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Sunday, November 11, 2012

[7.00/10] Citadel (2012)


Citadel (2012)

Brief review: After five shorts, UK director Ciaran Foy finally brings us his first feature film, about a recently widowed agoraphobic young father, who tries to protect his baby daughter from a gang of cranky, evil kids. "Citadel" is hardly a crowd-pleaser, lacks cohesion, and has more than a few pacing issues, but these weaknesses are nothing, compared to the strengths it possesses. Being suffering from agoraphobia himself, the director puts a personal touch here, making both the bizarrely engaging story and characters easier to relate to. There's something inexplicably frightening about "Citadel", as it has that nagging sense of dread and unease, that makes you uncomfortable, but in a good way. The scares ain't cheap or in-your-face, and there's plenty of nail-biting suspense and sinister imagery. In typical British fashion, "Citadel" is quite bleak in feel and look, even depressingly moody at times, but that only adds to the grim nature of the story. Foy easily maintains the eerie atmosphere throughout, with the final act being the absolute highlight of the movie, not only because it takes place in one of the creepiest settings ever put on film, namely a dark and grim tower block, that will surely give you the chills, but also because the level of intensity is sky high. Aneurin Barnard does an amazing job with a difficult role, carrying the entire movie on his shoulders, and the supporting cast complements him perfectly.

Overall summary: It's slightly muddled, and its inconsistent pacing may put some viewers off, but Foy's unique and very personal little chiller, "Citadel", more than makes up for these faults with originality, spot-on performances, plenty of effective scares, and spooky visuals.

This review is also featured on TVFilmNews.com

10 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sounds like worth a watch for the atmosphere alone.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Alex, absolutely. The sinister atmosphere is the key element of this movie. Still not sure if it's your cup of tea though.

Arun said...

I love British horror movies. 28 Days Later and Dog Soldiers are among my all time favorites.

I will check this one out. Thanks George for the review.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

B2B, I do too. And don't forget about The Descent.. it's one of the finest UK horror films out there. :)

You're welcome, buddy.

Unknown said...

So let's try this again. :)

I think this sounds like a really entertaining film and hopefully I can check it soon. Awesome review, hon, honest and to the point.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Mel, does that mean that you left a comment but it got lost somewhere? :)

Anyway, it's playing in theaters now, so you can check it out on the big screen if you want.

Thank you, sweetheart. I always try my best, you know. :)

venoms5 said...

Not heard of this one, but it sounds a bit like EDEN LAKE. I'll be on the look out for it, George.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

venoms5, to be honest, I don't remember much of Eden Lake. I've watched a long time ago, and although I liked it in general, it didn't leave any marks in my mind, if you know what I mean.
Some people compare it with "Ils" aka Them, but I personally think it has nothing to do with it.
Give it a go and let me know what you think. :)

Alex Jowski said...

I was reading a synopsis for this film today and at first it sounded intriguing, with a guy losing his wife in a violent incident, raising his daughter alone and tryig to overcome agoraphobia. But then then it started talking about some vigilante priest and supernatural gangs and I was put off.

But from what you say it seems the film still maintains it's human concept and that seemingly odd supernatural stuff works for it. I guess I will check this out soon.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Alex, it got my attention from the very beginning, so I decided to give it a go, and wasn't disappointed. The first half didn't do anything for me, but the movie definitely redeemed it self in the second half, and delivered the creeps.
Not sure if it's everyone's cup of tea though.