As They Continue to Fall

This short, penned by C. Robert Cargill (Sinister and the upcoming Dr. Strange movie), and directed by Nikhil Bhagat showcases stunning, gritty scenes that convey big budget visuals without seeming gaudy. The beautiful backdrop, a grimy, dystopian city, is offset by the gritty, minimalist dialogue that is only more compelling in its thrift. Bhagat uses the the camera the same way Cargill uses his words - sparingly - and the end result is better for it. It doesn't bombard you with unnecessary cuts or camera movement, but the action doesn't suffer. In fact, the action is amplified by the stillness through most of the short, making the up-tempo portions stand out that much more.

The viewer is given a very clear sense of the world these characters live in without having to delve into an abundance of back story or explanation. The one flashback we get for explanation is like everything else, extremely concise. It gives just enough information to understand the action, but isn't so cut and dry that you can't imagine more. The potential for more context is there, but not required, allowing the story to still function as a short.

All in all a great short film.

Let me start of by saying I did not know what kind of short film this was going to be, I have seen many before in the past some good some bad and other plain ugly. This however was surprisingly good It did not have that low budget feel you get in some short films, it felt cinematic something along the lines of a independent film and the lack of special effects make it better.

The way we are introduced to this world of angels and angel slayer reminds of John Wick and how we where eased into a world we knew nothing about. It felt like a medieval story retold in the modern times. the drifter felt like a wandering monster hunter something along the lines of a Witcher from the Witcher book and video games. I would really like the creators to flesh out the story maybe as a mini-series of sorts. At the end of the day I liked this short film.

With their gritty take on a vagabond warrior confronting supernatural forces on the moonlit rooftops and filthy alleyways of the city, relative newcomer Nikhil Bhagat and "Sinister" scribe C. Robert Cargill have come together (along with John Henry "How-the-hell-isn't-this-guy-in-everything?" Whitaker) to bring to life a character and universe begging for a feature adaptation. With the film's combination of "The Book of Eli", "Dark City" and "Léon: The Professional", it's easy to see how such a project could have tremendous potential.

It's a compelling portrait of the glamourless life of God's assassin that uses religious imagery without an overt political agenda. The film tells the tale of a weary soldier nobly resigned to his fate, getting by on what he can find in the trash and carrying out his assignments with a rifle that, much like him, is held together by rags. Though things move quickly, Bhagat lets his scenes breathe. He allows the audience to absorb the film's dingy atmosphere and Whitaker's imposing yet sympathetic presence.

One particularly effective moment features an unbroken take that traps the viewer in the alley as Whitaker's Walker comes to collect his trophy. Though the camera stays firmly planted at a distance, it keeps the audience as a captive throughout the whole process. Bhagat's choice to use minimal audio enhancement instead of a score for the entire ordeal only adds to the impact of the moment. Whitaker's cold efficiency suggests that the brutality we've witnessed is common and familiar to our hero, though the act's questionable necessity makes you wonder how much of this is duty and how and much is revenge.

Though just six and a half minutes, the film raises a lot of questions about the complicated motivations of our gruff-but-engaging protagonist and many concerns about the consequences of his actions. With Cargill's recent successes providing potential opportunity, let's hope he has the desire to go back and give this story the time it deserves. With any luck, this is just an introduction.

As They Continue to Fall does everything a short film should do. It gets across the story in under ten minutes and provides a deeper meaning behind what is presented. There is obviously some real talent at work here, both in the direction and the writing. There is very little I can see was wrong about the short. Aside from the sub-par angel costumes, everything looks very professional, from the lighting to the colour grading, and could easily have been part of a high-budget feature film. There are some great shots in here, and I especially loved the colour choices in the child scene. The director clearly knows what he is doing, and there is strong talent behind him.

I am aware the director is trying to turn this in to a feature film, and I really think he should. There is some great potential here for a fantastic film.