Little Favour (2013)

good back-story, and good acting

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The summary of this film listed on IMDb sure says a lot more about the plot than you'll see when you watch "Little Favour"--a lot more. All this back story is absent in the short and so it's not exactly what you might expect.As to the story, it's very, very simple. Two men meet (one is Benedict Cumberbatch) and the other asks Wallace to do him a little favor--watch his kid. The kid is a girl who appears to be about 11 years-old. Soon after the pair arrive at his place, however, a ninja(?) and some other baddies invade the apartment. After putting up a good fight, Wallace is taken prisoner and horribly beaten. Then, surprising things happen--but I really cannot say more.The film is a pretty bloody mess--and folks may squirm at seeing all the blood. I didn't enjoy all the killing and gore, though the story was extremely well produced and directed. Patrick Viktor Monroe is a relative newcomer and did a nice job--though I do wonder HOW he got Cumberbatch for the film, as this actor's career has been super-mega hot lately and a new filmmaker could never afford someone of his stature. Worth seeing but very, very dark and gruesome.

I was convinced to watch this after reading the summary here on IMDb, and if I'm honest, I would probably say that the summary perhaps overshoots the film a little.That said, the evident acting is brilliant and the camera-work and editing were excellent. The score, too, was excellent. Fully engaging and brutally so. I was never distracted from it, but instead my mind was locked into it.I only think that there was perhaps something missing - despite myself, I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it is (which irritates me, as that's no help at all).I was left with a feeling of needing more, but perhaps that is what we are meant to be left with. It's a slice, but we don't get to taste the rest of the apple.(Edit: Upon rewatching, I found that I missed a lot in my first viewing. This is largely due to sound - there's a lot of dialogue that I missed when played without headphones, though whether that's my fault or the editors (or a combination thereof) I don't know. That said, I've got more appreciation for the story, now. I suggest keeping the volume up when watching.)

I watched this not knowing anything about it and i absolutely love it! The story is brilliant and i was not expecting the direction it was taking.It's specially good the acting. Every actor does an amazing performance. The girl does a transformation that i was not expecting. Benedict does an amazing job acting and producing.I wish it was longer and the characters were more developed. But in the end it was an amazing experience, 20 minutes that i shall repeat a lot times to come.recommend it to everybody!

This review doesn't contain major spoilers, yet may hint at some plot points, especially the big twist.I wasn't overly impressed by this short. No doubt, it's a well made short, with solid acting and some beautiful shots. Yet neither the (many) action scenes really convinced me through innovative shots and the roughness of it just seemed a little bit fake, nor the "story" really, which is just there to justify the action.There is one big twist towards the end, that plays with the typical action flick cliché of the man being the savior and the little girl being the one that he needs to protect. The twist wasn't to expect and was pulled off nicely, so that's a big plus. So calling the short "conventional" may seem a bit odd. But:Sadly, it seemed like the short staged everything to just get to that twisty moment to be like: "Well how about that, now look at that twist, isn't that clever? That makes the whole short brilliant, doesn't it?"No, it doesn't. And what the hell does all of it mean, why are we watching this twist, what's behind it? Those questions don't get answered.By the way: When you can get Cumberbatch to play a role in your short, give him something to act! Really now, giving him that little (looking cool, looking beaten up, looking confused)... that's almost a sin.Overall still a solid short, well done! Just not that outstanding.