Film Review: Tyrannosaur

Director: Paddy Considine

Having heard quite a lot about this film through word of mouth, I was expecting a lot from this film that promised not to be an easy ride. Even with that in mind I was shocked by how harrowing and depressing Tyrannosaur proved to be, certainly not a film I'd rush to go back and see but that doesn't deny that it's a superbly realistic spectacle. This was Paddy Considine's first feature film and he pulls no punches in this drama set in the North of England in an un-named town.

Joseph (Peter Mullan) is a widower who lives on his own without a job; his life is plagued by alcohol and violence which includes fighting with random youngsters in a pub over noise. He is desperate to change his ways and ends up befriending Hannah (Olivia Colman) who is a religious charity shop worker, their friendship steadily increases before a secret in Hannah's private life threatens their bond.

Joseph (Peter Mullan)

The first thing to note is that the leading performances are superb by Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman, they both create characters of real depth and sorrow which pull you into caring about their world. Whilst Eddie Marsan as Hannah's husband James is also impressive in a supporting role that helps to build around Hannah's character which is actually the more complex of all. Joseph is a troubled soul but is much easier to understand as he purely acts on impulse but Hannah's actions are much more intriguing.

The subject of rage being linked to alcoholic consumption in a town with a very bleak outlook is something increasingly overlooked in today's society. The film is clearly set around a struggling town in Yorkshire judging by the accents but could easily be applied to towns throughout the North of England where there is little hope for the future. It is quite often a bleak film and I have seen it described as a hopeless tale but that certainly isn't true, underneath it all there is something to cling to.

3.5/4 brutal and harrowing look at two troubled lives