A Patch of Fog

I just caught this film on Sky Movies. Most of the films that premier on Sky without having had a cinema release tend to be pretty bad. 90% of the time I switch them off after 20 minutes. But I stuck with this one even though it was a little slow starting. It's a fairly low budget Brit flick and at times it looks and feels like a daytime soap, but the quality of the story makes it rise above the usual low budget affairs. I could even see this film being remade by Hollywood with some big A-list names in the two main roles. Stephen Graham is great as the lonely store detective, while Lord Varys from Game of Thrones is decent in the lead role, although with hair he looks and sounds like Eamon Holmes. This would have worked well as an episode of Tales of the Unexpected because for a feature length film it is drawn out in places. But recognising that the filmmakers have kept it to just over 80 minutes. What keeps the viewer watching (apart from the solid acting) are the regular twists and turns in the script. After the first 20 minutes there's a twist every 10 minutes or so and some of them are quite excellent. One in particular around the 45 minute mark was a real beauty. This film is definitely worth a look. Much better than your usual low budget Brit flicks.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that a film featuring Stephen Graham is very good. I couldn't get into the first ten minutes, however there is a turning point, and this film really does take off.

The story is unique, I have never seen a film where a character has such a strange motivation, that motivation seemingly being loneliness. Plenty of twists and turns, expect the unexpected, this film doesn't follow any rules.

The acting is terrific, Hill and Graham truly manage to bring their characters to life.

I loved the ending, I really wasn't expecting that to happen.

The moral of the story, don't go pinching from shops, because you never know who's watching you!

This was very good, 7/10.

I don't really enjoy watching films about sick, twisted people. But they are sometimes interesting. This one was small, and based on writing and tension. Both of which elements were above average. The Belfast setting was refreshing for me, since I haven't seen many films based in Northern Ireland, and the cinematography did it justice. Both leads seemed perfectly cast. That is so important. I don't recall any music or sex, and the violence was minimal. The ending included some memorable imagery that I would not have predicted. But I still wish I hadn't watched this film. Because it will just add to the endless gallery of disturbing images in my mind from past viewings of countless films. So many of which these days are about murder, infidelity, crime, or depression.

Do not expect special effects to try to thrill you, do not expect stunning landscapes to enchant you, but do expect one hell of a ride.

This is possibly the most intense and clever thriller I have seen. An array of characters but after the film you cannot remember any of them apart from 2 people. Thats what this film is about, 2 people and one incident. The blurb does not sell this film, I mean, it tells you what happens and there is nothing exciting about a famous shoplifter getting blackmailed. Get ready to be awe struck. This is clever, sad, witty and real. twists and turns galore. Go and watch it and get ready for 90 minutes of pure film

I often find it difficult to find anything good on Netflix. This is the exception. This film was surprisingly good. It had a good story, and was well acted. It also had enough plot twists to keep it interesting throughout. Initially, I thought I had a pretty good idea as to how the story would unfold. However,things go a bit different than expected, and the ending was quite unexpected. All in all, a very entertaining movie that I think most will enjoy.