The Pale Man

I caught this film about a month ago on Propeller, a channel on the Sky satellite network. I was at first quite surprised at how violent the fight scenes were but gradually the story pulled me in. The pace is initially quite slow but gathers speed as Ciaron McCallum's (I'm assuming the pale man of the title)tale of betrayal unfolds. The world in which this story of revenge is set is totally believable, with the filmmaker's opting for a fly-on-the-wall documentary style. This, for the most part, works well for the film. There are a couple of exceptions to this in the form of scenes that don't quite work as well as they should have because of the use of this particular visual device.

The performances also are fairly strong, Darren A. Furniss is brilliant as Ciaron, a man who says very little but let's his actions do the talking. I was really impressed how, despite his lack of dialogue, Furniss still managed to convey the sense of hurt and emptiness experienced by his character. Other stand-outs included Phillp Allen-Taylor as Bedford, a man caught between what he knows is right and what he has to do to survive. Matthew Morrissey as Danny also impressed. His cowardly crime lord really came across as a man who is clearly out of his depth. Morrissey brilliantly conveyed this, especially during a scene in which he finally realises the consequence of his actions. He stands alone in a toilet cubicle and realising that he has failed to halt Ciaron's rampage, begins to fall apart. It really hits home as one of the film's strongest, emotional moments and serves to lift 'The Pale Man' from it's simple, revenge thriller trappings. And speaking of strong, emotional moments, special mention has to go to Ed Capes. His performance in the scenes featuring his character were incredibly moving. He is dispatched by Ciaron in a quiet forest setting and his pleading and general reaction to his fate provides the film with perhaps it's most unsettling moment and as a result is very hard to watch.

In terms of the production itself, one got the feeling that the director was trying his best to hide the fact that the film was shot on a micro budget. And in all fairness, he was only partially successful in this task. There were times when one got the feeling that perhaps a little more money could have been spent, but that having been said, I am fully aware that is not always possible within the realms of independent cinema.

As I understand it 'The Pale Man' is the first film from director Paul Phillip Johnson and his talented crew. Based on the evidence presented here, I am sure to he and they can only go from strength to strength. So in closing, not a perfect film, but as a first attempt it should certainly be commended.

I was in a scene in this film with dialogue but I have noticed on the IMDb site in not in credits list. Why is this?

It was a good film to be a part of and I hope the directors go far it could have been a little more action packed and the ending scene could have been a little longer but on the whole I enjoyed watching this and I hope to more of the directors film in the future.

I do the fact that plot line shows that in even in hard times what you think are friends can turn their backs on you at any moment and the main man held a grudge for so long at being betrayed by people supposed to be close to him.

Pretty good film but it did remind me of Dead Man's Shoes. The acting was quite good but some characters were a bit weak. The main character came across well but it was very hard to feel sorry for him. One thing I really liked was how there wasn't any clear cut good or bad guys in this movie. The run time was just about right although the film was a bit slow in getting to the action at first. Music was quite effective but the sound/dialogue seemed a little too quiet in places. The camera work was quite grainy and made the film look like a documentary, which made it seem more realistic. The story also features a lot of really violent scenes that were also quite realistic.

To be honest there are better films out there but I would recommend the Pale Man to anyone who wants to watch a half decent British crime thriller.

Also saw this film on the Propeller channel way back in March. It has a good story, good acting and excellent fight scenes that are totally believable. It also makes a nice change to see a British crime movie that doesn't feature East-End gangsters or "Cock-er-nee" rhyming slang. One thing I must say though. I study Psychology at University and on watching the film, it is obvious that the film-makers clearly have issues. I mean, knife stabbings up the rectum, tough, burly men penetrating others with phallic objects? This could possibly be the most homo-erotic film I have ever seen, with the possible exception of Top Gun!

All in all though a good, solid thriller and one definitely worth watching (despite the suspect undertones).

A rough and ready drama about revenge. I saw The Pale Man on propeller TV on sky. The film itself is stylish and has a lot of ambition. It follows a guy fresh out of jail looking to get his revenge on the people who sent him there.

Although the level of violence is high it is always realistic and brutal with a voyeur style to it. There are also some great scenes between leading man Furniss and his estranged lover.

The only place where the Pale Man fell down for me personally was the pace of the film. There were certain scenes that didn't flow as well as the more frenetic violent and intense scenes. An example of this would be the scene where the main bad guy is explaining the story to his girlfriend. In this scene the camera stays on the one shot too long (shame as the shot in question is lit beautifully).

However this is nit picking on what is an enjoyable and well acted piece of drama that was most probably made on a low budget and should be commended for its clear ambition. Well done.