Bull

This is one of the best last year's movies. A dark, gritty, violent British film that doesn't hold back. I suggest you don't read anything about this, there is a chance some reviewer gives you a spoil.

If you are in the mood for a really dark crime drama/thriller, you will enjoy this. Great actors, not a second wasted, this movie grabs you by the throat.

I stood in awe watching the end. I can understand the reasons why some people may dislike it. In any case, you are gonna enjoy the ride. For me, the ending made it even more exciting.

Writer and director Paul Andrew Williams created a masterpiece for this overused genre. In the very comfortable well paced 88 min runtime, he gives us non-stop intensity, violence, suspense and gore, all within a minimal budget, used very wisely. I'm not a fan of flashbacks, but in this film they were needed, and executed perfectly, otherwise the differentiating-from-the-norm twist doesn't work. The cinematography and score was perfect. Casting and performances were outstanding by all. I did have trouble understanding some of the dialogue from the hardened Bri-ish accents, especially when speaking in lower volumes, but nevertheless, everything that happens along this fun ride, makes that small detail irrelevant. It's one of those films that you can easily watch at least one more time. Mad props to Williams for giving us this little gem, hopefully we'll get lucky and he gives us more. A well deserved 9/10 from me.

Revenge thrillers have been a movie staple as long as there have been movies. This one is the same but different. The film-maker makes no attempt to catch the sympathy of the viewer upfront--a very gutsy thing to try--and instead relies on the constant forward motion of the action to win the hearts and minds of the audience. It works, mostly. The end result is more resembles a roller coaster ride than the typical "3 Act" script. And yes it is entertaining. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Saw this at the London Film Festival premiere last night. It's a well-made and engaging low-budget crime film, with excellent acting and music. Neil Maskell and David Hayman give dependably good performances. It's very much along the lines of Dead Man's Shoes and Kill List, although lacking the flair, originality and imagination of those classics. Hard geezer seeks revenge, with over-the-top violence and nasty, humourless working-class gangsters. A grim and dour tone. Some nicely choreographed stabbings and gunshots. It's nothing new, but it does it satisfactorily and holds your attention.

It's a great shame then that the film is almost fatally marred by a bizarre and poorly thought-through conclusion that had to make me wonder why not a single person on the team of this production said 'um, hang on a minute, are we really going with this ending..?'.

It's just wrong for the tone of the film.

I can see what they were aiming for, as it's been done before in one of the best crime films ever made, but here they mess it up by not setting it up correctly, and in the process almost wreck a perfectly workable film.

All in all, despite this flaw, this is worth a watch, as it is undeniably entertaining.

Not bad for a movie that only cost $100,000 and was filmed in three weeks. Bull does not feature epic shootouts or fight scenes, but it does have a magnetic-intimidating lead performance from Neil Maskell and moments of sheer brutality. In my opinion, this is enough to recommend Bull to anyone interested in darker revenge movies. The film is over in less than ninety minutes and depending on your taste you will either love or loathe the ending.