User reviews

OK i don't review much stuff (indeed this is probably my first film review) but i feel like this film needs a little helping hand. This film is above average for your standard Brit flick, the acting is great, the story bounces along nicely & the overall plot is clever. If you like a good honest film, with decent acting, a nice bit of revenge, a nice bit of robbery, and a nice bit of violence, get this one watched. It seems to have been off a lot of people radars but it certainly deserves a wider audience, if you liked lock stock, or the bank job etc, in fact if you like any sort of heist/revenge scenario, this is a definite for your watch list. 7* from me but i can understand people scoring it that little bit higher, it really is a good watch.

Harvey is set up for stint in prison for crime he didn't commit by the local gangster played by the very good Neil Maskell. When released Harvey (Luke Treadaway) ropes his 3 pals in getting some revenge against the notorious hard man. The film has a good pace, good acting and a cracking storyline. A hidden gem.

Having watched a number of British crime/gangster/hiest films has led me to a simple conclusion...we just don't do them so well (with the exception of a notable few). Flimsy story lines, flimsier plots and character development to name just a few of my gripes. Very few stand up against what the rest of the world has to offer.

I went into this film with very little expectation, and up until the last 30 mins it seemed I was to be proved right yet again....not so!

A great watch in the end. Yes, the storyline doesn't tread any new ground. But what it does, it does very well I think. It seems to plod along quite nicely with some decent enough character development and acting (but to be honest nothing spectacular). But the plot and the twists towards the end are well worth the wait. And kudos to the director/writer to leave in a 'did he/didn't he' scenario, where it is left to the viewers imagination as to what happens next. Far too few film makers do this in my opinion, preferring to spoon-feed the audience every bit of detail.

I was also impressed with the soundtrack. Very contemporary (with the odd golden oldie thrown in), and which was actually quite emotional at times.

I must admit I have been rather generous in rating this a 7/10. But that is because I am just so pleased that something of this quality has been produced in Britain.

Would definitely recommend this.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Harvey (Luke Treadaway) is a bright boy with his head screwed on, who has just been released from prison after being framed for drug dealing by the villainous Roper (Neil Maskell), who was none too pleased that Harvey got shacked up with his ex, Nicola (Vanessa Kirby.) But now he finds himself in an interview room with D.I. West (Timothy Spall), relaying the tale of how he and his friends planned to break in to a run down working men's club and steal Roper's ill-gotten gains from a secure safe located in there, only for things not to work out quite how they seemed.

Something gave me the impression on first glance that this little seen, independent crime flick was set south side, expecting a typical smattering of the usual cockney lingo and rhyming slang, only to get a surprise and find it set north of the border, which allowed for no such stereotypes. And so this debut feature length production from director Rowan Athale seeks desperately to break the typical conventions of the genre, a modest budget offering with aspirations above it's station, which despite being a little messy in it's execution and possibly even a little over ambitious, is still impressively intelligent and complex, and could actually stand to a second viewing just to make sense of it all.

Coming from the plot point of two men talking in a room, it's a dialogue driven film, and it's striving for a Tarantino style of execution and delivery, which it manages with a sense of fluency and eloquence. It's intelligent and well written, but not exactly a realistic depiction of how nefarious types of this background and age group would probably speak. At points it all feels a bit heavy and over bearing, and is a little disconcerting as a result. Still, you can't fault it's ambition, and it's carried out with aplomb by lead stars Treadaway, Maskell and veteran Spall.

While it can't help but project a messy, convoluted sort of feel, it's lying in the gutter but aiming for the stars, a low grade thriller with ambition and intelligence to set it that little bit above the rest. ***

This film had been sat in my Netflix queue for ages and I kept putting off watching it and almost didn't watch it. I'm not really sure why, but I just had a feeling that the 4 leads would be unlikeable one dimensional chavs - I'll admit that I was being a bit presumptuous. All I can say is that I'm so glad that I was wrong.

I'll admit that the first 15-20 minutes of the film did play out as I thought; the characters were annoying at first, the dialogue was a bit shaky, but once the plot kicks in the film seems to find a new gear and I found that the more I watched it, the more enjoyment I got from it.

One thing I did like about this film is the depth and complexities of its characters - we have Dodd (Matthew Lewis) who seems very much grounded and fears change (not wanting to venture outside of his own town, never mind leave the country). We have Charlie (Gerard Kearns) who is an out of work welder with an alcoholic mother who I felt was more a victim of circumstance than anything else. Then we have the mastermind behind the 'revenge' plot Harvey (Treadaway) who finds himself in a difficult place when he has to try to balance his desire to get his vengeance against Roper (Neil Maskell) and his need to try and appease his old flame Nicola (Vanessa Kirby). Each character had their own identity and all the characters felt real and believable -they'll argue, they'll laugh and they ultimately show that can also work well as a team. I really felt when watching this that the 4 leads had been friends for a long time and you could also tell that they all really cared for each other (this in spite of some of the petty squabbles that they all had throughout the film).

One other thing I thought about this film was how clever it was; the film starts out as a standard tale of revenge, but part of the group's revenge is to carry out a heist - I won't say anymore than that, but let's just say that this made the film both exciting and fun to watch. This is where the film really comes into its own as there are various twists and turns throughout the film that will keep you guessing right up till the end.

As well as strong characterisation and a good script, The Rise also benefits from strong and believable performances. For me, Maskell gave the best performance as psychotic drug pusher Steven Roper. Maskell has a naturally menacing look and coupled with his solid acting this made him a particularly effective villain. All the other performances were fine, but Maskell was the one that stood out for me.

The Rise is a really good film and I wish that I hadn't left it in my Netflix queue for so long. The characters are believable, the acting was good, the script was excellent and very clever. If you're a fan of revenge films or heist films then you'll like this film. If revenge and heist films are your 2 favourite genres, then you may just have found your perfect film.

It's an almost 2 hour movie that could have been trimmed down to an 90 minute crime caper but they kept a lot of fat in the bones.

Without going into spoiler territory it's a fairly simple take. Boy goes to prison, he was set up by the local 'hard man', gets out of prison, reconnects with friends and a girl, plans revenge on the man that sent him to prison.

What follows is a story of the plan of a heist of a club to steal money... Or is it.

Top many scenes play too long and don't add anything to the actual film. You could fast forward to the final 30-40 minutes and watch from there and you'd enjoy it all the more for not sitting through the over English dialogue, the 'romance' sections, the lads and the Bants.. etc.

Just caught Wasteland this past weekend at TIFF and was pleasantly surprised by a solid production from a first time writer/director. As a heist film aficionado I approached the film warily but my friends and I were pleased to find our fears were unwarranted. At first I was a bit non-plussed by the slower pace of the plot. But then I realized that director Rowan Athale was taking the time to tuck wayward threads back into his tapestry before they got unruly and it really paid off.

The casting was well done, Luke Treadaway and Vanessa Kirby had excellent chemistry together. Charlie and Dodds' camaraderie was excellent. It was very clear what the motivations were for the crew as well as the antagonists.

In the QnA after the show, Rowan explained that Wasteland was chosen as the title because of the hopeless locale the characters were situated in. No one can expect to have anything, to make anything of themselves. Even the character who was learning a welding trade was mocked for clinging to false hopes. Perhaps it also explains D.I. West's wry smile as he makes a decision hidden from the audience.

At any rate I am sure that Rowan Athale will use this title to leverage himself out the wasteland of indy film making. This production will turn some heads and this director/writer is one to watch.

Wasteland aka The Rise, 2012 (Netflix) I'd call this jolly caper a Shane Ritchieesq movie, in that it's the lively banter and spoken set pieces mirror Ritchie's Eastenders bantz style. I know Shane Ritchie isn't a director,it's that cockney wide boy Guy, ex Mr Madonna It's not that it's a bad film and the " heist" is highly inventive, it's just that it's so cliched. How many of these movies have the villain of the piece a drug baron or low life gangster. The gang in this case are all deadbeat 20 somethings who seek revenge on the local "hard cock" although deadbeat no hopers they are skilled safe crackers, security electricians and archers to boot. Cast includes, Neil Mastill? And Timothy Spall and lots of lesser know who all shine.

It's silly but enjoyable fluff. 6/10.

THE RISE is a would-be British crime thriller set on the grim streets of Leeds. The Northern setting is a good one, allowing for a touch of originality in the locales and some interesting accents, but otherwise it's business as usual for this low budget production. An ex-con decides to pull off one last heist with the aid of his buddies and decides to go up against a crime boss, both to make a fortune and get his own back on the man who sent him to prison in the first place.

There's a fair bit to like in this film, not least the naturalistic performances from a trio of young stars. Luke Treadaway (ATTACK THE BLOCK) is the lead and Matthew Lewis (HARRY POTTER) and Iwan Rheon (GAME OF THRONES) his ne'er do well buddies. In addition, we get a world-weary Timothy Spall as a cop whose wraparound story structures the plot, and Neil Maskell (KILL LIST) in his nastiest turn yet as the villain of the piece; both are more than effective.

The shooting style is good, the acting grounded, and there are plenty of novel twists and turns in the narrative. A shame, then, that this film isn't as good as it thinks it is and that the whole is a lot weaker than the sum of its parts. The script mistakes expletives for wit, and all of the characters are as cold as can be, which robs the movie of much of its suspense - how can you be immersed in the proceedings when you don't care whether the leads live or die? THE RISE is also a slow burner, which as a filming technique is fine when there's a build-up to something worthwhile, but the actual heist is a disappointment and a huge anticlimax when it comes down to it. This film's okay, but hardly the stuff of greatness that reviews would have you believe...

I got to catch this at TIFF (My first film ever seen at the festival) and loved it. Great story, pacing, soundtrack, cinematography, writing, acting and direction. First-time writer-director Rowan Athale gets it right. My only problem was that he tries to do too much in his debut. What he does is great, but if he had tried to maybe do less in terms of covering the norms of heist and crime films, i.e. the ____ steps of committing a crime successfully. That's it. Timothy Dalton and Luke Treadway have great back and forth dialogue, and just when you think the film is over and you have unanswered questions, your questions are answered and you are given more of the brilliant story, and a great ending that perfectly ties up everything.

I'm not sure if this will appeal to North American audiences, but it looks like it could be a huge hit in the UK. I loved it, and I highly recommend it.

After reading the reviews here, I decided to watch it, but was a little disappointed.

The acting was good... grounded, believable and some really good performances. The plot was a solid, if not spectacular, but ended quite disneyesque, which spoiled things for me. If the outcome had been a little less far fetched and intricate (whilst trying to be a little too clever), it would have left a better taste.

Given it was a directorial debut for Rowan Athale, I expect good things to come from him

Worth a watch, not a terrible film, but not the British indie classic some reviews would have you believe it to be.

An overly intricate crime story that depends on explanations changing over and over. It doesn't make it interesting. A group of besties plan and pull off a revenge. The overplanned and shot crime might have held my interest if the heist were easier to follow, no, wait, that wouldn't improve anything, at least not enough.

If by chance you happen to have read the plot summary prior to this review and also kept up with the latest British crime flicks, then please believe me when I say this. Although at first look, this may look to be yet another in a long line of dodgy Uk crime yarns. This film, "Wasteland" , is in fact, the real deal. Being an American, ever since back in 98' when "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" exploded onto the scene, I've been catching everything related to the genre and the locale. In that span of time there has been many brilliant films, but unfortunately there has also been a number of cheap knock offs made for the singular purpose of making a quick buck, again not the case here. First time writer/director Rowan Athale has delivered a fresh, smartly written screenplay and directed it in a slick, exciting manner. As the summary suggests, this formula has been delivered in the past in a variety of techniques. Despite this, Athale has taken his vision, skillfully applied it, combined it with a most capable cast, making for one fun and very engaging film experience.

So as "Wasteland" begins, it introduces Harvey (Luke Treadaway), in a bloody and bruised state, sitting in police custody, across the table from D I West (Timothy Spall). The interrogation by West is just in the beginning stages, we here Harvey is just a fews weeks out of prison after serving a year for innocently taking the fall for a local dealer which for all intents and purposes destroyed his life. Much worse, he's now being held on charges of attempted murder of local businessman Steven Roper, the man responsible for the sinister act that put him in prison in the first place. Before we get to hear much more of the story, the film then rewinds back to when Harvey was picked up from prison by his mate Dempsey, (Iwan Rheon). We are shown the brother like bond he shares with his best mates and the deep set loyalty they have for one another. The group comes up with an ingenious plan to set the record straight once and for all. In the meantime Harvey tries to reconnect with his previous girlfriend Nicola, the stunning (Vanessa Kirby) . What unfolds here is a sometimes funny, exciting, suspenseful and truly engaging story.

This is where I normally would criticize any lows the film may have possessed, such as acting that wasn't believable or up to par, production values that felt low and cinematography or editing that could have been better, but after just catching it again for a second time, I just cannot find any inferior qualities that this film possessed. Instead, I will commend other elements that had a positive affect, one being the sound department, while much of the film was relatively quiet, in the instances where it was used, it managed to provoke emotion and produce a feeling of connection to the film and it's characters. Again, much respect due to Rowan Athale, if this was his first you can count me in for any of his future ventures.

This is a good little movie. I didn't expect it to be as good as this. Found it on Netflix.

I gave this film a chance having read the 10 + positive reviews herein. However, I feel I wasted my time watching it. It reminded me of St Trinian's - the film about the 'mischievous school girls causing havoc''. Nil character building depth - I would go as far as to say that the building of the characters is nestled within the costuming, and the viewer is expected to believe that the characters are urban clever hipsters, with a hoodlum leader who happens to be a criminal mastermind. A rather dizzy & twirling background soundtrack seems to turn itself on every now & then, adding unnecessary noisy to the scripting. It was difficult to take the characters seriously and the plot was ridiculous. A film for teenagers huddled up for a sleep over with crunch sounding popcorn.

My byline up there pretty much sums it up. It an intriguing story, set in motion by a highly resourceful and intelligent lead, to rob a Men's Club, home to illicit drug funds squirrelled away there by the evil villein, whom has greatly wronged the lead. The soundtrack had good uplifting late 90s style rock, plenty of montage (which worked a treat), and the story was told using an easy to follow, and fresh, flashback technique. All the actors gave outstanding performances, working with a fast and often emotional script. It a well written, well put together movie, where all aspects are playing their part to perfection. Yes, there is a little confusion of understanding when, toward the latter half, details are delivered at a probably too quick a clip. But that doesn't dilute one's anticipation and enjoyment. Outstanding, and original, British drama.

Sone top actors in this film but it was really cheesy dull stuff in the main I feel like I've just wasted and hour and a half of my life

I missed this film and caught up with it on Netflix.. What a decent film this is...Lots of twists and turns bit hard to follow but it all comes out at the end... Bit like Pulp Fiction the plot line.. Well worth watching and you would watch it again.. Its on my ship wreck list

This is one of those films, that you say to yourself, "that was not a waste of my time", and would let your mates know about it. It has you captured from the first 10 minutes and keeps you there. There is loads i could say, but just watch it and you will understand, how you just want to give spoilers away just to talk.

I'm very surprised the reviews aren't much better for this film. It's a patient and gripping heist film with real depth to the characters, where friendship and romance feel genuine. The acting is excellent, and covers the couple of moments where suspension of disbelief is necessary, which they are in any tall tale. The storytelling is tight, the urban Yorkshire settings beautifully filmed, and there are some lovely lingering detail shots. There's no rushing about in this film, and the tension builds naturally as a result. The stakes are realistic, and while the violence is brutal, it's not graphic or excessive. A really, really good film.

Good thriller gangster romp... heartbreaking and hearthwarming ... made me smile

As the credits rolled at the end of this movie I felt a sense of surprise more than anything. Surprised that 'The Rise' was a very good film, exceeding my expectations in every way. A hidden gem almost, a film that I had not heard of until I saw it on Netflix. I am a fan of the genre; the British 'indie' scene is one that I usually enjoy.

This movie is marketed as a heist & revenge movie, which is exactly what it is, but it is not your run of the mill heist flick. It is a powerful, gripping & gritty drama with a great solid plot, good characters & superb acting.

It starts very well, throwing you into the story, the lead character is being interviewed by a detective and he begins to tell the story, showing the viewer how he came to be in that situation. The movie does go down a few gears through the middle of the film but then picks up pace and the final 30-40 minutes are fantastic. I won't ruin anything, but the end of the film is very, very enjoyable. The acting is superb; you genuinely feel for the characters and certainly take sides between the good and bad. The 4 main lads are all convincing and portray their own characters well. There is definitely chemistry between the 4 leads and they do have a realistic, relatable relationship.

One negative I have is that I thought the relationship/girlfriend storyline was a little unnecessary but it is something we have come to expect in almost every film nowadays. To give credit though, it was kept to a minimum and acted more as a sub plot rather than taking centre stage throughout.

I'm not going to say much more as I don't want to give anything away. I'm not sure why this film is so hidden, it never took off and never went mainstream. I know there was a delay in releasing it and it also underwent a title change from 'Wastelands' to 'The Rise'. Overall it is a very impressive film from a novice director/writer with good acting from all the young and upcoming British stars.

8/10