The following are all available from most on-demand services, e.g. Amazon Video, Talk Talk TV, and Sky Store:
City of Tiny Lights
>It is good to see a modern day private eye movie. A staple up to the 50s, revived in the 70s but almost non existent now, this has most of the elements required. A familiar premise – a call girl goes missing and Riz Ahmed’s Tommy is hired to find her – which turns into a convoluted plot, a lonely hard drinking investigator, constant smoking and a potential femme fatale.
This is very atmospheric stuff and the seductive but sleazy underbelly of a grimy London is captured well by director Pete Travis and cinematographer Felix Wiedemann for that, There are some nice modern touches added to the story, for example bringing in the immigration issue, but it does flag towards the end, with the reveal of the villain very obvious.
I enjoyed Ahmed in the lead role as he captures the appropriate world weariness despite the character’s relative youth. Billie Piper is billed as the female lead, Shelley who is Tommy’s love interest but she has little to do. Hannah Rae who plays her in flashback scenes has more screen time and gives a really promising performance.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Life
A crew of a space station discover an alien life form. It appears to be primitive and they seem to have successfully contained it, until it starts to grow and begins to pose a danger to all of them.
It is easy to deride this film. It is very derivative and I’m sure the science (not my strong point) doesn’t add up. But, it is refreshingly unpretentious, unlike Alien Covenant, and it the look, including the set design, is great.
Jake Gyllenhall and Rebecca Ferguson are the stand out performers, and the ending is very pleasing.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Free Fire
I still look forward to the release of a new Ben Wheatley film, even though he has had as many misses as hits as far as I am concerned. This does not reach the heights of Kill List or Sightseers, but it is far from a failure. In the 1970s, a gun deal in America involving the IRA and a South African arms trader goes badly wrong and a shoot out ensues. Set almost entirely in the empty warehouse where the deal is going down, most of the film is a fun gunfight, with some witty dialogue.
One of the most interesting things about the film is the use of a single setting, but that does mean that Wheatley struggles to maintain the story, and it does become a little repetitive towards the end. The performances of Cillian Murphy, Michael Smiley and Brie Larson help to maintain the interest though, and 2 performers who I do not usually appreciate – Arnie Hammer and Sharlto Copley – also do good work.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10