Deviation (2012) User Reviews

Alas poor Danny, I knew him well

[bowmanblue · 3/10 · 4 March 2015]

Danny Dyer is an enigma. A man not particularly... well, anything at all, and yet he still has a loyal fan base and, even more surprisingly than that, a career.

The only thing weirder, is why I keep watching his films. The Business and Severence were excellent (and I will admit to also like Doghouse), plus he did one about football hooliganism which was just about okay, but pretty much everything else he's done is terrible.

If you read the blurb it says, and I quote: "NERVE-SHREDDING TERROR... DANNY DYER AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE Prepare yourself for one of the most terrifying films of the year. An all-action, adrenaline-fueled bloodbath" I have to wonder why no one's reported the film-makers for false advertising. Perhaps because no one has actually bothered to watch the films? Dyer plays an escaped nut-job who kidnaps a middle class mum and drives her around London while he flips from being nice then nasty to her. Everywhere they stop she tries to escape and fails. Will she get away in the end? I defy many people to actually care.

I like horror and thrillers and there are some real low budget gems out there (try 'Mum and Dad'), but this is not one of them. Repetitive, badly-written and not particularly well acted either.

Avoid.

very disappointing

[double_dee-1 · 3/10 · 29 February 2012]

I felt I had to review this movie to warn other Danny Dyer fans what to expect. Danny unfortunately has been given another cr***y role in yet another cr***y movie.He plays an unconvincing psychopath who has escaped from Broadmoor and taken hostage a female doctor. He kidnaps her in her car and so begins and loooong boring journey into the night with scenes of killing people,random wide eyed stares and crying over the bodies. The female lead is also pants and I could think of plenty of other brilliant British actresses who could have done a lot better job....it seems nobody probably wanted the role. I am a huge Danny Dyer fan but not since Dead Man Running has Danny kept me interested in his movie. He doesn't like to be typecast but after this tripe and Pimp I suggest you do stick with the hardman roles as you play them well.....either that or the comedy horrors such as Doghouse and Severance. Turned off after an hour ...

Terrible acting and amateurish direction

[rodincs · 3/10 · 28 February 2012]

This film is full of badly thought-out ideas and is very unrealistic. For instance, Danny's character hijacks a man's car and locks the owner in the boot of a hatchback... it would take the guy seconds to pop up out of the boot and into the main part of the car... Pretty stupid really. Also Danny is very unconvincing in the role as a psychopath, relying on grins, wide-eyed expressions and mood swings to convey his insanity. It looks like something made by teenagers whose only experience of psychos is low-budget thrillers, just like this one. I wouldn't recommend this film to anyone. Give it a miss, you aren't losing out on anything worthwhile!

Oh dear Danny Dyer

[rocketryanmalone · 1/10 · 21 March 2012]

Can't believe I actually just watched this until the end. This film is bad, really bad, bad acting, bad script. I don't know why Danny Dyer even bothers taking films like this.

Half way through I actually thought it was a comedy, the characters are so dull and as for the guy at the petrol station and the policeman omg. It looked as if the makers had just grabbed people off the street and told them to read a few lines.

Don't bother with this film complete waste of time

I actually think this has finished him as an actor looks like he's only doing it for the money, mind you I don't even think he should be paid after watching this.

totally scientifically inaccurate

[thepinkrabbit · 2/10 · 1 March 2012]

I was very very disappointed by the end of this movie. It's totally science fiction. So here it is : the girl who is a nurse put 24 tablets of some benzodiazepine in the whiskey bottle. She says when the guy realizes there is something wrong with him that "he's dying from kidney failure, because she drugs him with 24 tablets which dissolve quickly and are tasteless". this is absolutely rubbish : If she is a nurse, she would have known that 24 pills of any kind of benzodiazepine would absolutely not kill a grown man like him. This is just a medical fact. Of course they don't tell us what kind of benzodiazepine it is. We can imagine it's bromazepam as it's prescribed to fight anxiety. Those tablets don't dissolve quickly ( any tablet on the uk market is full of different expedients mostly to avoid injection use in case of benzodiazepine )and are very bitter. Then she kills the guy with the little "toothbrush razors" right in the heart : if you look at the weapon you know for sure it's technically impossible to pierce through warm winter clothes and insert it completely in the heart. So this movie is really for people having absolutely no knowledge at all in medicine but even then, the fact that we see the girl taking out all the tabs lead us immediately to understand she is going to poison the guy thus destroying the " revelation". In a word awful movie.

Rubbish!!!

[mjr82 · 1/10 · 27 February 2012]

IMO, This film shouldn't have been made at all, it wasn't one of Danny's best!

In-fact i think it's his worst one yet and i predict that it will never be watched more than once by anyone, it's that sort of film, it's very boring and nothing really happens, it's the same thing all the way through the film, and the end was terrible, I was expecting more violence, better acting from all actors and a better story line!

Granted, Danny dyer plays quite a good insane person, but his acting shines through more when he plays gangster type roles or hard man acting roles!

Stick to what you do best Danny, the hard man acting works, this doesn't!

A catastrophe of a film

[rjpbishop · 1/10 · 6 March 2012]

I'm a pretty big Danny Dyer film fan, sadly, he ticked no boxes with this role. There was no physiological tension between the two of them, the spaces between were of uncomfortable silence, not suspense. I thought Danny Dyer took this character of Norton to far, it was unconvincing. By 30 minutes in I wanted to turn off, the first Dyer film to do that to me, but I didn't want to waste my £3.80 that I payed to Sky Bob Office, 90minutes of my life I won't get back, and that's not even starting on the ending. Regardless of if what ''Amber'' gave ''Norton'' is realistic or not ''her being a nurse and all..'' is irrelevant, it's more the sheer terrible decision to end it that way, to even include that in the plot. The acting from the other guys is a little left to be desired to, the guy who attacked Norton in the street with a bit of wood, looked like he was tickling him..

Awful.

Possibly the slowest movie you can see

[jackmeat · 3/10 · 31 July 2013]

Well, this movie was bad. I thought the premise sounded decent enough; "Told over one horrifying night, Deviation will take you on a white- knuckle journey into the mind of Frank Norton" OK Frank (Danny Dyer) is an escaped murderer. Good start, and he takes a Amber (Anna Walton) hostage. So far, you have a movie brewing. WRONG. After this, it is boredom of silence in between Frank killing people in boring ways for no apparent reason. The film is basically kill scene followed by 15 minutes of silence, repeat, etc. This could be OK if a few things happened like quality kills, or down time of speaking about the "why" thing in his head or some form of humor. NOPE. The acting is so plain it is frightening, and the camera work is subpar for a young child. I must say it is entirely possible the plot was written on a napkin at a bar the night before. Do yourself a favor, avoid. 3.2/10

Deviation Is a Good Thriller

[knitflick · 7/10 · 14 March 2012]

I really enjoyed watching Deviation. The story, the acting, and the mood fit perfectly. Such a treat watching Danny Dyer play a different role. His performance as Franky reminds me of Brad Pitt's character in in Kalifornia: one minute charming & childlike but can turn violently angry in the next. I had only seen Anna Watson in Hellboy 2 and as Amber, she was good in this movie as well.

The story is well written and utterly believable. This is not an action movie but a slow burning thriller. The creepiest scene for me involved hair stroking. We are rooting for Amber throughout the whole film and during each scene we can imagine ourselves acting & reacting exactly the way she does. Just like the movies Red Eye, Cellular, and Phone Booth, the focus is on 2 characters in a nightmare situation and the hero/heroine is a regular person, so the audience is watching how someone realistically copes to save him/herself.

ANOTHER ABDUCTION FILM

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 13 August 2018]

Anna Walton stars as nurse Amber. She is introduced while walking and talking on a cell phone. The one sided conversation is annoying. When she is abducted by psycho killer Frank Norton (Danny Dyer) I was hoping for her early demise. Such was not the case. The movie consists mostly of these two individuals in a car playing mind games with each other. Everyone who tries to help Amber gets killed, almost to the point of being comical. The ending has a nice twist (pay attention during the film), but it is debatable if it was worth dragging through the entire film. Good acting. Might work as a rental if you like abduction films.

F-bomb, no sex, or nudity.

I will be watching this again!

[dimsumsunday · 9/10 · 1 March 2012]

My OH ordered this film on Bluray as he loves Danny Dyer. Although I have never been the biggest Dyer fan, I was pulled into this story straight away - it was scary and tense and I just wanted Amber to get away from Frankie.

In my opinion, Danny Dyer played this different character really well and Anna Walton was very good as the kidnapped nurse trying to keep ahead of him. There were a few moments that made me feel a bit queasy and uneasy but that shows they did what they were meant to. The weirdest thing for me was I felt sorry for Frankie at the end, making me think quite a lot about it. That to me, is the sign of a decent film.

I will most definitely be watching this film again, as will my OH who also enjoyed it a lot.

Danny Dyer psychopath

[ArchieIsCool · 7/10 · 13 March 2012]

I enjoyed this film, because Danny Dyer is a superb actor and played the psycho Frankie really well that I could see that he was a troubled person with inner demons.

The actress in the lead was also good and the two played off each other well. Frankie escapes from prison and hijacks the girls car and threatens her with his razor and ties her up by one wrist with some plastic bind, then off he drives with her telling her hes going to Kent to an airfield to get a plane to fly off.

On their route they come across people who get in Frankie's way and he kills them including a fan of his who follows them and hits a policeman who is questioning Frankie and for his help Frankie cuts his throat! Frankie takes a shine to the girl and tells her of his life and his problems, at a petrol station while hes buying petrol the girl writes a help note and sticks it in a makeup purse and leaves it on the ground hoping someone will help her, but this bloke steals the money and dumps the purse down a grate.

The girl does escape but Frankie gets her in the end and off they drive again until he wants to change the car and she stops a passer by and Frankie puts him in the boot of the old car and they steal this man's car, luckily for her she finds the man's mobile and rings her husband and tells him everything while Frankie's in a shop.

Frankie of course finds out and is not pleased thinking she likes him so off they go again, she then has some pills for panic attacks and asks him for them and while pretending to swig it she spits it into the bottle and it dissolves then Frankie swigs it and starts to feel weird, he stops the car in the middle of nowhere and there's a chase and she tells him what shes done and that he has not got long to live thanks to these pills to which he feels worse and the ending is she stabs him with his razor and kills him.

One of Dyer's Worst

[daniel-mannouch · 2/10 · 14 February 2020]

The landan cant film gov cant gov. Too many to note. Too many to get ashamed about. The kind of films that only get made because some guy lives next door to someone's agent who then knows a guy who knows another guy who can get a production house discount. A film made out of convenience rather than enthusiasm and that is evident from how painfully slow Deviation is, i mean damn. Nothing happens in this film.

Danny Dyer, in one of the most miscast roles of his cinematic career, takes a nurse hostage and just terrifies her then for the next ninety minutes. Cue some chintzy hope spots and run ins from superfluous and poorly acted supporting characters, artless cinematography and an oversaturated colour palette.

Deviation is just as terrible as it's one sheet suggests. Danny Dyer was brought onto this production it seems just for purely economic reasons and the film suffers greatly from this choice. Dyer is good at playing a certain type, but that type is sure as hell not an en quote "complex" schizophrenic killer.

Dyer is terrible in this film and Anna Walton doesn't fare so well either as his co-star. They are not helped by the insipid screenplay which incites no engaging drama and its social commentary is lazy and has no value apart from unintentional parody. Deviation is a cheap psycho thriller with an awful central performance from Dyer who admittedly only had lazily written and poorly researched material to work with and is just as irrelevant now as it was eight years ago.

How about a nice lemonade?......

[FlashCallahan · 5/10 · 26 March 2012]

Told over one night, a white-knuckle journey into the mind of Frank Norton, a dangerous schizophrenic murderer as he escapes from Broadmoor Hospital and embarks on a murderous rampage across London.

But when Frank takes a hostage, the deadly game of cat-and-mouse truly begins......

You get what you pay for when you see a movie with Danny Dyer in it, namely Danny Dyer.

His surname does resemble some of the movies he has made, and this contribution, is nothing special, it does divert for the running time.

Dyer plays Dyer, albeit a strange twisted creature, one who for some reason takes on a strange accent every now and again, and he kidnaps a Nurse, and the plunder through plot holes until the predictable climax.

If you like Dyer, you probably will lap this up, if like me, you tolerate him, you will watch the film, think 'why didn't she do this/that/the other' and forget it in an instant.

Not as bad as what the critics say, not as good as Dyer fans say it is.

Danny Dyer makes it work

[michaelt281702085 · 3/10 · 20 January 2014]

Danny Dyer, like Michael Cain, seems to suit every role he plays. Don't read any more if you don't want to know about this film.

Basically this movie is not so much action packed. It is just Danny Danny acting the bad guy, which I don't like. I found this movie less than engrossing, but none the less very real.

Danny Dyer kidnaps a woman, goes on the run in her car, and she ends up spiking his drink, and she knifes him.

She then walks away with Danny Dyer lying on the ground, dead.

This movie reveals to me how easy Danny Danny, like Michael Cain, seems to fit every role he takes. But I still don't like him playing the bad guy.

Blimey!

[nickbamber100 · 9/10 · 2 March 2012]

What a film this is. I thought it was brilliant. Danny Dyer plays a nutter on the run who kidnaps an innocent nurse. The nurse is princess Nuala in Hellboy 2. She's also very good as she tries to escape from him all night long. The film is also about the psychological game between the two of them. There is also some pretty good twists throughout the film (check out the Vespa guy... It's a classic. Or the stuff happening in the shack.)

Not a perfect film but if you like gritty stories, then this is one for you. Moral of the story? Lock your car door because you really don't want Danny Dyer in your car after dark...

Creepy, atmospheric, too subtle for gore-fans who prefer blood & guts over character

[Arielsgift99 · 9/10 · 29 February 2012]

Not really a Danny Dyer fan but I watched Severance on the telly a couple of weeks ago and thought he was pretty good in that, then saw this was coming out on Twitter, so thought I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

And glad I did! Think he does a great job of the RIGHT weirdo he plays here. He's nothing like your average psycho. And Amber is a great female character! Not a wimp at all, falling down screaming etc. Played by Anna Walton who I've not really seen before, but will definitely look out for in future. London looks great in this film too, some really nice outside shots across the city. And I loved the music, really added to the atmosphere.

I'd recommend this film to anyone whose looking for something thrilling, that still cares about it's characters. SAW etc this ain't!!!

Brilliant psychological thriller!!!

[London_Movie_Buff · 10/10 · 28 February 2012]

This isn't a movie full of blood with an out of control psycho. More of a psychological thriller. Very gripping and scary as psychopath Frankie (Danny Dyer) abducts nurse Amber (Anna Walton) in her car and she attempts to escape. Danny Dyer is brilliant as a love-starved man-child. Anna Walton's understated performance in the face of adversity is compelling. Great photography (very urban and gritty), great locations (London's underbelly is magnificent in a poetic way), subtle work from the director...

The film had me on the edge of my seat. If you want a gory, OTT film, this is not the one for you. If you want a smart, psychological thriller, see it!!!

Wow what a film !

[petaluda12 · 8/10 · 28 February 2012]

Just watched this - I was glad to see Danny in a more serious role than his usual cheeky 'gangster' parts and he acts very well in this film. He does pull off a great performance.

There are some truly scary moments and I can imagine the cold reality of being in Anna's shoes as she struggles to reason and escape from her kidnapper.It's not until the very end of the film that you work out Anna's game in a great twist.

The most terrifying scene takes place in a cupboard, I won't say anymore, but it will give me nightmares for sure !

Compelling stuff. Highly recommended.

Cat and mouse psychodrama with a clever role reversal

[north-bay · 9/10 · 8 March 2012]

Deviation is truly mesmerising viewing, depicting a battle of wits between an on-the-run psychopath and a nurse. The story is impossible to predict, as it twists and turns towards its unexpected climax.

Danny Dyer is compelling as the troubled escapee, who wants to start a new life, but circumstances, during the course of the film, do their utmost to thwart him.

Anna Walton, as the hostage, imbues her role with intelligence and resolve, hoping to find a crack in her captor's armour.

The desolate urban locations were well chosen, adding a bleak impersonal backdrop to the tense human drama.

J. K. Amalou directs with poise and assurance, drawing nicely controlled performances from his two leads.

This is a great psychological thriller, well worth watching.