When I first played this movie, I immediately forgot its title. So I just called it a sniper movie, which is a pretty good description. With a pretty cool and hip intro, Sniper Movie lets you know it means business. Starring Jack O’Connell who you might remember from another great movie Eden Lake [2012] and set in the gloomy apartment building this is a part of a new wave of British crime flicks, much like Attack the Block [2011]. It’s interesting to watch things that are happening in the world, but not to most of us (what a broad sentence). Like living in an apartment building located in the crime-ridden part of town that’s also about to be demolished.
The director setups things nicely with a relatively slow intro, so you might wanna call this one a slow burner. But when it explodes, you will hear and see it. Tension intensifies. Using the shit out of the single location, Tower Block manages to maintain that claustrophobic vibe throughout its eighty-minute runtime. This setup of a bunch of residents locked inside a big apartment building is a familiar one. Just a few years later, they will have to deal with a deadly epidemic in Containment, another English movie with the same setting. These hoods are similar to their counterparts built all over the world.
Tower Block 31 is one of the last apartment buildings to survive the new city development plans with a handful of residents still remaining on the top floors. The area is filled with crime and mugging and beatings are common. Until one day something even worse happens…
Cleverly avoiding the rookie mistakes, Tower Block leaves you with the question of what’s next, especially after that explosion. The characters are realistic and relatable, without clear good and bad guys. Just like in life and in modern London, life is a rainy, shitty stream of bad stuff happening. That gloomy and very realistic vibe saved the movie from being another cheap thrill. Plus I liked the attention to detail, something that makes up for the lower production values that creep up occasionally. Like the guy playing Battlefield 3 or the how the apartments look like. In the end, I just want to say this isn’t a masterpiece but a decent thriller well worth your time. Also, check out our Sniper Movies section if you’re looking for similar movies.
Director: James Nunn, Ronnie Thompson
Writer: James Moran
Cast: Jack O’Connell, Sheridan Smith, Ralph Brown, Russell Tovey, Jill Baker, Julie Graham
Fun Facts: A trained hawk was used to scare away seagulls that showed up on the set throughout the shooting of the picture.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1992258/
