Dad Savage

I just watched this movie yesterday and I must say my expectations were low. But despite them this is a very good movie with lots of nice plot twists and strong actors. Dad himself is somewhat silly but all the others are doing a very good job.

I have to say that I wasn't looking forward to watching Dad Savage, having read some fairly bad reviews of it. But I rented it out anyway. The result was one of shock. I was amazed at some of fantastic talent in front of and behind the camera and was stunned that such a film could go un-noticed for such a long time.

The closest films to compare this to are certainly not US films. The nearest comparison is Trainspotting or The Acid House, both of which have raw and realistic characters and settings. Dad Savage has both of these, being set in the North of England and centering around a few normal friends who all have something to do with Dad himself. It all goes wrong when Dad reveals his secret stash of dosh hidden out in the woods and slowly everyone conspires against each other to get the money.

This film, in my own opinion, is one of the greatest films to come of the UK in recent years. I think that it is sad that it has not been given any credit and the only way to get it on video is to import it from the US.

The writer deserves credit for trying something simple and trying to push into the boundrys of cinema. The fact that this film is so down to Earth and raw is what makes it so realistic and gut wrenching, not to mention appealing.

The director used to wonderful ways of getting the script across in a superb way, the car crash at the beginning in slow motion, for example. There are numerous other shots and scenes that I could witter on about but would bore you here!

I cannot write about Dad Savage without mentioning Patrick Stewart. There are two sides to this one. Does he suck? Unable to escape the mold of Star Trek? OR is he a bloody good actor? Well, Stewart not only escapes Trek, but also brings to life a character who you grow to love as well as hate. The rest of actors are superb and deserve just as much credit, if not more for surviving in Stewarts lime-light.

This film does have its bad points, being very uncomfortable to watch and being a bit confusing on first viewing. But open your mind and you will find that DS is a great film.

Never has fast forward been such a useful button. If I had not seen any portion of this film, I would have been a happier person for it. Violent trash. Why did Stewart appear in it, for heavens sake? Maybe it's the furthest he could find from the Alpha Quadrant. A 2 vote is being generous.

The opening is very dramatic and is an attention grabber. The rest of the movie spends its time with flashbacks which are a bit distracting but the viewer catches on fast enough. The performances are strong. Motivations might be a bit pat, but the emotions seem real enough. Patrick Stewart fans will see their hero in a very different and dark light but will enjoy the performance. The other four younger actors are very much ones to be looked for in future films.

To be honest I would have instantly dismissed DAD SAVAGE as " A British Tarantino wannabe that starts with a pre title sequence followed by a soundtrack by The Jam similar to the opening of RESERVOIR DOGS followed by a not very interesting story that cuts back and forth like PULP FICTION "

But I`ll modify my opinion by stating " It`s also very bizarre due to the casting that makes it rather more watchable "

That casting choice is Patrick Stewart as the title character . Who`s Patrick Stewart ? you ask . He`s only the captain of the USS Enterprise from a little known show called STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION . Unlike William Shatner Stewart can act but after being cast in ST:TNG no one will ever think of him than anything else than Jean Luc Picard . A shame perhaps but I had to admit there`s a great novelty value to DAD SAVAGE walking around like the cowboy from The Village People , speaking in a ridiculous accent , spouting the F word frequently and getting nasty with a shotgun . If they`d given the part to an unknown actor I wouldn`t thought much of this movie but it contains a watchability level and novelty value due to Stewart`s bizarre performance