Piggy

Piggy is written and directed by Kieron Hawkes. It stars Martin Compston, Josh Herdman, Neil Maskell, Louise Dylan and Paul Anderson. Music is by Bill Ryder-Jones and cinematography by James Friend

When his brother is killed by thugs, Joe (Compston) is persuaded to mete out vengeance by his brother's friend, Piggy (Anderson).

Piggy, not exactly a great title really, is a good film, it really is. That is if one can skip back nearly 20 years and embrace the idea at its core all over again. We see it a lot these days, good films from the independent side of cinema shot down in flames by critics, both professional and amateur, because there is no originality on show. And even when a new twist is added to a staple genre, it stands no chance of gaining a weighty amount of critical support.

Piggy is far from flawless, I would be surprised if writer and director Kieron Hawkes was on record as saying that is the case. It's a film that will always suffer by comparison to a couple of huge critical darling movies that came out of America and the UK previously. I will not mention them, because that pretty much spoils the core of Piggy, something so many amateur reviewers and message board posters fail to grasp. But I grumpily digress...

Piggy is a violent picture, much like its lead protagonist in fact, but in amongst the blood and bone crunching, there's smart narrative splinters about alienation, fear of society, fear of violence and yes! Fear of finding the dark half of yourself taking over. So nothing new there of course, especially in British cinema during the gritty realism wave that has become something of a forte in my lifetime. But they are there and shows the film to have more to offer than merely being yet another London based stabathon.

Cast are good, with Compston once again proving to be a very under rated actor capable of really tuning into the art of under playing a role with confusion and sincerity of conflicting emotions. Anderson is scary as the title character, if a touch too cartoonish, while Maskell shows no signs of wanting to break free of the hard-man typecasting that now defines his career. Friend's cinematography is sometimes guilty of being too murky, and the "metallic" colour lenses favoured on occasions are a mistake since it's not a sci-fi or neo-noir movie.

Yet for all its inherent flaws and rawness, and the fact it owes its very being to other more lauded productions, Piggy should not be discounted as being a viable British slice of grit. The blood hounds are catered for, and those with a bent for the tints of emotionally damaged characters should definitely consider viewing this. It deserves better than its current internet rating and Kieron Hawkes, clearly a work in progress, might just be someone for British film fans to keep an eye on. 7/10

Films about revenge are many and not all of them has made it into the history books. Neither this, but still this deserves some attention.

The shy boy Joe lives a somewhat meaningless life. He is an underachiever which re-finds a meaning of life when his older brother takes him up, and brings him into his group of friends. Everything seems a little more meaningful, until an innocent incident started by Joe later on is what's the reason for a gang killing off his brother in meaningless violence. The "Piggy" shows up on Joe's doorstep, and starts twisting his mind in a violent direction.

This is the start of a gruesome vengeance and a turmoil of violence. This is a violent film, but well done. It's dark, brutal and horrific, and nothing to watch if you can't stand violence. the violence is not of the most graphic, but impossible to ignore. It difficult to watch, thanks to the sounds and techniques, but it easily haunts you after-wards.

The film is slow paced, and made in beak colors, suitable for Joe's dull life. the film has some trouble with the pace, and leaves us bored when it shouldn't. This will be a problem for many. Joe is well played by Martin Compston and Paul Anderson is good as Piggy. Louise Dylan isn't top notch compared with the two others, and struggles acting believably, and should improve her method acting.

Absolutely a film to use in a debate for reasons of violence, and once again a typical loner and weak guy, being picked up and processed and developed into a violent figure. There's always leaders and followers in these matters. is this convincing? well. Decide yourself.

References made to "A Clockwork Orange" and "Fight club" is quite far off as a whole, though some scenes are inspired.

SPOILER: Beware Greeks bearing gifts, or in this case an old schoolfriend turning up on your doorstep whose methods of helping you cope with your brother's murder are by taking out his five aggressors one by one. It sounds like a good deal, but when you're subjected to the sort of violence he dishes out, not only would you be implicated in his crimes but your mind will be changed forever. Not that the justice system is much help these days, but its better than walking around in a pig mask seeing people getting their throats cut or heads trampled into mush.

To be admired in this film is the main character's transformation from mild-mannered delivery boy to psychotic avenger; this is isn't an overnight metamorphosis, his gradual change feels natural and unforced. Well, under the influenced of a charismatic maniac like 'Piggy', who could fail to be warped beyond recognition? Another point this movie proves is sometimes the sound effects of someone getting tortured is far worse than seeing the evil act in motion. There are some parts that we're not witness to that could be mistaken for someone slicing open a particularly juicy melon. I think its safe to say that isn't the case...

Overall, a bit overlong and disturbing, but a good watch nonetheless. Just one question: Just WHAT was in that bag at the end?! If its what I think it is, it seems highly unlikely he would get away with it... 6/10

Piggy was a movie that had grabbed my attention with just the briefest of descriptions "a new breed of vigilante". Disturbing in its portrayal of a young man who isn't really living life until his brother's violent death sparks him into action, deadly action. Piggy was well-acted yet I kind of felt it was trying to be something more than what it was, failing in its attempt to be a thought provoking psychological thriller. The plot wavers between realism and being absurd, at some points just plain bizarre. With this all in mind, accepting the movie as just a typical revenge film it's not bad, not good, but not bad. Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed.

It has been a while since I have paid to see a movie and felt that it was worth it afterwards.

The plot is ingenuously written. The outcome is a familiar one but most likely not the one you predicted at the beginning of the movie, nor the one you adjusted the plot to at the middle of it.

The actors deliver a solid performance. I feel it is hard to be an indifferent or distant spectator. You can easily build empathy towards the characters, especially with Joe.

Overall I feel that perhaps a 7/10 for some may not be fairest rate. Therefore I am going to try to explain what 7/10 means to me: it is a solid movie, with an interesting plot, with enough deepness to allow getting caught up in it, good characters and good actors. It has its pertinence and entertainment value. It is worth seeing it. For me, it will not the most memorable movie nor will revolutionize movie history. It is simply a good flick.