Old Street

Early in his career, Patrick Marber proved he could craft surrealistic comedy verging upon the absurd (On the Hour, The Day Today), later using his talents for creepier, darker fare (Notes on a Scandal).

Old Street, tonally and temporally, lies at a crossroads between those two styles. The short follows a lone working class man as he tries to leave a parking garage late one night, but is impeded by a barrier that won't lift and a derisive, disembodied voice interrogating him after he appeals to the machine's "emergency" button for help.

Had the film been any longer than its thirteen minutes, Old Street likely would have bored, as in lieu of character growth, its arc is built on increasing tension. However, it doesn't last long enough to drag, and comes to a satisfyingly eerie conclusion.

The film is somewhat hindered by Ray Winstone's not entirely convincing performance, and by the occasionally amateurish cinematography. I was surprised to see Danny Cohen (The King's Speech, This is England, Nathan Barley) as the DP, as some of the shots felt like pretentious film school fare (reflections in mirrors, awkward angles).

Overall, though, Old Street is an interesting short, worthwhile to check out - especially for those wondering how Patrick Marber went from Knowing Me, Knowing You to Notes on a Scandal and Closer.

It is hard to avoid letting slip a few spoilers here, given the plot, but I have tried not to ruin it for people. There is enough in the story for different interpretations to carry the day. Ray Winstone plays a working man returning to an underground parking station very late one night, where he had left his vehicle. When he is unable to get out of the place via the boom gate, the empty site and a disembodied voice assume menacing proportions. But there may be more to be scared of here. The Man, played by Winstone, experiences a range of perfectly natural emotions re his dilemma and things turn nasty. Or seem to. Is it happening for real; is it in his head; is the place haunted? Does Retributon strike us all,out of the blue, like this? And for what reason? The wonderful David Tennant, arriving late on the scene, plays the Night Manager. It's a small and possibly thankless role, but I like to think he is representing Sanity and Calm, in comparison with what is induced in Winstone. Whatever, it's lovely to see Tennant and to hear the accent. Yes, I am easily won over. Winstone is also very effective and convincing. All up, a slightly creepy 10 minutes or so. Worth it, though. Shows what a dramatic scenario can be achieved in a short time span, with a decent premise, good performances, atmospheric sets and lighting and snappy editing.

Ken returns to his van late at night, having left it in a multi-storey car park. Before leaving he changes back into his work clothes and then heads off to go home. Putting his card in the machine doesn't raise the barrier for him and he appears to be stuck. Kicking the machine does nothing and his frustrations start to come out but when he does get hold of someone on the "assistance required" button, things get significantly worse.

I caught this by accident due to me messing up the video programming due to the clock change for the end of British summer time (did it even start this year?). The plot is simple and builds nicely across the short running time. The tension is injected nicely with the voice prodding and probing Ken being slightly creepy by demanding and joking at the same time. All through this I was engaged and wanted to see where it all goes. The arrival of the Night Manager within the story brings it all to a close and it becomes clear that what Ken has been fighting with was probably nothing more than his conscience. I had no issue with this plot twist because it is a fair conclusion but what I didn't like was the clunky and obvious way in which it was delivered.

The idea is solid enough but the final line and the inability of Ken to leave even when the physical barrier is up felt like I has having it explained to me by someone who was speaking loudly and slowly as if I was an idiot. I don't have any other suggestions about how to change it but for me it just seemed too obvious when the material itself had already done a good job of telling me what was going on with Ken without having to literally spell it out in big letters. Winstone leads the film well, going from polite annoyance to anger to guilt in a convincing way. The unseen Evans does well with his voice and works well off Winstone. Tennant is a surprise addition but really brings very little other than distraction (we're used to him showing up casually now due to Dr Who, so his presence is a bit strange here).

Overall then, a well put together film with a clever idea that is well delivered by director and actors to produce tension and atmosphere. Just a shame that the final moment is unnecessarily clunky and obvious.