Tower Block

Derivative and largely formulaic thriller, but nevertheless one that remains suspenseful and compelling throughout the entire running time thanks to the raw & gritty atmosphere and a handful of extremely brutal shock-moments. Reminiscent to the other recent British flick "Attack the Block" in terms of tone & social setting, "Tower Block" takes place in a pauperized and crime-infested big city suburb where people abandoned all hope for prosperity long time ago already and desperately avoid every type of contact with fellow human beings. The film entirely takes place in a large apartment complex that is scheduled for destruction and only the residents of the top floor still live there. One Saturday morning, they are rudely awakened by a relentless psycho killer with a sniper rifle. He – or she – fires at everything that moves and placed booby-traps across the building. There's a obvious link with an unsolved murder committed in the block a few months earlier and now the asocial tenants are forced to rely on each other for survival. The biggest trumps for a film such as "Tower Block" are surprise and unpredictability. All the residents are equally insignificant, meaning that literally anyone of them could be next. And they could be next at any random and possible moment, too. Writers/directors duo James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson aptly play with these trumps, as the characters definitely don't die in the order you'd expect. Sniper murders can perhaps get a bit monotonous after a while, but there's enough diversity in killing methods and circumstances. Obviously there's quite a large number of holes and irrationality in the plot and the climax (as in: revelation of the sniper's identity) is weak and disappointing. The acting performances vary between adequate and amateurish, with good roles for tough blond gal Sheridan Smith and "Alien³" veteran Ralph Brown. In case you want to seek out more "serial sniper-killer" movies after this, I warmly recommended the almighty "Dirty Harry" but also the more obscure "Two-Minute Warning", "Targets" and "The Deadly Tower"

Despite having some potential, 'Tower Block' makes for a cringe watch.

The writing, in my opinion at least, is the problem here. There's a decent cast list and a respectable enough premise, but things fall apart when the characters act and talk - the dialogue is iffy, while some of the character decisions are very odd.

Sheridan Smith (Becky) and Jack O'Connell (Kurtis) are two capable leads and give solid performances, though their roles are average - especially Kurtis, who is so over-the-top at times it's painful to see.

As noted, the plot is alright - the way it's written isn't. The ending is rather poor, especially with the 'twist' (?). I wanted to enjoy this, and in a few minor moments I did, but all the negative parts unfortunately weigh it down tremendously.

If you want a story regarding this type of building, then I'd recommend 2011's 'Attack the Block'. This one, though not atrocious, isn't all that good sadly.

This is a fantastic movie and even more so given it's a low budget indie entirely filmed in one small location! I have great admiration for a team that can put together something with the quality of this movie particularly with those obstacles.

The direction is top notch, building suspense throughout, delivering unpredictable shocks & events and developing some lovely relationships between the people trapped in the building. The cinematography and music score are spot on lending a hand to the overall gritty industrial mood of the environment and sense of impending doom & hopelessness. But it's not at all a depressing movie. It's actually quite uplifting. I loved the characters and their believable and interesting interactions. There was some top notch acting from several people and the character of one in particular was so well acted & developed I wanted to see more of him!! Several other characters were also very likable and engaging while others were infuriating but you still didn't want them to get hurt. It's a fine movie indeed that makes you care so much for the people they've invented that you feel sad when the movie ends and they've gone.

Yeah the plot had some holes here and there but they are not that significant in the context of how incredibly well this movie is put together. Most of the time it hung together well, people behaved as anyone would in the situation and it was mostly unpredictable. Special marks for having a strong female character, for not pulling punches about who "bites the bullet" and who doesn't and for the interesting side story of the alcoholic lad. And of course for the thoroughly fascinating stand-over guy. (I'll be looking for more movies with that young actor in them!!)

The "reveal" and final scene could possibly have been handled better, but I've seen a lot worse and I was happy enough with it. In any case, the journey to get there was so engrossing and enjoyable it really didn't matter.

The only truly (wholly) negative reviews I've read about this movie have focused on very trivial details (nit picking) &/or a couple of plot holes to proclaim this pretty much the worst movie in the history of the Universe. This seems a little petty & extreme to say the least. It's most certainly NOT the worst movie, nor is it the best but it's definitely one of the better ones, regardless of any flaws it may have. I say, you show me a movie totally without flaws and I'll find at least one anyway! :)

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment and recommend it unreservedly for people who enjoy good drama, thriller, suspense, action movies etc and for those who like to see how a movie can be brilliant without the need for a huge budget and fancy effects.

'Tower Block' is a good thriller. Its got an original premise, a good cast but the whole motive for the sniper is a bit much, I wont spoil it but it just wasn't believable. The film also had a few continuity issues, not extremely major but very obvious. The film will also probably only appeal to a British audience due to it's setting, characters and dialogue.

Overall 'Tower Block' is an average thriller but it's still enjoyable due to it's interesting and original premise and the fairly good acting. So despite the issues and I'd still give it a go as I'd doubt you will be disappointed.

The screenplay is with intrigues and mind-twisting, but it is hard to judge its probability... Anyway, the action begins with the first minutes of the film and tensions are maintained throughout until the end. The reason for shooting was, however, revealed too soon, but the person behind remained mysterious until the final scene. Performances were great (Sheridan Smith as Becky, Jack O'Connell as Kurtis) or good (the rest), but politically correct attempts to cover the cross-cut of the society (different races-genders-ages) have become annoying as they are used in all similar films.

Nevertheless, a good and compact film to those fond of thrillers in a limited time and space.