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

After seeing the great poster and reading just enough about it without spoiling that it will be a revenge movie I was pretty excited about this movie. Nothing beats a good vigilante movie, taking the law into your own hands when justice hasn't been served, it's a genre that I enjoy. But unfortunately Piggy isn't that great. It's way too slow and the alleged violence is all off screen so it's all guessing that there is a severe beating going on. Let's just face it, in this genre there are way much better movies. The acting was okay, the story has a little twist but not interesting enough to be remembered, I'm already glad I managed to stay awake.

Joe (Martin Compston) ), is a meek office messenger who struggles with the fear he feels living in modern day London. After his brother is murdered by a gang of thugs he is befriended by a mysterious stranger named Piggy (Paul Anderson) who persuades him to extract a gory revenge against those responsible. What appears to be another cheap slasher featuring a killer in a goofy rubber pig's nose, is actually a stylishly made psychological character study that accentuates mood and motivation instead of grizzly body counts and typical horror movie trappings. Writer and director Kieron Hawkes demonstrates bags of technical talent in a movie that feels the need to give way to cartoonish spectacle rather than concentrating on a script where we cared about the characters. It never really gets too deeply into the issues it wants to explore, and while it tries very hard to be original, it really isn't anything you've seen before.

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.

I loved this film and I felt that this was one of those rare treats that instantly grabs you and delivers an amazing story from start to finish. Excellent acting and the main characters, Joe, John and Piggy were very likable.

Despite Piggy's dark side I was instantly drawn to him emotionally because he was charming with a rugged appearance and he was violently ruthless but also still had a tender side. Regardless to what his true motives were he was still a positive force in Joe's life who was able to give him the push he needed to no longer be a victim.

I strongly recommend that if you have not seen this film, you should definitely add it to your must see list.