Family History: Review of Stories We Tell

Stories We Tell

Director: Sarah Polley

By Alex Watson

Families are always full of different tales; normally ones that make us cringe with embarrassment, particularly when my family gets together! But often there are some family tales that really takes us by surprise and through these deep secrets are often revealed and on occasions lives can change forever. Canadian director/actress Sarah Polley this year returns to our screen to give us a unique insight into her own past and the events that helped shape the person she is in her compelling documentary, Stories We Tell.

In this film Sarah Polley documents her family past through the assistance of her own family members and other treasured acquaintances from down the years. Along the way many shocking and surprising revelations are put into view as her family recalls their past and their feelings towards the mother and father who raised them.

To begin with I would like to say that we will not find a greater documentary this than Stories We Tell and Polley’s examination of her own family life is a tale that truly needs to be heard and it will both warm and devastate your heart at separate points. The recollections of her English father Michael provide us with some of the film’s most funny and poignant moments as he speaks with great fondness about her mother Diane Polley, other family members are initially hesitant at first, some joking about why people should care about this? But ultimately as the stories go on, we are enchanted by Sarah’s family and their live is one of the most interesting tales we will see in a while!

Her mother is a shadow that looms over the movie and people speak about her with such touching affection and her father’s stories of how they first met are the stuff that romantic comedies would die for- his confession that he lied about having a Mercedes to make her go home with him is guaranteed to make you chuckle!   But through the footage Polley has available, her mother Diane is a figure that Sarah is still getting to know (she died when Polley was 11) and she looks to her other family members to give us a better idea of the real person behind the wordless scenes.

Through her showing of old super 8 family movies, witness testimony and her reconstruction of old family events we feel like we are spying on private family moments, but Polley through her assured direction has nothing she want to hide and instinctively digs into one key in her past which begun with the smallest of rumours from one of her brothers. From here I will stop recalling the plot line because there is a jewel of a revelation here that you need to witness for yourself on screen and for this I would urge you to ignore all search engines until you step out from the film because the after effect is one that will stay with you for the coming days!

But in Stories We Tell, refreshingly Polley leaves it to her father to narrate proceedings and through his words we get a profound sense of love, loss, doubts to finally being able to embrace life. Here however there are no lengthy explanations about the various storytellers on show- they are all people who have played a significant part in her life and she relys them as key tools in her narrative and through this trust a fascinating tale is born.

For this movie I will leave you these words, I URGE YOU TO GO WATCH THIS-  Stories We Tell is one of the best discoveries you will make all year. Sarah Polley is one of the budding talents we have in the film world and after her excellent film Take This Waltz last year we have yet more proof that not only she is not only capable of producing some the most emotionally real work but she is fast becoming a favourite on Closer to the Edge. When this is over, look into your own past because you may be amazed by what you find there!

Ghosts of the Past: Review of Secrets & Lies

Classic from the Vault

Secrets & Lies (1995)

Director: Mike Leigh

By Alex Watson

 

Mike Leigh is without question one of the finest directors that Britain has ever produced and he is always able to bring a film that is able to accurately reflect British people getting by in everyday life and through is able to conjure up a sense of humour and emotion that is yet to be equalled! His pictures such as Naked, Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year and High Hopes have each personified different people’s hopes, frustrations and fears they each possess. But none have been had such a powerful effect than his Oscar Nominated drama, Secrets & Lies.

Maurice Purley (Timothy Spall) is a successful photographer whose is married to Monica (Phyllis Logan) but despite their wealth, the couple are unhappy. His sister Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) is a sad woman living in a grimy old house with her confrontational daughter Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook) and the two argue constantly, while Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is a black optometrist who is searching for her mother. When all these character unite for Roxanne’s 21^st birthday, old wounds will resurface and have devastating consequences for all.

Secrets & Lies is a film or rare beauty and is most like Leigh most acclaimed film and this is down his excellent portrayal of three conflicted characters that are each connected but all have all become detached from one another. Maurice and Monica use their money to hide their pain from the fact that they cannot conceive children and Rose and Roxanne are two women stuck in a hurt filled life and struggle to express love for one another. Hortense has recently discovered her birth mother is Rose who to her immense shock is white! When she contacts her, she secretly worries about what she will find!

The coffee shop scene where mother and daughter re-unite is one of the most commanding moments of 90’s cinema and is able to display a wide range of emotions. Initially Cynthia dismisses Hortense of claim of being her daughter by saying “I can’t be your mother” when questioned why she replies “well… look at me!” but then in one unforgettable moment the realisation of her past mistake comes flooding back to her face!  But it’s Roxanne’s birthday where feelings come full circle and as Cynthia tearfully reveals who her ‘new friend’ Hortense really is, the hurt locker is opened wide and from there many painful secrets are revealed.

But this wouldn’t be a Mike Leigh film without moments of cringe filled humour and in Secrets & Lies he brings this across in a few beautifully crafted scenes such as showing the different and often hilarious clients that Maurice photographs on a daily basis, Roxanne’s continuing arguments with her seedy boyfriend Paul (Lee Ross) but the most awkward moment of all is when Maurice is paid a visit from his alcoholic former business partner Stuart (Ron Cook), a man lost in a haze of former glories, this moment is both knuckle clenching and extremely funny and Stuart stumbles around blaming everyone but himself for his failings.

The performances produced in this film are some of the best of the 90’s with Brenda Blethyn’s potent portrayal of Cynthia leading the way, Blethyn’s holds the screen with force and gives a performance that is on the verge of tears continuously, but as the film progresses she learns to live again and the end result is a career best turn! Timothy Spall also holds his own as Maurice and is able to bring across a man who strives to make other happy as he cannot produce any happiness in his own life.

But its Marianne Jean- Baptiste who steals the supporting honours with a quietly brilliant turn, it is surprising that Jean- Baptiste has been absent from our screen since this film because she gives one of the best Mike Leigh performances.

If anyone hasn’t seen a Mike Leigh film yet then this is the perfect place to start because Secrets & Lies is one of the most absorbing comedy-drama’s that you will ever witness and is perhaps the best demonstration of Leigh’s ability to bring across a different and cringing style of humour. Just remember when you watch the effect that harbouring secrets can have on a family and sometimes honesty is the best key.

Day of Reckoning: Review of World War Z

World War Z

Director: Mark Forster

By Alex Watson

When a zombie movie rolls into view we always expect the usual things to be included and those things are plenty of suspense, buckets of gore as the people fight back against the living dead and most importantly a touch of humour that did film such as Shaun of the Dead so well. This week American director Marc Forster brings us Brad Pitt trying in vain to save the world from another deadly infestation in his adaptation of Max Brook’s novel, World War Z.

Retired UN Investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is looking forward to a nice holiday with his wife Karin (Mireille Enos) and two kids. But when they are stuck in traffic, a sudden zombie epidemic breaks out forcing them to run for their lives! Soon the devastation becomes worldwide and the existence of the human race is under threat. Gerry heads to Asia in search of a cure but he remains nervous about the results he will find and most of all is there any cure to this spreading disease?

While it has its splendid moments of shock and provides great entertainment, World War Z is a film that doesn’t quite hit the mark that we expected. It begins smartly and rather than follow tradition with an overly long build up, Forster chooses to jump straight into the action with the Zombies attacking on a normal day and families run for dear life along the streets of Philadelphia! This presents us with a thrilling opening sequence where the tension is pushed to maximum as Gerry and family play hide and seek through a darkened corridor as the moans the Z-men echo creepily in the background!

But while it has many immense moments that make squirm in our seats (such as when Gerry forgets to turn his phone off while trying to sneak through a zombie filled zone) and our hearts are bound to stop numerous times, the story doesn’t quite have enough to carry the movie and seems a little to concern with Gerry’s investigation and despite a mildly interesting trip to Israel where microphone singing refugees the scenes where he travels to various locations present us with interesting facts but ultimately will leave die hard horror fans a little disappointed with the lack of combat involved or more likely the lack of Zombie related attacks.

Also the ending we are presented with is a little flat on the ground, it starts well enough as Gerry and co face terror on an economy flight and literally becomes the man who fell to earth, and as our group walks yet another corridor looking for the thing that could cure us, it promises something grandstand. But sadly its resolution will leave many wishing aharder tone had been used and its voiceover leaves the door open for a likely sequel.

Brad Pitt is his usual watchable self in this film and he brings a touch of class to World War Z as die-hard family man Gerry, but this isn’t a role that truly stretches his abilities and feels like a walk in the park for talented Pitt. But he holds the screen well and proves once more he can be the best thing about any film he is involved with.

Aside from Brad, there are no other characters that really stick in the mind and Mireille Enos once again gets short changed in the underused wife role which simply requires her to answer a phone from time to time. There are also blink and miss appearances from Matthew Fox, James Badge Dale and criminally David Morse, whose cameo as a strung out CIA man has the potential to be as creepy as the zombies, but tragically he’s gone too soon!

Although World War Z doesn’t quite match the gritty expectations its excellent advertising campaign brought us, it is still a pleasurable couple of hours and will guarantee you to leave your seat more than once! If the proposed sequel ever arrives, we can only hope it will bring us more war scenes than on display here- the world is waiting for you to save us Brad!

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Review of Rocky

Classic from the Vault

Rocky (1976)

Director: John G Avildsen

By Alex Watson

There’s rarely an underdog story film that will not reference Sylvester Stallone’s legendary boxing film Rocky and over the years the resulting film series has given fans an endless supply of thrills, cheers and notable quotes as ‘The Italian Stallion’ has seen off Carl Weathers, Mr T and big Swede Dolph Lundgren to become a truly classic character in cinema . But unlike the rest of the money making sequels, the first film still ranks as the one with most heart and due to its simple yet heartfelt story it has become not only one of the greatest boxing movie of all time but one of the greatest films of all time!

Struggling Philadelphia club fighter Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a man still finding his place in life whilst trying to win the affections of shy pet shop girl Adrian (Talia Shire) who lives with her drunken brother Paulie (Burt Young). Boxing coach Mickey (Burgess Meredith) views him with his distain due to his work for loan shark Gazzo (Joe Spinell) and thinks he has wasted his life when he had fighting talent. But then Rocky is given the chance of a life time when he is picked by Heavyweight champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) to fight him for the world title!

Rocky is a film that even today has the ability to lift our hearts and thanks to a great script by Stallone we are given a story of a man whose whole life exists on a million to one shot and his determination to go the distance! The most refreshing part about this film is the characters we are given and the struggles they face- Rocky’s attempts to court Adrian is the element that drives the movie and through their strains to interact, at first we wince, but when Rocky takes her ice skating- the ‘ice’ is gradually broken between them and he manages to uncover a sweet girl inside and her love will see him through!

Mickey is a character who at first is almost the villain of the piece due his constant sneer and rejection of Rocky. But when his title shot comes around Mickey comes begging to train him, which leads to one of the film’s most moving moments as the sceptical Rocky lets out his frustrations by punching a door shouting “You wanna see me get my face kicked in?” while Mickey listens from afar. However Rocky is able to see that his former nemesis is the one to guide and they are able to forge one of the great training partnerships of the sports genre.

But it’s in the ring where Rocky really fires and as Balboa meets Apollo in the ring, many simply dismiss him as a fall guy- until Rocky floors the champ in the opening round! From there Apollo quickly realizes he has met an opponent who simply won’t quit and has a hungry heart to prove himself and his trainer Duke (Tony Burton) warns him “He doesn’t think it’s a damn show- he thinks it’s a damn fight!”  As the two trade punches in the brutal fight, Rocky manages against all odds to go the distance- but the result is of little consequence to him and as he calls out “ADDRRIIAAANNN” there will not be a dry eye for miles and like the rest of the crowd watching, it is hard not to go wild with excitement!

The real charm of this movie is down to Sylvester Stallone, who gives what many will consider his greatest ever performance as slow brained Rocky and this a role that gives him the chance to demonstrate what he is capable of and Stallone gives it as bigger heart as Rocky demonstrates and was rewarded with his sole Oscar nominations! Sly had to fight to get producer to cast him as The Italian Stallion, but it was something worth fighting for because it is impossible to consider anyone else donning the gloves!

We are also given a stellar supporting cast who would go onto to be the backbone of this series with Talia Shire showing a great vulnerability as Adrian- a character who will go on to be his wife in the future films and Burgess Meredith giving his gravelly voiced best as old time trainer Mickey whose tough training with make Rocky into a deadly weapon! As champion Apollo Creed, Carl Weathers gives makes a great opponent and through his cocksure attitude, he becomes a memorable fixture of this great series!

Winner of three Oscar in 1976 (including Best Picture) Rocky still packs as bigger punch today as it did 37 years ago and captures a raw feeling that its sequels were unable to capture and through this has become a textbook example for any underdog story! If you haven’t yet seen this film, then better make up for lost time because you will never see a better Stallone film than this- word of warning though, best not start punching meat carcasses afterward because it may well hurt!

Taking Flight: Review of Man of Steel

Another reboot of Superman has been on the cards for sometime, but after Bryan Singer’s faithful but horribly cliqued Superman Returns back in 2006, fans were left slightly empty inside and his discovery, Brandon Routh has since fallen victim to the contagious disease known as ‘The Curse of Superman’. But when it was announced that Watchmen director, Zack Synder would take over helm of the man in the red cape, people began to believe order may yet be restored- and when Christopher Nolan came on board as producer, smiles grew even wider! But will the new addition Man of Steel live up to expectations? Or will Superman come crashing to earth yet again?

With the planet Krypton facing destruction during a coup by military leader General Zod (Michael Shannon), scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) chooses to send his son Kal-El, Krypton’s first natural-born child in centuries into space so he may bring hope to another planet. When his shuttle lands on earth, the baby is adopted by Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane). But as a boy the now named Clark struggles to keep his identity hidden, but when Zod emerges from exile 33 years later threatening earth it has become time for the adult Clark (Henry Cavill) to embrace his true calling and with the help of reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) save the human race!

To all die-hard Superman fans, I am happy to inform you that Man of Steel will make a fine addition into the Superman family and thankfully under the direction of Zack Synder this picture doesn’t aim to emulate the old Christopher Reeves films and instead sheds it skin and becomes its own film altogether. Here we see the a truly conflicted Clark who from a very young age is aware that he possesses a very ‘special’ set of skills but is told by daddy Jonathan to keep his anger in check and his real self hidden, no matter how many bullies push his buttons!  The clumsy and stumbling Kent that Reeve brought us so memorable is now a distant memory and the film is all the better for it and Synder has cleverly taken a leaf from Nolan’s book and allowed a legendary figure to grow into himself.

But it’s not just Kal-El that is changing colours, we also get to see a far more sassy Lois Lane who thanks to a great script by David S Goyer ditches the damsel in distress act and becomes a far tougher and resourceful lady. Zod as well is more formidable opponent and doesn’t need to resort to the hamminess that Terrence Stamp brought to the role and here the General knows for a fact that is stronger and cleverer than the humans he is facing- but he doesn’t need to convince people because the big ships he has would scare anyone! Also the father figures in Superman’s life are ones that make a significant difference as Jor-El lovingly tells him to give humanity a chance and become their saviour and Jonathan Kent teaches him that he has to choose a path in life and either choose to become his own man or forever hide in the shadows.

From the very beginning Man of Steel personifies a big movie experience and the production money has been worth the hefty budget and as we open on the downfall of Krypton, our eyes gaze in amazement as we see Zod bring a planet crashing down! But this moment isn’t the only huge battle you will witness as later we witness not one but two epic battles as Superman finally unleases his long repressed fury upon earth’s tormentors and brings many building crashing down as a result. Synder’s artistic flare for battle was hinted at during his movie 300, but here he gets to show what he can do with the right tools and although the finale is about  half an hour too long, it makes for tremendous viewing as Supes tries in vain to stop Zod’s runaway train of destruction.

As the infamous flying man, British actor Henry Cavill soars as Kal-El and after missing out on Bond and Batman, Cavill makes the most of the role of a lifetime and brings a great strength and humility to role and easily surpasses the efforts of Routh previously and has proven to be perfect casting! He is also given superb support by the ever consistent Amy Adams who bring across a less quirky Lois and instead gives a steely reporter who simply wants to save her job!

As Zod, Michael Shannon brings a great intensity to the screen and makes a solid case for villain of the summer- as we learned in The Iceman earlier this week, we have a new fascinating actor on our hands. In their brief roles, Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner are both incredibly touching as Superman’s father and leave a lasting impact throughout with their limited screen time.

Where Bryan Singer failed, Zack Synder has excelled and as a result has not brought us the best Superman in a long time but a candidate for the most entertaining film this summer. Man of Steel will be flying high in my end of year films, welcome back Kal-El we missed you!

Let The Bodies Hit The Floor: Review of The Iceman

The Iceman

Director: Ariel Vromen

By Alex Watson

 

Michael Shannon’s rise is continuously on the rise and he has now gone from being a familiar face in big movies to a having a presence that makes people want to stand up and pay attention, after his brilliant Oscar nominated turn in Revolutionary Road and his mesmerising role as overtly religious Prohibition agent Nelson Van Alden in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Shannon seems to have finally arrived! His next role is one which has big promise for him as notorious hit man Richard Kuklinski in Ariel Vromen’s, The Iceman. With his impressive hardened stare, this promises to be a role that could mean great things.

The film tells the tale of New Jersey hit man Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon), a man with a gruesome past who while employed by Roy DeMeo (Ray Liotta) of the New Jersey mafia murdered over 100 to 250 people over several decades! But as the years go on he struggles to keep his work and his life apart from his wife Deborah (Winona Ryder) and eventually lines will be crossed and will lead to his downfall.

The Iceman is a film that has great potential and if handled correctly it could well have been one of the most thrilling biographic films this years, but unfortunately it doesn’t realise the potential that it has and because of it the film never quite fires on all cylinders and we come away never really knowing Kuklinski like we should. Vromen sets things up nicely in the opening scene as we see a shy young man having coffee with the woman who will become his wife and it gives him a likeable quality- but when his dark side is released it makes proceedings all the more shocking!

Bizarrely his criminal life fails to hold the main interest throughout this film and even though we see him ‘wacking’ people at will through variously bloody and violent acts, the stand out being killing James Franco’s lowlife as he prays for God to help him, as the bullets make a hole, Kuklinski’s coolly states “I guess God’s busy now!” but aside from this, there is little to add in this overly familiar gangland drama and Vromen seems intent on simply providing a body count rather than anything of intrigue.

With Kuklinski, we are crying out for some digging into this back-story but we only get the faintest glimpse of what could have planted such a bad seed through a scene stealing cameo from Steven Dorff as his jailbird brother who recounts some sinful acts that took place when they were young cubs.

Kuklinski’s home life is where The Iceman really succeeds and as he plays the dual role of dutiful husband and cold blooded killers, the suspense at times becomes unbearable as Deborah is repeatedly suspicious of her husband’s ‘currency exchange’ job and secretly wonders where the money is coming from- particularly when mob men haul Richard out the house on his daughter’s birthday!

But the real anchor of the film comes from Michael Shannon’s standout performance as man monster Richard Kuklinski and he through his sheer force he dominates the movie! But the movie doesn’t seem able to match Shannon and seems content to fall back on his great acting, with his upcoming role as General Zod in Man of Steel; it appears that Hollywood has found a new actor could well provide something truly special in the future!

But even though Winona Ryder does her best and gives a nice supporting role as his long suffering wife Deborah, this is very much Shannon’s show and even with decent cameo’s from Chris Evans, Ray Liotta and most surprisingly David Schwimmer as moustached mafia man, no one comes close!

The Iceman is a great showcase for the talents of Michael Shannon but with its subject it doesn’t go quite deep enough and leaves us with a rather vague portrait of a man whose killing figures still haven’t been fully confirmed! This could well have been one of the tensest and slicker thrillers of recent months but sadly its lack of directorial punch by Vromen gives this a limp after taste. But with its leading man, it is clear that we have a powerful new star for the future and possibly one of Superman’s hardest adversaries- Watch your back Kal-EL!

We Are Family: Review of Ordinary People

Classic from the Vault

Ordinary People (1980)

Director: Robert Redford

By Alex Watson

 

Family dramas are a type of movie that is always emotionally stirring and always seem to find a way to stick our minds afterwards. In the midst of the problems unfolding we yearn for them to find a solution to their issues and live together harmoniously- but in real life so problems cannot be fixed so easily and 1980 screen legend Robert Redford brought us a prominent example of a family drowning in the aftermath of a horrible tragedy in his Oscar winning, Ordinary People.

Parents Calvin (Donald Sutherland) and Beth Jarrett (Mary Tyler Moore) are attempting to live a normal life after the drowning of their beloved son Buck in a boat accident, Conrad their youngest son has just been released for a mental health facility after attempting suicide due the guilt he felt having survived the accident! Beth is desperate for the family to appear normal, but is cold and distant towards Conrad due loving his brother more and Conrad struggles to integrate himself back into normal teenage life. With mother and son constantly at war, Calvin has trouble holding the family together!

Winner of four Oscars, though largely overshadowed for beating Scorsese’s Raging Bull, this movie is one of the most under-rated films of the 1980’s and is aided by some excellent direction by Redford who gives us a powerful example of a family striving to be regular but unable to shake the ghosts of the past. The spirit of Buck surrounds the Jarrett household, with differing effects on everyone and it is clear from the very beginning that Beth clearly favoured him (she had only wanted one child originally) and because of this she cannot give Conrad the love and support he needs to survive.

The family conflict takes centre stage in Ordinary People and this largely down to the excellent script by veteran writer Alvin Sargent. Conrad’s difficulty readjusting is the poignant example. This young man is haunted by not being able to save Buck and he knows his overtly repressed mother holds this against him, which leads to several heated arguments. This is best demonstrated when Beth refuses to take a picture with him at Christmas- cue voices raised and insults thrown!

Through his therapy sessions with Dr Burger (Judd Hirsch) we begin to see a window into the troubles he holds inside. But it takes a major breakthrough in the films third act when Conrad painfully recollects the tragic incident, tears will fall in buckets but it proves a vital moment as he is finally able to shed the past and learn to live again.

Beth’s story is one that would normal be off putting in any normal drama, but through her icy chill is a woman suffering great pain. She desires everything to appear as usual to the untrained eye, but her inability to love Conrad leads to many problematic issues, but in one angry outburst to Calvin we get a glimpse of just how deep her problems go when after he calls her out on her attitude to her only living son she yells “Why can’t you see it from my side… What kind of mother doesn’t love her son?”

As mother and son battle continuously, Calvin is caught in the middle and as the movie progresses he beings to crack under the strain from the fight. When mother and son do battle, Calvin seems to try and referee the bout due to his fear that one will get pushed over the edge! Eventually he able to bond with his son, but begins to question the love he has for his wife, or the love she is capable of having for others?

The performances in Ordinary People are straight from the top draw with Timothy Hutton’s excellent Oscar winning performance being the most impressive. Hutton is able to convey a man who is lost in self loathing because of the accident and has to learn to like himself again before it is all too late! Although Hutton has remained on the Hollywood scene these last years, his later roles haven’t matched Conrad in terms of depth and emotional prowess!

Mary Tyler Moore is also equally strong as Beth and is able to give a profound illustration of a woman whose heart is closed, normally the villain of the piece, Moore is able to give Beth a thinly veiled humanity and in one rare moment of feeling we sympathize with her struggle. Donald Sutherland has proven himself one of the most consistent actors of his generation and here he reminds what a good leading man he was back in the day and is able to make Calvin stand out as the voice of reason throughout!

Ordinary People is one of the films that people the Academy got wrong all those years ago, yes it was cruel to deny Marty & Bobby a deserve Oscar, but this movie is one that truly deserved its accolades and stands as one the most moving films ever made and a shows movie audiences that there aren’t always happy endings to family issues!

 

Vampire Blues: Review of Byzantium

Byzantium

Director: Neil Jordan

By Alex Watson

 

Vampire films these days have been met with a slight distain ever since the Twilight Saga introduced ‘shiny’ vamps to the world and of course lest we forget last year’s horror show that was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter where apparently the civil war was cooked up to stop the fanged fiends for running the country! But hope has arrived this year in the vein of Neil Jordan who garnered significant acclaim for his excellent adaptation of Anne Rice’s The Interview with a Vampire and this year he returns to vampire territory with his tale of a mother and daughter on the run from higher powers in Byzantium.

Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) and her mother Clara (Gemma Arterton) are both vampires who have spent centuries on the run for a sacred brotherhood of vampires led by Darvell (Sam Riley). After they are forced to flee their latest home, the pair reaches a rundown seaside town. Whilst there Clara meets weak and love struck Noel (Daniel Mays) and she convinces him to allow her to turn his fading guest house Byzantium into a brothel. But all the while, the brotherhood is in hot pursuit wanting justice for a crime committed centuries back!

Byzantium is one of the darker Vampire efforts than we have become accustomed to and this serves the film very well and makes for a welcome return to the blood sucking genre for Neil Jordan. But interestingly unlike its predecessors, Jordan stays faith to Moira Buffini’s original play and gives fangless vampires and instead of necks being bitten, in this film we have a mystical island with a stone hut where the ones who wish to live forever enter- as they turn we see a waterfall turn the colour claret! These little touches give a new lease of life for the vampire genre.

The centre story of mother and child is one that is instantly engaging, in a beginning narration we hear Eleanor once again written out her story, which she will then have to scatter to the wind as no one can hear it! Being the daughter of a wild and carefree vampire causes its problems (particularly as mother tends to behead unwelcome corners) and she strives for a normal life. As she enters a relationship with a sickly teen Frank (Caleb Landry Jones) Eleanor yearns to tell the story she has constantly wrote down, but knows the problems that will occur if she does!

Their reasons for being so constantly on the run are initially unclear but Jordan allows the pairs back story to unravel slowly, as we learn their tale of Clara coming across Darvell in human form and not long after, being forced into child prostitution by seedy Naval Captain (Jonny Lee Miller) and her daughter being born as a result.  Clara’s turning to eternal life to rid her of a certain death in olden times poses a serious problem for the brotherhood, who strictly forbid women full stop- because of this, turning her daughter into a blood sucker will have dangerous consequences across the centuries!

Saoirse Ronan proves again that is one of the more exciting young talents of today with an appealing yet fragile turn in Byzantium as Eleanor. Ronan is able to convey a good sense of world weariness along with a girl who yearns desperately to be normal but knows she will never be able to fall into this category. Gemma Arterton also rings a fine performance as Clara; her seductive and free spirited performance is a great personification of the woman frozen in time but who has chosen to make the ultimate sacrifice for her daughter.

Disappointingly the talented Sam Riley is slightly underused as ancient vampire Darvell, his presence is one that is slick but always has a hint of peril surrounding it, although his back story makes for interesting viewing, more of his inclusion could have added to the films menace.

Byzantium is a solid effort by Neil Jordan and although it may not make critics top 10 lists later in the year, it will definitely serve as one of the better vampire films of this year and will give hope to all lovers of this genre! Be sure to remember if you ever become a Vamp in the future; don’t tick any brotherhoods off because it will mean a lot of wasted money on flat rentals!