Little Favour

The summary of this film listed on IMDb sure says a lot more about the plot than you'll see when you watch "Little Favour"--a lot more. All this back story is absent in the short and so it's not exactly what you might expect.

As to the story, it's very, very simple. Two men meet (one is Benedict Cumberbatch) and the other asks Wallace to do him a little favor--watch his kid. The kid is a girl who appears to be about 11 years-old. Soon after the pair arrive at his place, however, a ninja(?) and some other baddies invade the apartment. After putting up a good fight, Wallace is taken prisoner and horribly beaten. Then, surprising things happen--but I really cannot say more.

The film is a pretty bloody mess--and folks may squirm at seeing all the blood. I didn't enjoy all the killing and gore, though the story was extremely well produced and directed. Patrick Viktor Monroe is a relative newcomer and did a nice job--though I do wonder HOW he got Cumberbatch for the film, as this actor's career has been super-mega hot lately and a new filmmaker could never afford someone of his stature. Worth seeing but very, very dark and gruesome.

10 out of 10 for the acting, the cinematography, music, and directing. This stunning short thriller grabs you by the throat and won't let go.

Benedict Cumberbatch is superb - nuanced and physically adept - as the vulnerable yet powerfully skilled ex-soldier (appears to be special forces from his formidable combat skills) and yet his life is a wreck; he gets a nasty text from a date and lives in a hell hole. The character is intriguing and begs for further development.

The action and suspense are handled beautifully by all. Where this film could use some help, however, is in the writing. Neither the characters nor the storyline are developed (at least to this viewer's satisfaction) and while I was riveted throughout, the ending left me with the kinds of questions that suggest less an artistic choice than an omission.

With the addition of a writer in the same league as everyone else in this film, this production company will know no bounds. I look forward to the next offering from Sunny March. Meanwhile, LITTLE FAVOUR is definitely worth watching. An excellent debut.

I was convinced to watch this after reading the summary here on IMDb, and if I'm honest, I would probably say that the summary perhaps overshoots the film a little.

That said, the evident acting is brilliant and the camera-work and editing were excellent. The score, too, was excellent. Fully engaging and brutally so. I was never distracted from it, but instead my mind was locked into it.

I only think that there was perhaps something missing - despite myself, I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it is (which irritates me, as that's no help at all).

I was left with a feeling of needing more, but perhaps that is what we are meant to be left with. It's a slice, but we don't get to taste the rest of the apple.

(Edit: Upon rewatching, I found that I missed a lot in my first viewing. This is largely due to sound - there's a lot of dialogue that I missed when played without headphones, though whether that's my fault or the editors (or a combination thereof) I don't know. That said, I've got more appreciation for the story, now. I suggest keeping the volume up when watching.)

I understand that the short films are a bit limited to describe the whole story, so, it rarely has the whole story in it. As it says in this review's title, this short film doesn't have any prologue and so, while I was watching, I didn't have any idea what I was watching at, such as why those people are looking for James and also what this short film is all about. And then I came here to rate the film and found out the storyline and I read it. Then I know what this is about.

If it has some explanation about the story in the short film, it'd be better.

This film makes absolutely no sense. Everything about it was average and an incredible cliché. I thought Nick Moran's character was shockingly poor and unoriginal, the run-of-the-mill Russian mobster but with a dreadfully bad accent. The title design was a disgrace, they used the same cheap font in the poster as the titles!! Overall I'm disgusted given the fact the production raised over 80K for this film on Indiegogo and I've seen far superior shorts over the past fews years, made into features even, for less than 10K. I sincerely hope this doesn't become a feature because the screenplay is nothing special and it's unfair for other filmmakers that don't have connections (i.e. Cumberbatch) who are trying to make a name for themselves.