Silent Night

I actually enjoyed this movie . Despite some reviews Ive read .. The gloomy look was captured very well And the decision the main character had to make about his life was interesting I heard it was a first for the director so well done.. I personally would not have had the policeman scene in it .as I felt it really brought everything to an end ..we there was still a bit to go... The music I have to say blow me away ...I've tired to find who the composer was Really grabed my attention ..it's the music were he s walnut up the steps to his friends apartment ..best piece of music I e heard in a long time ..also the acting was very strong from caddydown to the side kick uncle Tom ... I will be recommending to all my friends Because it's nice just to watch a good plain old English crime thriller ..

After being released from Prison, Mark is determined to go straight for the sake of his round daughter, but his former cellmate Alan convinced him to do one final job.

Once again, I was hooked in by a number one on Netflix tag, only this time I quite enjoyed the choice. I'll be honest, it does have a low budget feel about it, but I think that's part of its charm. There will be obvious comparisons, Lock stock for example, but it's not trying to be.

So it's not exactly Die Hard, you're not going to want to dig this out every December, but as a one off, it's worth seeing, and the good outweighs the bad, just about.

I really liked Bradley Taylor as Mark, I really did buy a guy down on his luck, trying hard to make changes and desperate to restart his life. Joel Fry also very good, nice to see him in a serious role.

Favourite scene had to be that surreal Christmas dinner, that really was off the wall, a cracking and unexpected twist.

6/10.

Was expecting a one dimensional gangland thriller but this delivered a lot more. Gritty and remarkably well shot, yes...but there's elements of dark humour in there and decent performances, particularly from "Mark" the lead. Well worth a watch.

I have a suspicion that the wide variation in how this film was perceived probably depends on whether you're British or not. As a Brit - and from South London to boot - I was pleasantly surprised by this film, and especially the lead (Bradley Taylor), who was outstanding throughout. Twist was unexpected, well executed but fell down slightly on the originality front. Full of South London grit and black humour, and the director somehow managed to eke sympathy for Taylor's character out of me when I'm not convinced much was deserved. Time well spent with this one.

Because this movie has plenty of gunfire and violence, surely enough for most fans of the crime thriller genre. The cast all make their characters believable and interesting, even those with small roles like the cop. The dialogue has some clever bits, and Silent Night's director, Will Thorne, did a fine job dealing with all the challenges of making a by no means simple gangland revenge story entertaining. If this comes out as a DVD with a director's cut, it could well be worth buying just to see how movies are made in gritty urban settings.

What really sets Silent Night apart, however, is a twist in the plot. Can't say much about that without taking this review into spoiler territory, but the twist certainly puts Mark in a whole different light. Not necessarily a better light, however.