Tyrannosaur | Review

While there are no major points to criticize, and it’ll be cited as a first film where the performances are all “brilliant,” highly respected thesp Paddy Considine’s feature directorial debut Tyrannosaur is so close to perfection. With a narrative that avoids common contemporary pitfalls of going too far into the outrageous, this shies away from the absurd and keeps things much more effective that way. The characters are all alluring, and we buy most of their decisions but the drama doesn’t excel because it only goes so far into these characters though, to the point that it ends up being more plot based than character based, with the trio of solid topliners progressing or regressing a little too easily.

The basic synopsis reads as such: a man with a violent past, dealing with a lot of anger, meets a devout Christian who turns his life around. This is true in a way, but not how one would expect it. The man, Joseph (Peter Mullan), only struggles with violence for the first 15 minutes of the film, and the woman, Hannah (Olivia Colman), only displays her devout Christianity once or twice in the early going. The struggle on display in this narrative is rather the reverse of what we expect, with Joseph trying to save Hannah for the majority of the film.

True to expectations from the preceding short Dog Altogether that Considine, Colman and Mullan collaborated on, the beginning of this film features a hard to watch Joseph on a rampage of self-destruction. Right before our act break though, just when he has had too much to handle, he ends up in Hannah’s shop for a respite. Little does he know but this will turn into his sanctuary and redemption.

The film has so many powerful moments between these two characters, as their bond is increased by life events such as the death of Joseph’s best friend and the physical and emotional abuse of Hannah at the hands of her husband James (Eddie Marsan). Some of their actions just don’t sit right though.

Joseph overcomes his violent tendencies too easily. He kicks and murders his dog as a reaction to the slightest frustration, but then later he manages to control his anger repeatedly at much higher stakes. Of course he learned a lesson in act one, but one would think he would relapse at some point, which he does not. The only violent act of his comes at the very end of the film and is a calculated and warranted one where he avenges the abuse of a child.

Hannah goes into emotional downfall too easily also. We need not discuss that they are coincidentally hitting their respective peak and valley simultaneously, that’s just general suspension of disbelief. Her loss of her Christian ideals though comes too easily in the film. It’s not really established enough that she is a tough cookie who will deal with suffering because she considers it part of God’s plan. It is told to us via expository dialogue, but we never get to know her in that way. We only see her as she starts to travel away from that definition.

What holds the film together beyond any of the loose character development is the acting. When you walk into a film written and directed by Paddy Considine, even if you don’t know the cast, you expect dynamic performances and these actors are all as good as they come. Mullan brings the intensity of previous film roles dating back to his work with Ken Loach and more recently, with the Red Riding trilogy. Here he adds another layer of tenderness. Colman does drama as well as she does comedy in the likes of Peep Show. The only regret here is that we never get that showdown between Mullan and Marsan. That’s the kind of scene that need not be scripted even, just let those two do their thing. Tyrannosaur is a solid debut behind the camera for Considine, and even though it does not quite meet its potential, the value of these performances make this a must see.

Reviewed at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. World Dramatic Competition Section.

124 Mins. January, 20th, 2011

Rating 3.5 stars