Tyrannosaur Reviews
May 17, 2013
Two thumbs up.Shocking and Emotionally Disturbing Movie.Path breaking !!!
May 10, 2013
Tyrannosaur is the story of two people who have become enraged by the actions of their sexual relationships and turn to drastic action which includes violent and sexual abuse. This film is very depressing although it dresses a very serious issue and is the best paddy considine film I've seen !
May 3, 2013
The movie follows Joseph (Peter Mullan), a man with serious problems about alcohol and rage. One day, on the run after starting a fight in a bar, Joseph ducks into a shop run by a kindly Christian woman named Hannah (Olivia Colman), and they begin a very tentative sort of friendship. If that premise sounds potentially sentimental, I assure you it's not - Hannah doesn't work any miraculous changes in Joseph, and indeed it turns out that she has very serious problems of her own. The movie is basically a catalog of pain.
This is one of those movies that leans very heavily on its actors, and luckily they're both extremely good. Mullan is utterly convincing as Joseph - we see the constant rage, but Mullan makes Joseph human and somehow sympathetic anyway. Olivia Colman here is, to use a cliche, a revelation. I had seen her before on a couple of goofy British comedy TV shows - That Mitchell and Webb Look and Peep Show - and had no idea she had this kind of performance in her. It's a complete 180 from her previous work, and shows she has depths I had never imagined. Eddie Marsan, whom you might know as Lestrade from Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies, also appears as Hannah's vile, abusive husband. This is the type of role an actor takes when he doesn't care about his image. We never get much insight into that character, but then again we don't really want to.
At times, the movie might veer a little close to the Precious problem of just throwing too many horrors and catastrophes at its characters, but I think it ultimately dodges that. The look of the film is consistently gray and dour, reflecting both the English weather and the characters' constant depression. It was the first film written and directed by the actor Paddy Considine, but it feels very confident in its approach. If you go to movies only for escapism, then avoid this one; but if you like this sort of hard-hitting, hard-to-watch drama, then I recommend it.
This is one of the least fun movies you will ever see, but it is very good. It belongs to the particular subgenre of British cinema known as "kitchen sink drama": gritty, unglamorous portraits of the lives and problems of working-class Brits. I haven't seen as many of these movies as I would like to, but this one is surely among the grittiest and least glamorous of the bunch. There's not much to smile about here, but the movie works quite well, I think.
The movie follows Joseph (Peter Mullan), a man with serious problems about alcohol and rage. One day, on the run after starting a fight in a bar, Joseph ducks into a shop run by a kindly Christian woman named Hannah (Olivia Colman), and they begin a very tentative sort of friendship. If that premise sounds potentially sentimental, I assure you it's not - Hannah doesn't work any miraculous changes in Joseph, and indeed it turns out that she has very serious problems of her own. The movie is basically a catalog of pain.
This is one of those movies that leans very heavily on its actors, and luckily they're both extremely good. Mullan is utterly convincing as Joseph - we see the constant rage, but Mullan makes Joseph human and somehow sympathetic anyway. Olivia Colman here is, to use a cliche, a revelation. I had seen her before on a couple of goofy British comedy TV shows - That Mitchell and Webb Look and Peep Show - and had no idea she had this kind of performance in her. It's a complete 180 from her previous work, and shows she has depths I had never imagined. Eddie Marsan, whom you might know as Lestrade from Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies, also appears as Hannah's vile, abusive husband. This is the type of role an actor takes when he doesn't care about his image. We never get much insight into that character, but then again we don't really want to.
At times, the movie might veer a little close to the Precious problem of just throwing too many horrors and catastrophes at its characters, but I think it ultimately dodges that. The look of the film is consistently gray and dour, reflecting both the English weather and the characters' constant depression. It was the first film written and directed by the actor Paddy Considine, but it feels very confident in its approach. If you go to movies only for escapism, then avoid this one; but if you like this sort of hard-hitting, hard-to-watch drama, then I recommend it.
March 19, 2013
Gritty filmmaking at its finest. This foreign indie film is dark, dark, dark... If you're a fan of dark indie films I highly suggest this one. Brilliant performances out of the leads and 90 minutes that escapes -- leaving you wanting more. This fantastic film shows the extreme depth of one man's pain and does so seamlessly with ease. Stick with a hero through the first 20 minutes and I assure you you will not be disappointed. 8.5/10.
Louis R
Super Reviewer
February 26, 2013
A devastating, emotionally exhausting film, directed and acted with such humour, sadness, and terrible beauty. A really unforgettable film. Paddy Considine is fantastic.
March 23, 2013
Hard to watch sometimes, but important. Man up for this important lesson about fragility and strength. It means a lot
March 14, 2013
I hated this movie, I didn't get a message and all you see is the lost life of the suburbs, in London but it could be everywhere, with people knowing just violence and pain, but doing anything to change. The cast is great, but the story is terrible, there's no redention, no hope, it's really dark. And absolutely not educating or something like it. Makes me really angry, nothing more.
March 11, 2013
how peter mullan and olivia coleman didn't win the oscars for best performance of all time is beyond me. not the feelgood film of the year but a truly remarkable debut from paddy considine.
March 5, 2013
One giving comfort actually gets comforted. Two very desolate beings come through their hardships with each other's hands. Beautiful. Amazing acting from two leads. Although the movie is set in such dark and gloomy tone throughout, hope peeks at the end which makes the movie beautiful. Like I recently discussed with a friend of mine, you cannot tell what one must go through just by looking on the surface. It seems almost everyone seems to have suffering and pain in one form or another.
March 1, 2013
The script seemed a little extreme and heavy handed for my taste but this is a pretty effective indie film. The performances by Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman are outstanding. "Tyrannosaur" is not an easy film to watch. Peter Mullan's character struggles with drinking and violence. He meets a woman that is perceived as a "goody two shoes" Christian but each character learns unsettling things about the other. Some scenes of real power captivate the audience. Overall, the depressing storyline just seemed like too much.
February 22, 2013
This is tough viewing, putting it mildly. In the tradition of Mike Leigh Paddy Considine, a fine actor himself, has written and directed a brutal, harrowing film about broken people and tough lives. Peter Mullan is superb as the rage filled Joseph, a man with a sad history who strikes out at everything around him. He somehow forms a bond with Hannah who is perhaps even more broken, This is powerful cinema with sadness and failure strewn through out. It is impressive if hard to watch at times.
February 20, 2013
It's really bloody grim up north! A great directorial debut by Paddy Considine (parallels with Gary Oldman's 'Nil By Mouth'?), with top notch solid acting all round. But, Peter Mullan & Olivia Colman are particularly excellent, and as hard to watch as it is at times, you cannot take your eyes away from their amazingly compelling performances.
AndysFilms
February 17, 2013
Joseph (Peter Mullan) is an older man who has some issues; mainly connected with anger. One day after a run-in with a group of youths in a bar, he seeks refuge in a charity shop run by Hannah (Olivia Colman). She is a Christian and takes pity on this troubled man. They go their separate ways but he comes back the next day after he has been beaten up by some youths (maybe the same lot from the bar). Eventually an unlikely friendship forms between them. Hannah is in a loveless marriage to James (Eddie Marsan); who is abusive to her in ways you cannot imagine. But she persists in keeping the marriage going. That is until one night he goes too far and she finds the only person she can turn to is Joseph... But can he help her?
I first have to say that the performances are all quite stunning; particularly Olivia Colman. She takes a very measured approach to the role and it comes off perfectly. Peter Mullan was also excellent as Joseph; a great piece of casting as I felt he was ideal for the role. Eddie Marsan plays the abusive and somewhat creepy husband just right and I have to also give a mention to the young actor Samuel Bottomley, who plays a local boy who Joseph looks out for. I'm sure this young man will have a great future. This is a film that is all about the performances; there are no special effects or fancy camera trickery; it lives or dies on the performances and I have to say (for me at least) it worked to a tee! One of the criteria I use when deciding whether I like a film or not, is the emotional response it generates. And I can honestly say with this one it was all positive. Don't get me wrong, you are taken all around the houses on the way there, but to end it they way they did I though was just perfect!
SteelMonster's verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
My score: 9.6/10
You will usually find the scores I give to movies are pretty close to those shown on the various web sites I choose to frequent. This tells you that, in general, I'm pretty much in step with public opinion in many cases. However, you occasionally find a film where my opinion differs quite widely from the public; and this is one of those rare occasions. I will explain why after this very brief summary.
Joseph (Peter Mullan) is an older man who has some issues; mainly connected with anger. One day after a run-in with a group of youths in a bar, he seeks refuge in a charity shop run by Hannah (Olivia Colman). She is a Christian and takes pity on this troubled man. They go their separate ways but he comes back the next day after he has been beaten up by some youths (maybe the same lot from the bar). Eventually an unlikely friendship forms between them. Hannah is in a loveless marriage to James (Eddie Marsan); who is abusive to her in ways you cannot imagine. But she persists in keeping the marriage going. That is until one night he goes too far and she finds the only person she can turn to is Joseph... But can he help her?
I first have to say that the performances are all quite stunning; particularly Olivia Colman. She takes a very measured approach to the role and it comes off perfectly. Peter Mullan was also excellent as Joseph; a great piece of casting as I felt he was ideal for the role. Eddie Marsan plays the abusive and somewhat creepy husband just right and I have to also give a mention to the young actor Samuel Bottomley, who plays a local boy who Joseph looks out for. I'm sure this young man will have a great future. This is a film that is all about the performances; there are no special effects or fancy camera trickery; it lives or dies on the performances and I have to say (for me at least) it worked to a tee! One of the criteria I use when deciding whether I like a film or not, is the emotional response it generates. And I can honestly say with this one it was all positive. Don't get me wrong, you are taken all around the houses on the way there, but to end it they way they did I though was just perfect!
SteelMonster's verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
My score: 9.6/10
February 14, 2013
Beautifully shot, riveting acting & very moving material - an incredible piece of work worth seeing, but be warned - it's real life & not pretty.
February 10, 2013
Good film, one of them ones that sorta make you think about human nature and how fucked up it is. No! it's not about dinosaurs.
February 7, 2013
Pretentious and dull. Tries too hard to be gritty but just ends up unoriginal and boring.
