Wasteland

I got to catch this at TIFF (My first film ever seen at the festival) and loved it. Great story, pacing, soundtrack, cinematography, writing, acting and direction. First-time writer-director Rowan Athale gets it right. My only problem was that he tries to do too much in his debut. What he does is great, but if he had tried to maybe do less in terms of covering the norms of heist and crime films, i.e. the ____ steps of committing a crime successfully. That's it. Timothy Dalton and Luke Treadway have great back and forth dialogue, and just when you think the film is over and you have unanswered questions, your questions are answered and you are given more of the brilliant story, and a great ending that perfectly ties up everything.

I'm not sure if this will appeal to North American audiences, but it looks like it could be a huge hit in the UK. I loved it, and I highly recommend it.

My byline up there pretty much sums it up. It an intriguing story, set in motion by a highly resourceful and intelligent lead, to rob a Men's Club, home to illicit drug funds squirrelled away there by the evil villein, whom has greatly wronged the lead. The soundtrack had good uplifting late 90s style rock, plenty of montage (which worked a treat), and the story was told using an easy to follow, and fresh, flashback technique. All the actors gave outstanding performances, working with a fast and often emotional script. It a well written, well put together movie, where all aspects are playing their part to perfection. Yes, there is a little confusion of understanding when, toward the latter half, details are delivered at a probably too quick a clip. But that doesn't dilute one's anticipation and enjoyment. Outstanding, and original, British drama.

This film had been sat in my Netflix queue for ages and I kept putting off watching it and almost didn't watch it. I'm not really sure why, but I just had a feeling that the 4 leads would be unlikeable one dimensional chavs - I'll admit that I was being a bit presumptuous. All I can say is that I'm so glad that I was wrong.

I'll admit that the first 15-20 minutes of the film did play out as I thought; the characters were annoying at first, the dialogue was a bit shaky, but once the plot kicks in the film seems to find a new gear and I found that the more I watched it, the more enjoyment I got from it.

One thing I did like about this film is the depth and complexities of its characters - we have Dodd (Matthew Lewis) who seems very much grounded and fears change (not wanting to venture outside of his own town, never mind leave the country). We have Charlie (Gerard Kearns) who is an out of work welder with an alcoholic mother who I felt was more a victim of circumstance than anything else. Then we have the mastermind behind the 'revenge' plot Harvey (Treadaway) who finds himself in a difficult place when he has to try to balance his desire to get his vengeance against Roper (Neil Maskell) and his need to try and appease his old flame Nicola (Vanessa Kirby). Each character had their own identity and all the characters felt real and believable -they'll argue, they'll laugh and they ultimately show that can also work well as a team. I really felt when watching this that the 4 leads had been friends for a long time and you could also tell that they all really cared for each other (this in spite of some of the petty squabbles that they all had throughout the film).

One other thing I thought about this film was how clever it was; the film starts out as a standard tale of revenge, but part of the group's revenge is to carry out a heist - I won't say anymore than that, but let's just say that this made the film both exciting and fun to watch. This is where the film really comes into its own as there are various twists and turns throughout the film that will keep you guessing right up till the end.

As well as strong characterisation and a good script, The Rise also benefits from strong and believable performances. For me, Maskell gave the best performance as psychotic drug pusher Steven Roper. Maskell has a naturally menacing look and coupled with his solid acting this made him a particularly effective villain. All the other performances were fine, but Maskell was the one that stood out for me.

The Rise is a really good film and I wish that I hadn't left it in my Netflix queue for so long. The characters are believable, the acting was good, the script was excellent and very clever. If you're a fan of revenge films or heist films then you'll like this film. If revenge and heist films are your 2 favourite genres, then you may just have found your perfect film.

Just caught Wasteland this past weekend at TIFF and was pleasantly surprised by a solid production from a first time writer/director. As a heist film aficionado I approached the film warily but my friends and I were pleased to find our fears were unwarranted. At first I was a bit non-plussed by the slower pace of the plot. But then I realized that director Rowan Athale was taking the time to tuck wayward threads back into his tapestry before they got unruly and it really paid off.

The casting was well done, Luke Treadaway and Vanessa Kirby had excellent chemistry together. Charlie and Dodds' camaraderie was excellent. It was very clear what the motivations were for the crew as well as the antagonists.

In the QnA after the show, Rowan explained that Wasteland was chosen as the title because of the hopeless locale the characters were situated in. No one can expect to have anything, to make anything of themselves. Even the character who was learning a welding trade was mocked for clinging to false hopes. Perhaps it also explains D.I. West's wry smile as he makes a decision hidden from the audience.

At any rate I am sure that Rowan Athale will use this title to leverage himself out the wasteland of indy film making. This production will turn some heads and this director/writer is one to watch.

As the credits rolled at the end of this movie I felt a sense of surprise more than anything. Surprised that 'The Rise' was a very good film, exceeding my expectations in every way. A hidden gem almost, a film that I had not heard of until I saw it on Netflix. I am a fan of the genre; the British 'indie' scene is one that I usually enjoy.

This movie is marketed as a heist & revenge movie, which is exactly what it is, but it is not your run of the mill heist flick. It is a powerful, gripping & gritty drama with a great solid plot, good characters & superb acting.

It starts very well, throwing you into the story, the lead character is being interviewed by a detective and he begins to tell the story, showing the viewer how he came to be in that situation. The movie does go down a few gears through the middle of the film but then picks up pace and the final 30-40 minutes are fantastic. I won't ruin anything, but the end of the film is very, very enjoyable. The acting is superb; you genuinely feel for the characters and certainly take sides between the good and bad. The 4 main lads are all convincing and portray their own characters well. There is definitely chemistry between the 4 leads and they do have a realistic, relatable relationship.

One negative I have is that I thought the relationship/girlfriend storyline was a little unnecessary but it is something we have come to expect in almost every film nowadays. To give credit though, it was kept to a minimum and acted more as a sub plot rather than taking centre stage throughout.

I'm not going to say much more as I don't want to give anything away. I'm not sure why this film is so hidden, it never took off and never went mainstream. I know there was a delay in releasing it and it also underwent a title change from 'Wastelands' to 'The Rise'. Overall it is a very impressive film from a novice director/writer with good acting from all the young and upcoming British stars.

8/10