The Whip

This small budget indie heist film is a type of political heist with a goal of nit to enrich the capers themselves but for a bigger outcome for social reasons. Yes its a small budgeted movie but its story and pacing keeps you interested and moving forward through the story and characters. Over all acting was on point with the cast, some really nice aerial shots too. The Whip is a nice divergent heist film that doesn't show up too often. The stakes are different and more personal than get rich quick kinda robbery then hide in a none extradition type of country. Over all this was a fine capper of a film.

The budget of this film must have been around £200. The CGI inside parliament is laughable-cartoonish figures moving like SIMS characters. It honestly feels like no real actors were ever in the UK; all exterior scenes look like they were shot in front of a green screen with mismatched lighting and flat color grading. The story is incoherent, with no explanation, buildup, or reason behind anything-just random scenes stitched together. Don't be fooled by the 7s and 8s in the reviews those are probably from the cast or crew. A cheap, confused digital mess that fails on every level and leaves you wondering why it was even made.

Michael Harrington MP is discouraged with the state of politics and spin and is a pretty convincing character with a nice turn around from selling the party line to airing his true feelings. Sadie the lead character is perfect for the worn out sister health carer role with some pretty solid acting. Multiple aerial shots break up the scenes and don't really get repetitive, adding some good transitions. The Whip himself is a classic bad guy but not too much of an archetype but we recognize him to be the villain pretty quickly without any unnecessary exposition.

The story focuses pretty heavily on social inequality and the bad guy politicians are obviously the Conservatives (since they'd been in power the past decade or more) but the film doesn't overtly turn into a social action flick and stays along the Oceans 11 style heist.

The heist team of 4 occasionally seems a bit small (don't expect Oceans 12 or 13) and their planning room does seem a bit bare as we'd expect to see a lot more maps and notes to give the feel of a heist in planning but the acting carries the story over these minor bumps.

Into the actual heist the action moves along pretty quickly and while locations and sets are occasionally sparse (ok it's actually not possible to film inside Parliament!) it's hard to worry about it for long since the heist moves along at a swift pace along with a few good twists and turns.

Overall The Whip is an enjoyable film with a solid cast performance and a story that is just as believable (suspension of disbelief) as Danny Ocean and his crew.

A new bill awaits vote that will affect caregiver resources for citizens with disabilities. Sadie Baxter is a stressed young woman who cares for her ailing sister. Thus begins "The Whip", a smart independent feature that moves briskly and capably. Sadie (played with great empathy by Shian Denovan), enlists the help of three friends to break into Parliament to steal a blackmail book. Gala Wesson, Daniel Davids, and Tom Knight round out this fine cast. Ray Bullock, Jr. Plays a memorable villain. Director Christopher Presswell, along with his co-writer and actors, treats us to a very entertaining and suspenseful tale. Character differences are highlighted via clever pairings and payoffs. Everyone here has something at stake. If you enjoy British capers, you'll love this!

The Whip critiques social inequality, with the villains clearly representing the entrenched political elite, but it doesn't turn preachy, instead sticking to a cleverly thought out heist plot

Once the heist begins, the action picks up quickly, with tight pacing and a few twists that keep things engaging. Although some sets feel minimal-understandable given the challenges of filming Parliament-the story moves swiftly enough to keep viewers absorbed. Overall, The Whip is an entertaining film with a strong cast and a story that's just as believable as any Ocean's caper.

Highly recommended and shows what can be done with an indie budget and a great idea.