You don’t expect soft from Maskell and you don’t get it, in Paul Andrew Williams’s queasy criminal underworld
Paul Andrew Williams’s revenge nightmare is a stomach-turningly violent gangland shocker that returns this film-maker to territory he first staked out with his 2006 feature debut, the lowlife thriller London to Brighton. There are brilliant moments here, and Bull is arguably as good as, say, Shane Meadows’s much-admired Dead Man’s Shoes, in a similarly relentless vein. But I have to admit to finding the female characters less interesting than they were in London to Brighton – and opinions might divide about the ending here, which the movie both telegraphs in advance and yet also diverts your attention away from, with a shuffling of the timeline.
Neil Maskell stars as the titular Bull, and for those of us who have enjoyed this actor’s powerfully charismatic and disturbing performances in the past,...
Paul Andrew Williams’s revenge nightmare is a stomach-turningly violent gangland shocker that returns this film-maker to territory he first staked out with his 2006 feature debut, the lowlife thriller London to Brighton. There are brilliant moments here, and Bull is arguably as good as, say, Shane Meadows’s much-admired Dead Man’s Shoes, in a similarly relentless vein. But I have to admit to finding the female characters less interesting than they were in London to Brighton – and opinions might divide about the ending here, which the movie both telegraphs in advance and yet also diverts your attention away from, with a shuffling of the timeline.
Neil Maskell stars as the titular Bull, and for those of us who have enjoyed this actor’s powerfully charismatic and disturbing performances in the past,...
- 10/16/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
It’s been ten years since Bull’s (Neil Maskell) son Aiden was taken by his ex-wife (Lois Brabin-Platt’s Gemma) and father-in-law (David Hayman’s Norm). Ten years that have apparently progressed with few worries for everyone but him. Norm still runs the local crew of heavies putting the screws to businesses they need to help move their merchandise; said crew have all started families without a thought of what occurred. That Bull’s return is unexpected shouldn’t surprise, considering how long he’s been gone, but the level of terror he induces in those staring down the other end of vengeance’s knife or gun certainly is. With nothing to lose as he demands Aiden’s current whereabouts, he burns through town without remorse.
More than just a revenge film, however, writer-director Paul Andrew Williams’ Bull proves a rather effective mystery too. You may not like the...
More than just a revenge film, however, writer-director Paul Andrew Williams’ Bull proves a rather effective mystery too. You may not like the...
- 8/15/2021
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
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We’ve scoured the scenes of Sherlock special, The Abominable Bride, to dig out its nerdy details. Spoilers ahead…
Warning: contains spoilers for The Abominable Bride.
If, by the time Sherlock special The Abominable Bride came around, your usually-shining powers of observation had been dulled by New Year’s indulgence, never fear.
We’ve hunted around the episode with (mostly) clear heads and stumbled upon a few fun titbits, from Wilder the Diogenes butler, to set design jokes, nods to Doyle’s original stories, Paget’s illustrations, previous Sherlock episodes and more…
1. This dilated pupil (we'd suggest Cumberbatch’s rather than Freeman’s?) is the first hint-in-hindsight that what’s to follow involves narcotics.
2. Both A Study In Pink and The Abominable Bride start with Watson waking up from a nightmare of his time in an Afghan war, centuries apart.
3. Joining the regular cast’s Victorian counterparts...
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We’ve scoured the scenes of Sherlock special, The Abominable Bride, to dig out its nerdy details. Spoilers ahead…
Warning: contains spoilers for The Abominable Bride.
If, by the time Sherlock special The Abominable Bride came around, your usually-shining powers of observation had been dulled by New Year’s indulgence, never fear.
We’ve hunted around the episode with (mostly) clear heads and stumbled upon a few fun titbits, from Wilder the Diogenes butler, to set design jokes, nods to Doyle’s original stories, Paget’s illustrations, previous Sherlock episodes and more…
1. This dilated pupil (we'd suggest Cumberbatch’s rather than Freeman’s?) is the first hint-in-hindsight that what’s to follow involves narcotics.
2. Both A Study In Pink and The Abominable Bride start with Watson waking up from a nightmare of his time in an Afghan war, centuries apart.
3. Joining the regular cast’s Victorian counterparts...
- 1/4/2016
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
The cast includes Aaron Watson (12 years old from Kings Lynn, Norfolk), Dean-Charles Chapman (12 years old from Essex), Oliver Gardner (13 years old from Bath), Rhys Yeomans (12 years old from Oldham, Lancashire), who alternate the title role of Billy alongside principal cast members, Joe Caffrey (Dad), Craig Gallivan (Tony), Ann Emery (Grandma), David Nellist (George), Sean Kingsley (Mr Braithwaite), Genevieve Lemon (Mrs Wilkinson) Samantha Seager (Dead Mum) and Barnaby Meredith (Older Billy).
- 8/13/2010
- BroadwayWorld.com
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