I just caught this film on Sky Movies. Most of the films that premier on Sky without having had a cinema release tend to be pretty bad. 90% of the time I switch them off after 20 minutes. But I stuck with this one even though it was a little slow starting. It's a fairly low budget Brit flick and at times it looks and feels like a daytime soap, but the quality of the story makes it rise above the usual low budget affairs. I could even see this film being remade by Hollywood with some big A-list names in the two main roles. Stephen Graham is great as the lonely store detective, while Lord Varys from Game of Thrones is decent in the lead role, although with hair he looks and sounds like Eamon Holmes. This would have worked well as an episode of Tales of the Unexpected because for a feature length film it is drawn out in places. But recognising that the filmmakers have kept it to just over 80 minutes. What keeps the viewer watching (apart from the solid acting) are the regular twists and turns in the script. After the first 20 minutes there's a twist every 10 minutes or so and some of them are quite excellent. One in particular around the 45 minute mark was a real beauty. This film is definitely worth a look. Much better than your usual low budget Brit flicks.
Plot summary
A university teacher gets caught shoplifting by a security guard, who won’t let him go. He becomes his new best friend and says ‘I won’t call the cops if you come and have a pint with me’. From there a twisted romance of sorts unfolds.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
October 31, 2020 at 01:53 PM
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Some nice twists
283. A Patch of Fog.
I pick awesome movies totally at random sometimes and this is one. I'd call it an uncomfortable thriller. We meet Sandy Duffy, an author, that 25 years ago published a book, about life with agoraphobic father, and himself being lost in a fog one night for hours, and his dear ol' da never even attempted to go look for him, it won him a bunch of awards, fame, money, however... Adult Sandy has secrets, and one of those is he loves the thrill of shoplifting, until he gets caught by a security guard, Robert. Instead of handing him over to the police, Robert blackmails Sandy into becoming his friend. Robert is a very lonely, very creepy dude, and he latches on and won't let go. Definitely worth a watch! Sandy may have a few other dark secrets... Equipped with a highly satisfying ending!! Filmbufftim on FB
The pink elephant in the room.....
Reading the plot summary for the film sounded like a straight up psycho thriller that would have sited comfortably in Michael Douglas' résumé if this were made 20 years ago, so my initial expectations were pretty much fair to middling.
Sandy leads a comfortable life in Belfast. He's a university lecturer and a regular guest on a popular television arts programme.
His one novel, though published many years ago, is still in print and regarded a classic. But Sandy has a habit of stealing things for kicks. S
Shoplifting has become the one little thrill in his overly domesticated life - but when Sandy gets caught by Robert, a desperately lonely security guard, his life is turned inside out.......
Although the film has very little to,surprise you with its narrative, it's the performances from the two leads that really make the film stand out. Ever since This Is England, Graham has that knack of really striking fear into the viewer whenever he is on screen, even in those overblown Johnny Depp in make up films.
And this is what grips you from the very moment his hand grips Sandy's shoulder, you are waiting for the moment that Sandy says something or does something that will turn their pseudo relationship sour, and it's not as subtle as you'd think.
All the tropes of these psycho thrillers are here though, and it deters the film for being as excellent as it should be, it relies on the performances of the protagonist/antagonist (which sounds silly I know), rather than being daring and do something more original.
Even though it harks back to Unlawful Entry/Pacific Heights/Single White Female/ Consenting Adults/Fatal attraction, I couldn't help but think it was more of a hybrid of Misery meets The Cable Guy.
It sounds like a damning criticism of the film. It's really not. It doesn't stretch the premise within an inch of its life, it doesn't use any cheap parlour tricks to get cheap thrills.
It's just a purely entertaining film with two wonderful performances, and one hell of an ending.
It's so unexpected.
Well worth seeking out.