Tyrannosaur (2011)

Undescribable Perfection

Better Late Then Never

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Both the main actors should be congratulated and Olivia Colman nails the "vulnerability" aspect completely. Such honesty.Likewise, Peter Mullen's honesty in his portrayal is like something seldom seen. He portrays without caricature. This is a character who seldom yields, so much so that when his humanity is revealed, no matter its warts, it is moving--- and Mullan makes that utterly believable.

This film to me, is the best film ever made bar none. There have been many great films and some are rated higher by critics and IMDb followers alike but I beg to differ. Paddy Considine's direction is flawless and the main three characters acting is a master class of how it should be done. Hard to imagine this coming out of Hollywood as it has no polish, just pure realism. Eddie Marsan is a loathsome character, played superbly but the other two main roles played by Peter Mullen and Olivia Colman are the best I have ever seen. Colmans performance always moves me to tears and why she did not get the Oscar is beyond me. The story is simple, raw and 100% realistic. The culture of violence on the estate, the rage and pity then ultimately hope will bring goose bumps up all over you. Watch this carefully, the attention to detail is breath-taking and I promise, it will leave a lasting impression that you cannot forget.Literally a masterpiece and master class of acting.

This is without a doubt one of the hardest movies I have ever sat through, I can cope with a lot, but this one purposely makes you feel uncomfortable. It is very grim, violent and often disturbing, some of the scenes made me feel genuinely uncomfortable. I love Paddy Considine as an actor, he proved by writing and directing this that his talents are vast and many. Peter Mullan is superb as Joseph, Eddie Marsan is incredible as Hannah's violent husband, he made me feel guilty for watching the film. It is the performance of Olivia Colman that makes this movie something special, she is a totally likable actress, but in Tyrannosaur she proved that she can be a superb actress, her performance was on another level.

TYRANNOSAUR offers a bleak picture of life in contemporary Britain. Joseph (Peter Mullan) is unemployed, with a tendency towards violence, who has contributed in no small part to his wife's early death (the Tyrannosaur of the title refers to his widow). He encounters Hannah (Olivia Colman), a middle-class woman working in a local charity shop, who offers to redeem him through prayer; initially he rejects the offer, but as the film unfolds he gradually becomes more and more involved with her. Hannah has as bleak a life as Joseph, having to cope with a violent husband (Eddie Marsan), who eventually rapes her. She stays at Joseph's house, and the two of them form a relationship, even though neither of them can disclose their feelings. Deliberately shot in washed-out colors, TYRANNOSAUR suggests that people are imprisoned by their existences, whether they are working- or middle-class. The only hope of 'redemption' - which is perhaps too optimistic a word - is to trust in one another, and even then, the redemption might be only temporary or partial. This is what Joseph and Hannah discover at the end, even if their meetings are only sporadic. Paddy Considine's film is not for the fainthearted; the language is extreme, and there are violent scenes throughout. It is well written, even though there are one or two implausibilities; at one point Joseph kills a neighbor's dog, who has previously mauled the child Sam (Samuel Bottomley). Normally any dog would have been put down by the authorities after such an incident has occurred. Nonetheless this low-budget film has a powerful effect.