Organised criminal Karl has just been acquitted in court, for a deed that is never revealed to us. The film begins as he returns with his father (and the brains of the operation) Bill to his home in Brighton, where the two of them set about trying to work out who in their network has been talking to the police. However, the more they investigate, the further away they seem from finding out the truth. It’s not long before Bill’s paranoia gets the better of him and things get out of hand.
Down Terrace is a wonderful surprise – a British crime film that completely eschews the Guy Ritchie hard-man approach in favour of comic family soap-operatics. Refreshingly, the mechanics of Karl and Bill’s shady operations is more or less ignored; we never learn the specifics of the criminal activities they are involved in. Additionally, the film is entirely without unnecessary gloss or flash. Apart from subtitles to tell us the day of the week the action is taking place on, stylisation is minimal: the credits are brief and basic, music is infrequent and subtle.
Where lesser thrillers might constantly shift location and emphasis to try to disguise a weak story or a lack of compelling actors, almost all of Down Terrace takes place inside a single house, with a central cast of three characters and a revolving supporting cast of only about four or five. It’s a gamble, and one that could have resulted in a rather tedious film, but it pays off marvellously. It transcends the limited resources used and is consistently gripping, thanks to a sparklingly witty script and some superbly spirited performers.
There is a tonal shift in the final few scenes, which sees the comedy from earlier toned down to make way for some high-pitched, tense, bloody drama. This shift is reminiscent of Shane Meadows’s approach in films like Dead Man’s Shoes. Though director Ben Wheatley perhaps isn’t operating at Meadows’s level quite yet, Down Terrace is enough to suggest that he soon could be.
The DVD features are mostly outtakes, rehearsals and deleted scenes. They’re watchable if you’ve time to spare, but they’re far from essential, being much like the film but falling short of its characteristic brilliance.
Overall Verdict: Proof that there’s still life in the British crime genre yet.
Special Features:
Short Film ‘Rob Loves Kerry’
Acting Test Bill & Karl
Camera Test
Extended Scene: Bill Talks about the 60s
Extra Scene: Bill & The Toad
Teaser/Festival Trailer
The Amazing Wizards
Reviewer: Tom René