{"id":13380,"date":"2011-11-06T00:59:36","date_gmt":"2011-11-06T00:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/?p=13380"},"modified":"2011-11-06T00:59:36","modified_gmt":"2011-11-06T00:59:36","slug":"tyrannosaur-reviews-considine-mullan-colman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/2011\/11\/06\/tyrannosaur-reviews-considine-mullan-colman\/","title":{"rendered":"Tyrannosaur"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A stunning directorial debut from actor Paddy Considine features some of the best acting you’ll see all year.<\/p>\n

It explores what happens when an angry widower (Peter Mullan<\/a>) stikes up a relationship with a Christian charity worker (Olivia Colman<\/a>), who is married to a stern husband (Eddie Marsan<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Expanded from Considine’s 2007 short Dog Altogether<\/a>, on the surface this may seem like another British exercise in urban misery.<\/p>\n

But this is a film that manages to rise above expectations and is one of the most impressive dramas in recent years.<\/p>\n

A brutal opening scene sets the mood that this isn’t going to be a barrel of laughs, but it blends its darker elements with an impressive sense of place and time.<\/p>\n

Shot on location in Leeds with a piercing but humane eye for the murkier details of urban Britain, it presents a riveting tale of violence and redemption.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Part of its raw power is down to the astonishing performances, which rank amongst the best you’ll see this year.<\/p>\n

Mullan has his best part since My Name is Joe<\/a> (1998), channeling the rage and regret of his character with an honest conviction that is extraordinary to watch.<\/p>\n

Olivia Colman makes for a compelling foil, managing to create that rarest of things on screen – a genuinely good, selfless person.<\/p>\n

It is an astonishing performance filled emotion and nuance that ranks amongst the best given by any actress in years.<\/p>\n

The chemistry between them is something to behold and the development of their relationship is as convincing as it is surprising.<\/p>\n

Marsan has less screen time but still manages to create a completely chilling character, made scarier because he is as plausible as he is malevolent.<\/p>\n

Like The Interrupters – another outstanding film out this year – it presents violence as a disease that spreads and infects people from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

Touching upon issues of class, it is a distressing film to watch in places but an intenseley rewarding one, building up to a climax which is richly earned.<\/p>\n

Considine previously starred in Jim Sheridan’s In America<\/a> (2002) and had supporting roles in Cinderella Man<\/a> (2005) and The Bourne Ultimatum<\/a> (2007), but this is an extraordinarily assured directorial debut.<\/p>\n

Not only are the dynamics between the characters handled with compassion and subtlety, but he doesn’t shy away from the harshness of the violence, which is never\u00a0gratuitous\u00a0but deeply affecting.<\/p>\n

The understated score by Chris Baldwin and Dan Baker, featuring heavy use of acoustic guitars, provides an effective contrast to the bouts of violence which occasionaly erupt.<\/p>\n

Cinematographer Erik Alexander Wilson presents the action with deceptively simple lighting which feels wholly appropriate for the subject matter.<\/p>\n

In between the darker scenes, there is an uplifting humanity to the film which is down to a combination of sharp writing and the emotion the actors bring to their roles.<\/p>\n