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:
Sounds like worth a watch for the atmosphere alone.
Alex, absolutely. The sinister atmosphere is the key element of this movie. Still not sure if it's your cup of tea though.
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.
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.
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.
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. :)
Not heard of this one, but it sounds a bit like EDEN LAKE. I'll be on the look out for it, George.
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. :)
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.
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.
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