Cutterhead

When I first started watching this the photography quality and overall impression was one of "oh no this looks like a BBC docudrama" but my fears were soon quashed as it turns out this is a rather unique and really quite interesting adventure into the realms of human frailty and if you suffer from fear of small spaces I would issue a warning on this film as it presents quite a realistic claustrophobic atmosphere especially in the closing 30 minutes.

It is not a crash, bang, wallop movie with oodles of CGI and action and 5 star actors but it is more of a study of human frailty when confronted by disaster and it does it in quite a more honest way than most movies have in the past and is down and dirty with no frills or spills. I fear most people will find it tedious but give it a chance and watch it to the end and you might just be surprised.

It is quite difficult to know what people actually think, how they will react to certain situations and dangers and what degree of help they will be to others. In this case, it may start off as documentary, but it goes deeper than that (if you'll excuse the pun). And psychology will kick off at some point. Now if you are not impatient (which overall would not help while watching this movie, never mind being in the situation the characters find themselves in), you will find a very tension filled drama.

Our main character is more or less the viewer. Well the common viewer who may not have been underground and asks questions that some of the workers may not understand. If you are claustrophobic though, you may want to stay away from this. It can be quite upsetting ...

Cutterhead (2018)

An industrial accident occurs underground and people are trapped. The fear of death and the fight for survival are realistically based and not portrayed in an over the top fashion, like in many disaster movies. This is probably what would happen in real life. If you are looking for spectacle, seek out any recent catastrophe movie by Dwayne Johnson. This is more low key and in some ways uneventful, yet will still manage to hold your attention throughout. The filming in real locals gives the film a sense of realism and later, dread. 8 out of 10 stars.

Before I started watching this movie I had no clue what I was going to watch. At one point, in the beginning, I just thought it was going to be a documentary about drilling. That says enough about the acting, in a good way, it all looked natural and unforced. So to me the acting was good, a positive point in this movie. As for the story it is captivating as are most of the movies with claustrophobic scenes. There aren't much people that would feel anxiety when locked up in that tiny space when danger outside is imminent. Some scenes were just a bit too long though, even though I get it that they wanted to create that desperation feeling. Nevertheless those scenes were sometimes a bit dragged out. For the rest it's entertaining, and you will comment out loud some scenes, like we all do when we imagine ourselves in some distressing situations.

Danish novice writer/director Rasmus Kloster Bro makes his first full length feature film debut, and does pretty good.

Decent story - screenplay could have been a little tighter, the directing/camera work not bad at all for working with confined spaces - especially towards the end. Sound was a little off - could hear more equipment sounds than the dialogue. Length and pacing was perfect, with non-stop suspense in the last three quarters.

A solid 7/10 from me