l_rawjalaurence Set in a mundane suburban area of Kent, DOWN TERRACE is the blackest of black comedies involving a family headed by Bill (Robin Hill) who in collaboration with his son Karl (Robin Hill) tries to discover the identity of an informant who shopped them to the police and thereby confined them to prison. There are several suspects among their intimate group, notably Eric (David Schaal), Garvey (Tony Way), and Councillor Berman (Mark Garvey). Meanwhile Eric and his wife Maggie (Julia Deakin) object to Karl's continuing relationship with Valda (Kerry Peacock).Ably performed in semi-improvised style by a first-rate cast, Ben Wheatley's film emphasizes the culture of mistrust that permeates this so-called close network of criminals. Although professing loyalty to one another through frequent hugs and epithets ("You know I love you"), it's clear that no one really can rely on anyone else to be truthful either in their behavior or their responses to one another. This is a dog-eat-dog community in which only the fittest can survive. There are some gory moments in the film, but they are handled with such panache that we understand Wheatley"s purpose in including them - in a world where 'good' and 'evil' no longer exist, every behavioral move can be seen as absurd, even comic.Tautly filmed with an astute use of close-up, pans and two-shots in tight spaces, DOWN TERRACE is a low (or perhaps) no-budget piece of work that nonetheless confirms the director's mastery of cinematic form. Highly recommended.

FlashCallahan After serving jail time for a mysterious crime, Bill and Karl get out of jail and become preoccupied with figuring out who turned them in to the police. On top of that, the family business is on the rocks, and the crew of criminals who operate out of the house aren't feeling terribly trusting of one another. It might look like an ordinary house, but the walls are closing in...All directors had to start somewhere, and although there are flashes of genius that were to come, it all feels very amateur and a little hard to swallow. I was expecting some funny banter between the cast, and whilst it has it very now and again, its not enough to keep you from losing interest.The cast are good, and there are some funny moments, especially when Karl is looking for some letters, but the way its filmed just feels too claustrophobic, and if this was Wheatleys I tension, he's overdone it a little.Compared to the likes of Kill List, Sightseers, and A Field In England, its not good, but it has the Wheatley magic in there for you to enjoy the flashes of genius, but there are just too many flaws.

justincward I really enjoyed the microbudget Down Terrace - it's the story of a Brighton (English seaside town) gangster family in the style of The Sopranos, where suburban gang soldiers can expect no mercy from anyone, even in the middle of a bowl of muesli. In the end they're all in various degrees of psychosis - the logical conclusion being that the characters have to kill or be killed. And kill they do, getting through miles of polythene sheeting in the process.The plot, such as it is, is that the family who run the crime ring (which we never really learn about) suspect that they've got an informer, and over two weeks the operation falls apart bigtime as the paranoia escalates.It's carried on in a Mike Leigh impro style, and some of the acting and dialogue might have done with a bit more direction and editing, but that must be a consequence of the small budget. The unfamiliar cast get right under the skins of their characters - I used to know exactly the sort of hippy drug dealer that would have turned into Bill, the folk-and-blues singing father who thinks he's Chinese philosopher (Art of War) Sun Tzu.Down Terrace is surely best watched on a small screen. On the big screen the claustrophobia of the small terraced house would be overpowering, and in order to tolerate this tale of family dysfunction, wholesale murder and psychosis you need to be able to detect the black, black humour running through it.There are some great touches throughout, if you watch it without trying to make too much sense of the plot; it's the sort of film that inspires you to make your own low budget thriler, and that can't be bad.

yeodawg This is the reason I watch British films. Its not for the pomp and circumstance and hither thee will and stuff. It's because the dialogue and characters are as rich as a velvet cake. From the opening scene I was engaged and entertained. Half the dialog in this movie doesn't push the story along just flushes out the character's more. The main characters just got out of jail and are desperately trying to figure out who turned them in. And by "desperately" I mean complaining about the quality of the welcome home cake. For being gangster they really never do anything gangsterish. No deals, no dealing with the police, no rival gangsters. Some brief repartee, some tit for tat then the next thing you know, …..They just start killing everybody for every reason, none that have to do with the upcoming court case and snitching.