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Anti-Social
R2 - United Kingdom - Spirit Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Matthew Crossman (10th September 2015). |
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The Film
 Dee (Gregg Sulkin) is a street artist and occasionally works as a motorcycle courier in London. He lives with his Mother and his older half brother Marcus (Josh Myers). Marcus is a robber of some standing with his and his gang’s motorcycle raids on jewellers in the London area making the news on a regular basis. After a particularly successful robbery Marcus convinces the other three members of his gang to pool their money and go into the drugs trade. The other members agree and the gang spend £220,000, plus another £80,000 they do not yet have, on the drugs. Unfortunately the local drug dealers in their area do not take too kindly to having their turf invaded and whilst Marcus is out they raid his house and take the drugs but not before they have raped his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s friend. Marcus wants retribution and shoots the leader of the drug dealing gang in the street but this just means that now Marcus and the rest of his gang are marked men. The London Underworld put a large hit out on Marcus and his cohorts and in an effort to escape retribution they plan one last, massive job that will set them all up for life. Days before the last robbery Marcus is gunned down in the street and badly wounded. The rest of the gang need a fourth member to be able to pull off the robbery and the only person they can trust is Dee. This comes just as Dee has been offered a sponsorship in Berlin to produce his art and he must now make a choice about which path to choose. Without Dee’s help the robbery cannot take place and Marcus and his gang will surely be hunted down and killed, but if Dee gets involved it could mean the end to his dreams as artist. There is a legend at the start of the film that states that it is ‘Based on real events’. What with the Hatton Garden robberies fairly recent in the memory one could see where Director and Writer Reg Traviss found his inspiration from. The first half of the film, where the characters are introduced and expanded upon, is the poorest part. The language used is overly ‘mockney’ and sounds false. The characters of Dee and his girlfriend Kirsten (Meghan Markle) are built upon quite nicely and these are the characters the audience are expected to bond with, and a good job is done here. The character of Marcus is the next to be expanded and sadly it’s an acting job too far for Josh Myers. Whilst his stature pulls off the look he is let down in his delivery and it brings the early parts of the story to a grinding halt. The rest of the gang are well portrayed, especially the character of Dominic, played by Richie Campbell, who nails his role. The first hour is quite slow moving but by the time we get into the real meat of the action in the second half things begin to motor. The direction on the action scenes of the robberies are well directed and choreographed and are slightly reminiscent of a Michael Mann film. The last thirty minutes especially are fraught with suspension of which even Hitchcock might have been proud. What ultimately lets the film down is a weak script in the language department, a slow, laborious first hour, and some poor acting. Director Traviss does love his cross cuts and this can be very distracting from the story but thankfully these dissipate in the second half of the film. It’s an enjoyable heist movie that could do with a tighter script, a more capable cast and a sense of humour.
Video
Presented in it’s original ratio of 2.35:1 (anamorphic). The picture is very sharp and clean, pretty much what you would expect from a movie that debuted in 2015. The seedier side of London is depicted well with colours not exactly vibrant and glowing but accurately portrayed. The darker scenes are well lit so everything is clear.
Audio
Viewers have a choice of 5.1 Dolby Digital of 2.0 Dolby Stereo (both English). The music usage in the film can, at times, be overpowering. Dialogue is often swamped by the musical soundtrack making the dialogue difficult to understand. This is especially noticeable through the rear speakers so if you have them close to you may wish to go with the stereo option instead. The sub woofer comes into play during the club scenes and any scenes with motorcycles (of which there are a fair few) and these give the film a nice cinematic quality. Personally though I found the musical side of the soundtrack over aggressive. English subtitles are provided which is always very welcome.
Extras
Modern Outlaws Documentary: The Real Crimes Behind Anti-Social (12.23) - A documentary detailing the history behind ‘smash and grab’ types of robberies that date back as far as the 1920’s and perhaps even further. Director Traviss talks about these types of crimes which inspired ‘Anti-Social’ and is joined by Professor Gloria Laycock who explains how the names of these types of crimes may have changed but the acts have remained intrinsically the same. Josh Myers (Marcus) talks about how he felt during the filming of the Brent Cross robbery that is at the start of the film. Interview with Greg Sulkin (2.26) - Gregg Sulkin, who plays the character Dee in Anti Social, talks about his character and his relationship with his brother Marcus and how ultimately Dee has to help out his Brother. Sulkin also talks about how he spent time with street artists in order to prepare for his role. Music Video; “Is It Gangsta? (Yes, Yes, Yes) Giggs (3.37) - Rap video. Not much else to say. Trailer (1.57)
Overall
An enjoyable heist movie with a bombastic score and some questionable acting. Characters come and go without explanation and it’s this type of sloppy script writing that ultimately torpedoes the film. A slow start tests the viewers patience but the final forty five minutes is definitely worth staying around for. Overly brutal at times (there is a double gang rape which is extremely unpleasant) but the action scenes of the robberies are extremely well filmed. 
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