First time directors James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson build tension by trapping his characters in the hallway of the top floor. As shots are fired, residents find elevators unresponsive, booby trapped doors and exterior stairwells exposed to gunfire. The plot has one obvious hole; it wouldn’t be all that difficult to escape a sniper located on just one side of a building. Even so, the tension is palpable, because of what these characters have already been through. Most of Nunn and Thompson’s residents feel marginalized. Earlier, when the young man was murdered only one resident, Becky (Sheridan Smith) tried to help, only to be berated by police for not trying to help more. The other residents on the top floor are, Amy (Loui Batley) and Ormond (Jordan Long), a young married couple; Carol (Julie Graham) and her gaming-addict son Daniel (Harry McEntire); neglectful single mom Jenny (Montserrat Lombard); Kurtis (Jack O’Connell), who charges the residents to protect them from crooks and other trouble; drug dealers Gary (Nabil Elouahabi) and Mark (Kane Robinson); fraught alcoholic Paul (Russell Tovey); and senior couple Neville (Ralph Brown) and Violet (Jill Baker). Now, with their lives in the balance, this formerly distant group of neighbors must come together to survivor a sniper’s assault.
Despite a decidedly thin premise, the script from veteran British TV scribe James Moran has genuinely terrifying moments. Some of the murders are surprisingly bloody. Becky is clearly the film’s heroine, and she is helped by Kurtis whose tough guy attitude quickly melts away once the shooting starts. Fast paced, Nunn and Thompson manage to maintain the tension throughout the story. Tower Block is a standard, but well done thriller. It makes good use of its single location and offers up a few shocks along the way. It’s not the kind of film you’re likely to remember weeks after viewing, but it’s worth a look for those that like thrillers.
Framed in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Shout Factory’s 1080p transfer is a good one. Detail is impressive, and skin tones and textures look accurate. DNR doesn’t appear to be an issue.
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Track does the job. Heavy on dialogue, the mix handles overlapping voices well and is perfectly clear. Ambient sounds come through the rear speakers effectively, and the sniper shots reverberate through the surrounds.
No subtitles are available.
The following special features are included:
- Commentary with Writer James Moran: Moran cracks quite a few jokes throughout, as he discusses what he hoped to accomplish with the film.
- Original Behind the Scenes Interviews (SD, 6:21) Cast and crew are interviewed about the film on set.
- Trailer (HD, 1:40)
