A Violent Man

Actor Ross McCall makes his directorial debut, second writing credit, and also cast himself in this low budget B film, and he did not disappoint. This is one of the much better B films I've seen in a long time. McCall's directing, along with the excellent cinematography, use of colors, and amazing camera angles/shots, as well as the impressive low budget basically two-room set, captured the gritty prison jail cell vibe to perfection. Add the better than usual (for a B film) score - just sometimes a little overbearing, and the viewer is immersed in the scenes. The 105 min runtime flew by even with the slow pacing and the lack of any real storyline, which is my only complaint. I get that McCall was aiming for a more character driven film, but there were many convoluted scenes, some needing more info, and an ending that needed explaining. I usually can guess or use my imagination for such endings, but I got too invested in the story and really wanted to know what McCall was trying to achieve. Had his writing been tighter, this film could've been one of the best prison films. The casting and performances were all spot on, with Fairbrass giving us one of his best performances to date. He carried this film and was really convincing in his character. Stephen Odubola was awesome, and the lovely Zoe Tapper was easy on the eyes. Overall I really enjoyed this film, and if you're a fan of the genre or Fairbrass, it's a must see. I applaud Ross McCall for giving us this little gem. It's a well deserving 7.5 rounded up to 8/10 from me.

Its sad to see that great movies and outstanding acting dont get high scores anymore.

Anyway.... This movie is a 1 room story. That in itself is hard to do then theres the small team and low budget. But the skill of the makers and acting made for a great film.....I swear i sound like I work for them but I dont. I just like the theatre and watching a good play...which by the way isnt much more thana cinema ticket.

But watching a theatre production gives you a respect for the story teller and acting to tell a huge story and off shoots of that story all from one stage...or room in this case, and to pull it off. And I think that gives me a respect and understanding for the work put into this film.

Not perfect but really well done and acting is outstanding. I believed everyone was who they portrayed ...some hollywood A listers could learn a thing or two.

Story telling 8 acting 10 score 7.

Portrait of a violent man. Everyone involved should be proud of this production. Fairbrass has never been better.

More like a play than a movie but with cinematic quality. Everyone performs their part carefully and maturely, I believed them all. At the helm is Fairbrass who carries the film with menace and compassion. Following his performance in Muscle, Fairbrass has proven he ihas more subtlety than the extremes of Pat Tate. His choices as an actor have smartly stretched and I'm glad to have my expectations as a fan change with satisfaction.

Ultimately though director, Ross McCall, must take the credit. I'd never heard of him but I'll watch for his future projects with interest too.

A very powerful, grim but compelling prison drama focused primarily on a prisoner serving life with no chance of ever being released.

The whole movie is set in one prison cell without a single glimpse of the outside world. It's a hard hitting exploration of coming to terms with life with no hope.

The acting is superb which really gives the impact intended by the writer of this extremely grim tale.

Part of me was eager for the movie to end as it was so depressing but I am glad that I watched it. If nothing else it makes the viewer glad not to share such a hopeless future.

My only complaint is that I found the dialogue difficult to understand as the characters tended to mumble a lot. Perhaps it was just the sound recording but I kept having to turn up the volume, yet still I couldn't understand it all.

All in all I thought the movie was very good but don't watch it if you need cheering up.

To be fair, there's a bit more to it than that, and Fairbrass is a slightly different character. Here he spends a lot of time contemplating on what it means to be a man that feels nothing. When he's in company of others there's usually fights breaking out or words of wisdom on how to survive. Overall it's an okay film, it never really builds up tension to dramatic key points though. The directing is all over the place, some good, some not so. The music often doesn't work.