Soho Square

"Soho Square" is a British drama which follows a troubled homicide detective as he sorts through personal issues while working on a serial killer case. An unfortunate piece of work, the only redeeming thing I could find between the credits of this flick was the shorter-than-usual 78 minute run. A choppy mess of poorly lensed and poorly edited scenes with horrible color and music, "Soho Square" seems to be an attempt at art house fare which just went wrong. The story is muddled and confused and sorts itself out only when it's too late to care. Character depth is superficial, nothing scenes are dragged out for no apparent reason, plot holes are everywhere....I could go on...and on. However, suffice it to say, this film is not recommendable. I happened to rent it mail order by mistake and only stuck with it because it was in English and I could type these comments while it was running. (C-)

Anthony Biggs plays the no-name protagonist in this British indie, which starts out blandly enough, like one of those Helen Mirren helmed "Prime Suspect" episodes. As the film progresses, insights are revealed that flesh his character out, and his portrayal is specific and compelling enough to keep you watching. At just the right moment, he chooses to expose facets that make the shocking denouement almost plausible. Director Jamie Rafn plays around with time sequences and jump cuts in a way that's not so much clever as it is jarring. Overall, a very uncomfortable, low-fi, effort that is about anything but the pyromaniacal serial killer supposedly at the focus --- and is all the better for it. Great avant-garde jazz score.

I've noticed that some people have rated this movie a 10. Others have said it's one of the worst films ever made. The truth is somewhere in the middle. If the budget of this film was actually 7K (pounds or dollars?), then it's a very impressive achievement. That said, it's not nearly as good as El Mariachi as some have suggested.

The film moves slowly through the first 20-30 minutes and it's unclear what's really going on. Yes, a cop is investigating a series of murders, but what's really going on? As the film progresses, some things fall into place...but not all of the pieces. Some of the scenes are head-scratchers. What's up with the little girl and her mom? I didn't see a reason for them to be in the film.

As for the technical aspects of the film, the music is very good in a few instances. For the most part, it's terrible and inappropriate to the action. The cuts back and forth do not bother me; it actually provides a fairly suspenseful climax, which was the best scene in the film. The acting is of decent quality, with no outstanding performances. Overall, the film is a 7/10. If you want to see a bad movie, skip this. If you can stand a slow-moving noir, then check it out.

I saw this film having read that it was made for a mere $7000 and was sceptical that this was possible, and if it was possible, that it would be watchable. However, when I sat down to watch this, I discovered a diamond - a remarkable and absorbing discordant thriller from a first time writer/director that looks and feels as if it cost 100 times its minuscule budget. I was compelled to watch the director's commentary immediately afterwards for explanation of how this was done. The influences on the film's visionary are subtle but omnipresent - the cold, detached objectivity of Kubrick, a fractured narrative structure favoured by fellow Brit Christopher Nolan, and a faint reminiscence of Hitchcock's Vertigo. Perhaps its most obvious assimilation is Nicholas Roeg's Bad Timing, echoing the style of remote, disturbed protagonist, the themes of obsessive, all consuming love and culminating in a disturbing but revelatory sex scene. This is a slow burner which requires concentration and a modicum of intelligence to unravel. There is little dialogue - imagery and motif play a large part in the understanding of the narrative - and there are no blockbuster effects or big name stars to sell it. However, its complex thriller narrative, dissonant soundtrack and solid involved performances blow fellow low-budget-starter Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi out of the water. For anyone who is aspiring to be a film-maker and doesn't think it's possible without millions of dollars, this film is an inspirational must-see.

The other user's comment is spot-on, yet much much too kind. This is an absolutely horrible piece of wanna-be cop movie BS. There is absolutely no cohesion to be found in any part of it and I hope that the writer/director/producer finds himself another line of work...perhaps as a sewage plant worker. Seem harsh? You try wasting 78 minutes of your life on this piece of absolutely infected garbage. The only thing I found enjoyable is the "climax" (if you can even bring yourself to consider it that.) The characters are completely poorly developed. The scenes are full of holes, the dialog is barely audible, the music is horrible, the editing is worse, the thinly veiled (strange as hell) pedophilia scenes turn your stomach and you couldn't give a rat's derrière about what happens to any of them. You would almost be glad to see the pyromaniac light fire to the lot of the entire cast (too bad it didn't happen.) Do not, by any means (unless someone involved in the picture is your relative) rent, buy, borrow, or for God's sake watch this piece of trash.