TYRANNOSAUR (UK 2011) ***
Directed by Paddy Considine

Be forewarned!  TYRANNOSAUR is an ultra-violent film supposedly based on the growing up experiences, though not autobiographical of actor Paddy Considine’s experiences in the council estate of the British Midlands.

Entirely watchable but at the edge of the seat tense, TYRANNOSAUR derives its chief effect from the fact that the protagonist, Joseph (Peter Mullan) could burst into violence at any given time.  And does!  Two innocent dogs give their lives in the story.  One is kicked to death by the Joseph in one fit of rage, and another is beaten to death by him wielding a baseball bat as a result of the dog mangling the face of a neighbourhood boy.

Joseph, an unemployed widower (he is seen collecting unemployment) with a drinking problem, plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction, undergoes a life change after killing his dog in a fit of rage.  Desperate to change his ways and get out of his unpleasant past and surroundings, he earns a chance of redemption when by chance he becomes close to local charity shop worker Hannah (Olivia Colman), a respectable wholesome and kindly Christian woman who takes pity on him, and they become close friends.  However Hannah has a dark secret of her own in the form of an abusive husband (Eddie Marsan, last seen as the mental driving instructor in Mike Leigh HAPPY-GO-LUCKY) which threatens to plunge Joseph back into his former life.

Actor Mullan is an experienced director and actor (A BOY, THE CLAIM, Ken Loach’s MY NAME IS JOE).  In fact, he himself has had more experience than director Considine, this being the latter’s first film.  Mullan has made three excellent films ORPHANS, THE MAGDALENE SISTERS and NEDs, the latter also a violent film about delinquent gangs that has yet to see a release in Canada.  One wonders how much advice Mullan gave Considine but it is reported that Mullan kept mum on the subject letting Considine do his thing.

For a film with a happy ending, the entire film is depressing.  One could question the necessity of the film’s grimness or violence but one takes it that life out there in the council flats is similar to what Considine depicts on screen.  Considine takes a few short cuts and easy way outs.  For example, he omits the part in which Hannah convinces Joseph to come out of hiding.  Joseph’s past is somewhat sketchy, his job, background and parents omitted in the script.  The same can be said of that of Olivia’s husband, a character that is just as intriguing as Joseph’s.

The Midlands accent (though more understandable than Scottish or Geordies) takes a while to get used to and requires some concentration on the part of North American audiences. 

The TYRANNOSAUR of the film title is a metaphor, the meaning of which is revealed in the film.  TYRANNOSAUR is a well written, directed and superbly acted little movie and one should see Considine expand out his talent in something bigger and hopefully less violent.