Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

tomgillespie2002 Looking at the DVD cover of Down Terrace, you would be forgiven for dismissing it as yet another geezer-filled entry into the British crime genre, directed by somebody who watched Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) growing up and fancied themselves as capable of doing the same. Yet Ben Wheatley's debut feature goes out to do exactly the opposite, and instead of motor- mouthed crims with ridiculous nicknames and heists-gone-wrong, we get a kitchen-sink drama, at least for the first two-thirds, filmed almost entirely within the constraints of a run-of-the-mill house in Brighton.After a stint in prison, Karl (Robin Hill, who co-wrote the script with Wheatley) returns to the family home with his father Bill (Robert Hill, Robin's real-life father) to try and sniff out the rat who is threatening to bring down their criminal organisation. With the help of mother Mags (Julia Deakin), they invite various associates, including idiot club owner Garvey (Tony Way), muscle Eric (David Schaal) and hit-man Pringle (Michael Smiley), to their home in an attempt to suss them out. Karl is barely able to cope with the relentless criticism dished out by his father and his family's general dysfunction, and the atmosphere is made worse with the re-appearance of Valda (Kerry Peacock), an old flame now (apparently) pregnant with Karl's child.Channelling the work of various British film-makers, including Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and Shane Meadows, Down Terrace attempts to draw you in slowly, creating an atmosphere of unease before unleashing its bloody final act. It should be a clever subversion of the genre, and in some ways it is, but this is hampered by a measured approach and a self-awareness, similar to the problems Sightseers (2012) had. There isn't a fault to be had with the performances, especially Robert Hill as the everyman crime boss with a slight aura of buffoonery about him. It's also very funny on occasion, and one of Wheatley's real strengths as a film-maker is luring you in with laughs while never allowing you to be completely comfortable. Ultimately, it's a distinctive test of endurance with flashes of brilliance, doing wonders with a micro-budget.

diggus doggus Down Terrace tries to grip you by pulling at the strings of your most visceral instincts, but i'm afraid this is not a good thing.Two chumps ...erm, two hardened gangsters who apparently don't have a penny to their name, go back home after being released from prison. Suspicious of everyone, they start killing each other in large numbers. Then some more side characters from secondary plot lines also kill each other.Aaaand that's about it. The film in itself is not bad, but i'm not sure who the audience is supposed to be; none of the characters are memorable, or even appealing, in any way. It tries to show "realism" and while it partially succeeds (there are in fact such lowlifes in Britain), it not only overdoes the killing with multiple murders which would certainly bring down the popo in a rush, but the most "dramatic" point is that we're supposed to feel for these people.I simply don't like films whose plot revolves around characters who are irredeemable, but you might feel differently. I see no reason why this story should be told, they are garbage people doing what garbage people do, there is no moral, no socio-historic significance (such as Beast Of No Nation might have), no comedy whatsoever (despite what IMDb says), no action. This is not The Godfather, or even The Sopranos. If you want to watch ignorant, miserable people being ignorant and miserable, this film is for you; for everyone else, 5/10 - no redeeming qualities.

El-Kapitoshka By far Wheatley's weakest film, and that's coming from a massive fan. That said I started with Kill List, then went to A field in England, then Sightseers, High Rise and now this. I think if I'd have watched them as they had been made then I may have given it an extra point. But anyway, a fly in the ointment. This basically centers on a highly dysfunctional crime family who tear themselves apart. I won't go into the reasons why, mainly because you can't tell! In a typical Wheatley fashion, it's sometimes hard to tell what all of the fuss is about, but the actors hold it together nicely. It's great to see the old ensemble in the early days at work and there seems to be a theme of the same actors being cast throughout his movies. This tells us two things:1. How versatile of an actor and director Wheatley is and 2. How good the actors are to bring their familiar faces to an audience that knows them, and to pull something completely different out of the bag. The movie itself however lacks depth for me and some of the deaths just seemed pointless. However on a finishing note, the musical choreography is awesome and I was pleased to hear some Robert Johnson tracks being played. If you are going to become a 'Wheatley-ist', then definitely start with this. It's a good beginner film for his style and showcases what he is good at and as you watch his other stuff- you will see just how much he has developed into one of my faves.

GrahamEngland British crime films are a very mixed bunch, for every 'Long Good Friday' or 'Sexy Beast', there is a whole load of low rent, formulaic fayre of diminishing returns.This film has one advantage from the off, not being set in London - or as many of the characters in the poorer films of this genre say it, 'Laanndan'. (Hiding those well brought up accents can be a strain perhaps).It's set in Brighton, a town (recently upgraded to a 'City') on England's south coast. But not the Brighton known to many here in recent years, the place of celeb second homes, nightclub culture, a liberal place for homosexuals before most of the rest of the country became more adult and relaxed about this part of society.The Brighton of mundane suburbia is the setting, not the cultural epicentre.Largely set in a home, where Bill and his wife live with their 34 year old son, we first see them, the father and son, after being acquitted in a drugs trial, little to celebrate though - how did they get into court in the first place? Who grassed them up - have to be someone close, to their right little, tight little world of lower ranking club employees and drug pushers.The home is the actual dwelling of the actor playing the father, where the son - his real life son - was actually brought up. Only the mother is played by a quite familiar actress - Julia Deakin. The father, Bill, being an ex hippy who wistfully reflects on the brief period of apparent enlightenment through Cannabis and LSD, via yoga and the Tibetan Book Of The Dead, before money, crime, harder drugs, intruded - which swept up Bill too.So begins a claustrophobic period of suspicion, paranoia, leading to violence and murder. Between bouts of domestic bickering, including a 'meet my pregnant girlfriend' family dinner that is a mire of passive-aggressiveness.The cast are largely drawn - when they are not family members of the writer and actor playing the son - from innovative and usually rather dark comedy shows and stand up.Micro budget it might have, but Down Terrace punches well above it's weight. Lack of flash leads to a concentration on family dynamics - albeit a deeply disturbing one - realistic script and genuine plot shocks and surprises.This film is refreshing, often laugh out loud funny - darkly funny usually - intense and a real gem. Clearly a labour of love from the small team involved in the whole production, a labour though of inspiration rather than just perspiration.