuring husband-and-wife Robin Hill and Kerry Peacock (Valda in Down Terrace) and is….well, not really that interesting.
The commentary, however, featuring Ben Wheatley and Robin Hill, is like having the better parts of the character exchanges played throughout the film. With Ben in the left speaker and Robin in the right, the two cover just about every aspect of the film, location, shooting without permits, their decision to cast comedic actors in dramatic roles, the shooting styles, and a number of other things, but they do it in a manner that is enjoyable to listen to and fairly humourous. Well worth a listen after the completion of the film, they do detail some of the more questionable decisions made.
A trailer for the film rounds out the extras.
The Final Word:
Worth checking out just for the performances, is a decent film that will hopefully result in more films for the team of Wheatley/Hill.
