Down Terrace (2010)

the leading man is my tpye

Good start, but then it gets ruined

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

On repeated viewings, this film becomes more enjoyable as a very,very,very dark comedy.Initially as a crime/drama it has an endearing and shocking effect, but I can't help feeling that Ben Wheatley's intention for this was to be a dark comedy.It's raw, disturbing, but the outrageous psychosis in this film now has me laughing all the way through.The acting, claustrophobic camera work and the music are excellent.Deserves a 9/10.

Excellent. Well crafted. Brilliant direction. Nice people becoming sinister but you still like them.It is about a father and son released for a crime which is not made clear in the film. They return to their livelihood but are still concerned about the people close to them who incriminated them for the crime. I felt a definite sympathy for the two protagonists, especially the hippy father, changed by time and market forces, but the tale unravels a shock horror which is similar to 'Arsenic and Old Lace' with Cary Grant, without the laughs.This is not a blockbuster, thank heavens, but an artistic exploration of souls. I will buy it as a quintessential damn good film.The tale will live with you forever, as good stories do.

I read the reviews here and being a great fan of British gangster films, I was looking forward to watching this.I found it a colossal disappointment. It is NOT entertaining,suspenseful,edifying,moving or in any way interesting.It IS crass,vulgar,boring and repulsive. We see a social class E family living in a rundown Council house pretending that they are in some way serious gangsters with sinister underworld connections. If they derive an income from organised crime,why are they living in a slum? They are generally fat,ugly,unemployable and unappealing people acting like rejects from an Eastenders episode.They try to give the the impression of being physically tough but any US marine,British commando or 2 REP guy could walk through the lot of them in 60 seconds.I have met families like these.They don't work because no one would employ them. They live on the outskirts of society in a miasma of drugs,alcohol,schoolboy violence and general depravity. The only thing that seems to set this lot apart is a deeply morbid pathology.Quite what the director and actors were trying to show us defeats me completely. I'm all for ¨real¨drama but this was like watching psychopathic chimpanzees in a zoo. And no,I didn't like it.

Just released from jail, father and son Bill and Karl (played by real life father and son Bob and Robin Hill) are patriarchs of a small crime family. Their business and life in Down Terrace is plagued with infighting. When Karl's estranged girlfriend claims to be carrying his child, Karl's added priorities create tension amongst his immediate family. Suspicions grow when the family believes there's an informant in their midst that could send them all to prison for a very long time.This film is hard to categorize. Some have called it a British version of Sopranos. While it is a story about a crime family, there's nothing very "gangster" about them. They don't dress or look the part. The three characters, Bill, Karl, and Maggie (Julie Deakin), Karl's mother, look and act like a regular blue collar family. They're not particularly convincing as gangsters (which may be why they're so well-hidden). For a good chunk of the movie, I had forgotten they were gangsters at all. Kind of like the TV show Roseanne, they bicker about regular family issues. Heavy with dialogue and awkward situations, the film plays almost like a comedic sitcom. It could have been about any family business and it would have worked.There's realism and candor in the film's look and style. Characters talk about everyday things. Characters are often irritable, unkempt, and cumbersome. The camera is often hand-held, jerky, and frequently focuses on the mundane. The dialogue is often quite sharp and funny. It's certainly not glitzy like a gangster film.There's virtually no action until the latter half of the film. Admittedly, some parts dragged. And, some parts are engrossing and sentimental. Some parts take you by surprise. The film's focus on both the mundane and the surprising moments is perhaps used to its benefit, but can sometimes feel a little uneven in terms of pacing. When the unexpected, violent moments hit, it reminded me that yes, this is indeed a "gangster" film. This results in some great dark humor. AdvertisementThe characters truly make this film. The dynamics between Bill, Karl, and Maggie are realistic, funny, dysfunctional, and sad. Bob Hill is particularly memorable as Bill, an aging father who is frequently disappointed and putting down his son, Karl. Robin Hill expertly plays off his real-life father Bob (who plays Bill) as the constantly-frustrated Karl. Julie Deakin gives a complex, multifaceted performance as Maggie, the loving, sometimes scheming, mother, who may not always be as kind as she appears. The supporting cast, which consist of thugs who often do not act like thugs, bring proper amount of quirky, dry humor.Given the expectations one may have of the frequently popular gangster genre, fans of that genre will likely be let down by this film while missing out on this film's more subtler, deeper story about family relationships. The initial pacing of the film may try some people's patience. It did me a little. I wished the film hadn't really characterized itself as a story about a crime family or a "gangster film" because it really isn't. I think it perhaps hurts the film somewhat—it makes it seem less real, maybe more gimmicky. This is closer to a family drama…with occasional violence thrown in. One may mistakingly go in expecting The Godfather. I can see this film re-imagined as a small crime story starring ordinary people—something akin to a Coen Brothers' film. These characters are odd, quirky, and dark in that vein.I enjoyed the humor and the little surprises in this film despite the fact that the plot didn't always keep my interest. Some parts are quite banal and I sometimes wondered where the film was going. The film picks up considerably on the second half and the film's theme seems to follow the old adage that "what goes around comes around." By the end, though, it was ultimately the memorable characters that remained with me long afterwards.You can find more of my movie review updates on http://twitter.com/d_art