The Silent City

I feel the majority of the people leaving views on this short film (in the message boards) are missing the point. Projects like this are not made so much to entertain an audience (though it's an advantage to do so), but to showcase a director or film-making team's talents and abilities in the hope of being signed up to a full scale project.

As with so many such short films we are shown on the UK's Channel 4, I am left disappointed at the resolution of the film, thinking, "Is that all there is?". But as a showcase of what the writer/director can do (and that he can interest a known actor such as Cillian Murphy into working with him), I'd say it was a success.

I often feel cheated when there's no resolution to a short like this, even though I have seen many great movies where the viewer is left to ponder what the final result or outcome was, but I realise it was intended to interest a production company or perhaps a more established director looking for someone to handle second unit duties.

In short (excuse the pun) this was an advert for Robinson, not necessarily entertainment for a regular audience, and in that sense it was successful in leaving people wanting more.

I certainly wanted to know what the threat was to the soldiers, what was going to happen to them in the minutes following the end credits, but (even assuming Robinson himself knew) it was better for his purposes to leave things open-ended so that the aforementioned companies and directors would be intrigued enough to see what else Robinson can do.

All the elements were well executed, assuming this was relatively low budget, from the opening moment where you wonder who the character is going to be, to the end where you wonder what is approaching, the lighting, decent CGI and SFX, and good camera work. this is one short where, although I am annoyed that I am left unsatisfied - confused even - I can appreciate it succeeded in its ultimate task - to create interest in the director.

My score is based on what I believe the film's target was, rather than how much it satisfied me personally (for which it would have scored lower due to the "Is that it?" factor).

I've seen this movie today for the first time and I never heard of it before, probably because of it's poor message.

First of all, the directing itself is quite good, the actors played well and the CGI (I'm not a fan of CGI) is magnificent. But that alone doesn't make a movie. No story at all, no message behind beautiful exploited talents.

Or do I have to make people remember, the art of a director is not only your vision but to know how to tell a story. And this is what's missing the whole 7 minutes.

There for a simple 4 rating.

With an effective opening, we find ourselves in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, with soldiers alert for any hint of the enemy. What is the actual conflict, what countries are they from, and is that really Cillian Murphy? In the end, the answers do not make a difference(albeit with that last one, you can find out), because we're so drawn in, and there's no sense of sides taken.

With a running time of 6 and a half minutes(or 7 if you include end credits), it's impressive that this gets so far, and doesn't feel like it's rushing to get there. The atmosphere is rich, effectively built and maintained. Aiding it are great FX, distant shots that increase the scope, and impressive production design.

Everything in this feels real, worn. The acting is convincing. Character development is smooth - with subtle hints, we realize who these people are, and it pays off so quickly that you don't even have time to consciously note that something was setup. This feels like part of a bigger story, leaving us wanting more - without us finding it incomplete.

There is a lot of disturbing content and some brutal bloody violence in this. I recommend this to any fan of sci-fi and anti-war fiction. 7/10

I just loved this short film. The only thing I could say bad about this is... I WANT MORE!!!!!!!

The feeling of being a soldier in a place that you could die in at any second was really well brought over. It reminded me of one of my favorite characters from 2000 AD, Rogue Trooper. I expected him to show up at any second :)

The acting is also powerful.

What a powerful statement for the troops now facing death in foreign lands.

Brilliant - Please make this a full length film.

Tony

Great short film!

My complaint is the same as anyone else who has seen it... it's too short! I would love to see a full-length feature film based on the premise presented here.

The marriage of computer graphics and live footage was done well. The acting, direction and story were very good based on what little was presented here. Although the whole "movie" was only about five minutes in length the atmosphere, character development and tension were bang-on (no pun intended).

I don't know who is behind this short production but I hope this is a prelude to future developments.

Good work!