When asked why I enjoyed this film so much I would say its charmingly grim atmosphere. I am struck by its mood-feeling of solitude and claustrophobia and yet paradoxically it takes place in London, one of the biggest and the most populous cities in Europe.
Its absence of top Hollywood stars is even an advantage. We expect such actors to play particular roles, but here it's different - for precisely this reason you look at the movie without preconception and get on with enjoying the puzzle. With Isaac and Ian (Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson and Kenny Doughty) you can sense the fear, not of undefeatable heroes or immortal supermen, just people pushed to the limit. At the same time, the behavior of these characters gives the hint that they are not what they appeared to be at the beginning. With his craggy look and a natural performance, Ingvar was especially convincing to me. Joseph (Mark Womack), with an expressive manner, brings even darker balance to the script.
Here's bit of sad news - I missed seeing London crowds in the main storyline. To my eye, insignificant details like chatting couples or .. even a stray dog, that would have created a little more realism. On the other hand wasteful scenes and people don't work for me with a predominantly grim plot. What I did find frustrating was the unexplained bits. Why for example did it seem that Sophia(Sónia Balacó) plays the role of an ingénue as well as someone very shy? What was the origin of hatred between Carmichael and his father? There are hints but not quite enough.
Although once into the film you get to know who is who, paradoxically there is also some sort of unpredictability, and the final scenes are a surprise. Not only that, there are other turning points in store and an unexpected twist. Genuinely, I against I is pretty atmospheric (the action takes place at night) and in all likelihood it is not a likely film for fans of blockbusters or so-called epic movies that include spectacular explosions, millions of casualties etc. In this story there are no winners in spite of appearances. If you want to look at London in a slightly different way than usual, try I against I .
