Dad Savage

Dad Savage held all the cards for a classic movie, but threw them away too quickly.

The cast was strong, the script was tight, the flashbacks were clever, and the atmosphere was gritty. There were some chilling moments, and it's a movie I'd like to see a second time because it was quite complicated and intricate too.

But the element of surprise was lost, because it ran out of plot twists too soon and left us watching the rest of the film unfold in a predictable way.

If you enjoy raw and rough films, or if you want to see Patrick Stewart in an uglier role than the shining captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Dad Savage will hold entertainment value for you.

But it's not quite up to par with the likes of "Shallow Grave".

I just watched this movie yesterday and I must say my expectations were low. But despite them this is a very good movie with lots of nice plot twists and strong actors. Dad himself is somewhat silly but all the others are doing a very good job.

I have never considered myself a serious critics of films. I like what I like, and I seldom reference films to one another. So Dad Savage was for me no like Pulp Fiction meets Res. Dogs only English. It was and will always be: And English film on it's own.

So what did I think of Dad Savage? I loved it. It keeps you guessing from beginning to end, and Patrick Stewart is simply the cherry on the top. He is wonderful in this film, and unlike some of his other roles, which are typically upright and moral, he plays a mean, nasty crook, who loves his son.

The film flows quickly and easily around the intricate plot that once revealed makes wonderful and dark sense. It's in my collection because it's trying to be different from the rest, and it's what I'd like to term - a surprise film. It's quirky, sharp and fast and at no point does it give us a moral lecture, nor does it attempt to cover up anything.

If you liked Complicity (Johnny Lee Miller) or Peter's Friends (Stephen Fry) then you're bound to love Dad Savage. All my thumbs up!

I have to say that I wasn't looking forward to watching Dad Savage, having read some fairly bad reviews of it. But I rented it out anyway. The result was one of shock. I was amazed at some of fantastic talent in front of and behind the camera and was stunned that such a film could go un-noticed for such a long time.

The closest films to compare this to are certainly not US films. The nearest comparison is Trainspotting or The Acid House, both of which have raw and realistic characters and settings. Dad Savage has both of these, being set in the North of England and centering around a few normal friends who all have something to do with Dad himself. It all goes wrong when Dad reveals his secret stash of dosh hidden out in the woods and slowly everyone conspires against each other to get the money.

This film, in my own opinion, is one of the greatest films to come of the UK in recent years. I think that it is sad that it has not been given any credit and the only way to get it on video is to import it from the US.

The writer deserves credit for trying something simple and trying to push into the boundrys of cinema. The fact that this film is so down to Earth and raw is what makes it so realistic and gut wrenching, not to mention appealing.

The director used to wonderful ways of getting the script across in a superb way, the car crash at the beginning in slow motion, for example. There are numerous other shots and scenes that I could witter on about but would bore you here!

I cannot write about Dad Savage without mentioning Patrick Stewart. There are two sides to this one. Does he suck? Unable to escape the mold of Star Trek? OR is he a bloody good actor? Well, Stewart not only escapes Trek, but also brings to life a character who you grow to love as well as hate. The rest of actors are superb and deserve just as much credit, if not more for surviving in Stewarts lime-light.

This film does have its bad points, being very uncomfortable to watch and being a bit confusing on first viewing. But open your mind and you will find that DS is a great film.

The opening is very dramatic and is an attention grabber. The rest of the movie spends its time with flashbacks which are a bit distracting but the viewer catches on fast enough. The performances are strong. Motivations might be a bit pat, but the emotions seem real enough. Patrick Stewart fans will see their hero in a very different and dark light but will enjoy the performance. The other four younger actors are very much ones to be looked for in future films.