DVD Review of
'Four' starring Sean Pertwee and Martin Compston
by Holly Freeman, Brit Flicks (link below)
A film with only four
characters set entirely in a warehouse; the components for either something
entirely brilliant and insightful or something atrocious. Unfortunately, Four
is the latter, it fails on every count lacking: an interesting plot, a solid script,
aesthetic prowess or excellent acting.
Primarily, Four is
boring. The plot encompasses an angry man who wants to avenge himself on his
wife’s lover by physically abusing him in a warehouse having employed a
detective to kidnap the man for him. Then a few entirely uninspired plot twists
and continuity errors later, a few people die and the film ends. Sadly, the
script didn’t rescue the film as one sentence could take up to five minutes to
deliver as it was so heavily laced with swearwords in a style reminiscent of an
eighties cop film or a tackier EastEnders.
Also, embarrassingly, a point that is heavily emphasised and laboured at
the beginning of the film is entirely forgotten and contradicted at the end in
an equally overt manner.
Sean Pertwee as the
Detective is one of the few redeeming features of the film. His performance is arrogant and seedy enough
to make the two-dimensional character of the Detective stand up, this combined
with his excellent estuary vowels provide a refreshing relief from the clumsy
performance of Craig Conway. Initially, it seemed that perhaps Conway was
struggling in his role as the angry husband because the angry husband was
struggling, but as the film progresses it became clear that Conway did not have
the ability to save his ridiculous character. Nor does he know how to punch.
Martin Compston as the lover was adequate; his performance maintained a
consistent standard despite the inconsistency of his character. As with Sean
Pertwee, Kierston Wareing makes the most of her role as the wife. Chilling and
vicious, Wareing almost salvages some emotionally charged scenes over a
cigarette lighter. The acid-tongued verbal jousting with an illuminating
metaphorical subtext meant...oh no, wait; it’s just a lot of swearing and snarling
because they both want a cigarette. However, Wareing’s snarling enhanced the
visual element to the film as it lent atmosphere. Her proficiency in the role
also slightly lifted Compston’s clunky conduct.
It is possible to see
the aspiration behind this film, as it attempts to challenge the typical trope
of a hooded enemy, but the failure to create anything remotely compelling or
realistic, means that unfortunately; Four was poor.
1/5 Stars
Four is available on DVD
from May 7th 2012
Source: Brit Flicks
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