Every so often we get a film into the office that really surprises us. Underground is certainly one of them. A UK low budget martial arts flick that really pushes the definition of what you can expect from a limited budget.

12 fighters compete in a series of bare-knuckle brawls for a £500,000 cash prize. Backed by 6 dubious characters, the film dispenses with the formalities and cuts right to the heart of the story, the fights!

The writing’s tight, the acting is more than adequate and the hand-to-hand fights are easily the best we’ve seen since The Bourne Supremacy. In fact, we guarantee you you’ll be wincing with every punch and smiling with the sheer inventiveness of each fight.

Not being familiar with the fight scene in general, the names of the actors meant nothing to me. Mark Strange, Nathan Lewis etc, I didn’t have a clue who they were (sorry chaps!). But that actually added to the enjoyment of guessing which characters were going to make it to the final. You’ll have loads of fun playing along with the crowd, wondering who is going to get knocked out.

A few well known faces turn up round the board room table, Cat from Red Dwarf, that guy from the second series of Minder and even Dr Legg from Eastenders! If there is a failing in the film, it’s these sections; they feel slightly stilted yet still manage to link the ever-engaging fights together quite well. You get the feeling the director, Chee Keong Cheung, knows this and wisely keeps the wordy talking bits to a minimum. But fear not, we’re never too far away from another round of fisty cuffs!

In tone and content it’s not a million miles away from the great French film 13 Tzameti, which is certainly no bad thing as far as we’re concerned.

Special mention must go to Mark Strange for bringing an unexpected emotional depth to his part as The Homeless. A down on his luck father, who takes part in the contest to provide a better life for his daughter. The emotion he brings to the role cements the film with an air of reality, that would otherwise be lacking. Surely a name to watch out for in the future.

So to some up, Underground does exactly what it says on the tin! A great looking film that’s perfect for those with an interest in the sport, or those who just like a good old fashioned and inventive fight film. Looking for brutal and bloody film for a boy’s night in? You could do a lot worse that checking this out.

Now, I missed this one at the cinema myself  but luckily for you people out there in reader land Tom Pell managed to spot it.

So marking review number 2 for TRU, it’s over to Mr P for the details!

Vantage Point – Reviewed by Tom Pell

There’s a not so fine line between popcorn fuelled blockbusters and film buff masterpieces, and even though this line might seem thick enough to walk, run and make films on, it is one that should be tread with much trepidation.Everyone once in a while, we get a Bourne Identity. A Fight Club. A Lord of the Rings. Something that everyone just has to like. And on that note I’d like you to let me introduce, Vantage Point.

It just works. With interweaving eight person narratives combined with big bangs and a high tech Blackberry type contraption that makes the iPhone look as clever as Jade Goody doing a Sudoku, what’s not to like? Forest Whittaker, William Hurt and Matthew Fox play their parts well but it’s Dennis Quaid as the impossibly indestructible Thomas Barnes who steals the show. Rambo and John Mclane must look at this guy and think, ‘Wow, now that’s a real man.’

At 90 minutes it doesn’t outstay it’s welcome, and finishes before the somewhat repetitive storyline tires you out. Its ability to cross audiences relies upon the filmmaker’s decision to try out a fresh new way to tell a story, whilst backing these ideas with a solid, entertaining script.
Due to the twists and turns, I’ll leave the storyline up to you to explore at the cinema as one wouldn’t want to put one’s foot in it. But if it’s a Friday night flick or a bit of essay inspiration you need, try Vantage point and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

[rating:3]

“It’s a Wonderful Life” – 1946. Written by Philip Van Doren Stern & Frances Goodrich, amongst others. Directed by Frank Capra.

Who Boo’ed? Eh? Who was it? SHUT UP! This is one of the all time greats when it comes to Christmas films. You might not have seen it for a while but don’t let that fact that it’s rolled out every Christmas like the Great Escape put you off. For a film that deals with the emotional breakdown of a suicidal man who feels he’s wasted his life, it’s not preachy or patronizing and still leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy at the end. A true classic, they don’t make them like this anymore.

A semi interesting premise that falls flat on nearly every level.
And due to a lame 15 rating it can’t even plug the holes with enough blood and guts to keep horror fans interested.
Move on, there’s nothing to see here

Written by Andy & Larry Wachowski. Directed by John McTeigue

Where do you go after the Matrix? Well, for Larry and Andy Wachowski, it seems that you head on over to a no- too-distant future London.

V for Vendetta got a thorough panning at the box office and in just about every movie magazine and website review we’ve read.

The terrible events of September the 11th 2001 are still very fresh in minds of most people. It really is this generations “where were you when you heard the news” moment. Therefore, even though several years have passed, the making of this film does tread very carefully on some rather raw nerves.

That being said, it’s not overly dramatic and really doesn’t take a particular side. Instead just goes about setting out the facts of what we know happened on that tragic day. Of the 4 planes that were hijacked on 9/11, Flight United 93 was the only one not to reach it’s intended target, either the White House, or the Capitol building.

Although events can’t be crystal clear, it seems that the passengers on Flight 93 decided to try and take back control of the plane from the terrorists before it was too late. If you were to judge this film out of context, you’d think it was little more than a TV Movie of the Week. The production values aren’t high, the acting in some places is wooden and it certainly doesn’t have the typical happy ending we’d expect. But taking this film out of context is not a luxury afforded to us. It’s always at the forefront of your mind that these are real events, that happened to real people and there are real families out there still directly coping with the repercussions of what happened. More than once the conversations from the passengers to their loved ones bring a lump to the throat. This adds an overwhelming sense of dread and emotion to Flight 93. You already know the ending before you start watching but, if anything, that simply adds to the films impact.

A lazier director could have simply played up the “Hero” element of the passengers, into a flag waving work on national pride. Instead Bourne Director, Paul Greengrass delivers a powerful film that reduces the story back to a simple tale of great bravery in the fact of horrific circumstances. The only question United 93 asks is, what would you do in this situation?

For the simple fact that the film doesn’t shy away from, or sugar coat the events, it’s a 4 out of 5.