Four (2011)

I have to say I knew nothing at all about this film when I hit the play button. I had been intrigued by the write-up in the TV guide and that was enough to whet my appetite. A very staged drama, it soon grabbed my attention but I canâ(TM)t say I was exactly gripped all the way through. I will tell you more after this extremely brief summary.

When a jealous husband discovers his wife is having an affair, he hires an unscrupulous private detective to find the lover. This man is kidnapped and taken to an abandoned factory so the husband can have a few choice words. On arrival the detective tells him he has taken the liberty of also kidnapping his wife so he might encourage her to see the error of her ways also. They are held in separate parts of the building, tied to chairs with bags over their heads. The husband starts with the lover⦠but thereâ(TM)s a twist in the tale. I really donâ(TM)t want to give any more away and so Iâ(TM)ll leave it there.

A film that very much relies on the performances to provide the impact; and I must say theyâ(TM)re all pretty good. So Iâ(TM)ll give honourable mentions to; Martin Compston as the lover, Craig Conway as the husband, Sean Pertwee (yes he is the son of former Dr. Who Jon Pertwee) as the detective and Kierston Wareing as the wife.

Plenty of twists and turns in this very wordy plot; but not one that will leave you gasping trying to figure out. Itâ(TM)s all pretty straight forward once certain revelations are made. After a nice beginning I felt it lost a bit of momentum over the middle third, but picked up again towards the end. Admittedly itâ(TM)s not an original theme but I thought it was quite nicely done, if a little weak here and there. There is some very robust language so please be aware of this. Over all, pretty well made with some nice performances but it does suffer a little towards the middle.

SteelMonsterâ(TM)s verdict: RECOMMENDED (Just)⦠Could have been betterâ¦

My score: 5.7/10