Four

Having not heard a great deal about this movie I assumed that it would be passable at best. WRONG. It's a thoroughly entertaining and tightly made piece, with tight directorial pace and sharp dialogue. It is undeniably and unashamedly a film made on a lower budget than Hollywood fare but this is to the films credit rather than it's detriment. A lack of extraneous whistles and bells leaves a script which is economic and witty, delivered very competently by the cast. The location (which incidentally is beautifully lit)acts as the fifth member of this ensemble cast. The direction is stylish without being intrusive. There are a couple of lines of Dialogue I found clumsy but they are few and far between and given the nature of a dialogue and character driven piece not entirely unexpected. Bottom line, It is defiantly a film worth a look.

FOUR is a film that's far too low budget to work properly. The entire movie literally consists of four actors in a grungy old warehouse, with no lighting and seemingly no script given the constant, expletive-laden, and repetitive nature of the dialogue.

The best thing about this film is a monologue by guest star Sean Pertwee early on, when he talks about other, better films like RESERVOIR DOGS which was a clear inspiration. After that we get the usual guy-strapped-to-a-chair nonsense, with lots of brutality and slight veers into torture porn territory.

Sadly the direction is absolutely pedestrian, the script brings nothing new to the table, and acting from the likes of Martin Compston and Craig Conway isn't enough to tune in for. For a much better version of a similar story, check out the American B-flick SUSHI GIRL.

Possibly the best low budget film I have seen to date. The director uses the desolate location and some amazing acting talent to bring to life a clever, intricate and often funny script. The language is shocking, as is the level of violence, but this created for me an almost morbid, edge of seat fascination, wondering what would come next. The ending was unexpected and not for the faint hearted! Interestingly, it was difficult to like any of the four characters, and the audience were left knowing little more about them than we did at the start of the film. Definitely a film to watch, perhaps more than once to really appreciate the subtle inferences of the script and direction.

I watched this late as I could not sleep. Yes it did have a little Chuckle Brother humour - but it did lighten it up. I knew it was not going to be too serious the way Sean Pertwee was knocking the crap out of the kidnapped man and the man was able to respond in a tone which you would use to order a pizza - although he did get better. The premise was a good one but the film could have been different and a lot darker, but for light entertainment it was good.

Sean is always a pleasure to watch and the Welsh lead was a bit wishy washy however the female character was brilliant. She certainly took control of the situation - which the viewer could see from a distance.

Worth a watch but don't expect social or ethical undertones.

Although this film has a very theatrical feel and could, perhaps, be better performed on a stage, it has a script full of very black humour and some very strong language. At times the script mocks itself as four people go through a tangled web of deception and counter deception. It is a film for which you need to have an open mind right from the "go" or otherwise you'll miss its razor sharp patches of dialogue delivered by a cracking cast (especially Pertwee).

The action is largely confined to an appropriately dark, derelict and isolated warehouse and is very script driven. There is much violence but it is, thankfully, never overdone. It doesn't need to be for the faces of the actors tell us all we need to know, and that is why I cannot believe the low score this film has accumulated. I just think cinema audiences have never much liked stagy films as many directors have found to their cost no matter how good the material has been.

Although much of the writing is first class there are some patchy moments and it is arguable that one or two scenes didn't quite add what they were supposed to give to the drama. Put another way they were wasted because of a lack of sharpness.

But this is much better than three or four out of ten, and is certainly much better than a whole series of some crime capers.