Intriguing little scocio-polical movie that reminded me of the early works of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie. It's a little brutal at times and quite funny at other's, and it is well acted. Not great but not terrible, it's okay for a Netflix selection.
20 Reviews
Rip off of a Clockwork Orange
tsb-6826129 January 2019
Entertainingly violent and smart satire of class struggle.
JohnDeSando17 March 2018
"It's called class war for a reason," says Danny (Jack Roth). "There has to be victims on both sides."
Us and Them represents that class warfare with a mixture of Straw Dogs and Tarantino. You're right; it's a bloody business with Danny and his two working-class goons invading a Brit upper-class home to seek redress for the social injustices of the 1% taking from the blue-class stiffs for the upper crust's advantage.
But there's also ample humor in the invaders stumbling over themselves, Marx Bros. and Marx style, to pull off a mostly ill-conceived invasion (a BB gun??). Heading this gang that can't shoot straight is Roth's superb performance as the tough but conflicted Danny. It's an amusing and sardonic and poignant satire.
Given he's Tim Roth's son, not only can we expect a performance so gritty as to immediately reveal he has no acting school to weigh him down. (Also, he reminds me of the versatile Jack Plotnick, whose talents extend from acting to writing and directing as well.)
Besides Roth's presence are the stylized set-ups and performances perfected by Guy Ritchie and the sardonic asides of Quentin Tarantino's rough-hewn tough guys. Kudos to writer/director Joe Martin for catching Brit blue collar frustrations and the unfathomable gulf between the wealthy and the rest of the world's blokes.
Although Us and Them plays to the global divide between the haves and the have-nots, it goes much deeper to satirize the dangers of narrow extremism on either side of that divide.
Us and Them represents that class warfare with a mixture of Straw Dogs and Tarantino. You're right; it's a bloody business with Danny and his two working-class goons invading a Brit upper-class home to seek redress for the social injustices of the 1% taking from the blue-class stiffs for the upper crust's advantage.
But there's also ample humor in the invaders stumbling over themselves, Marx Bros. and Marx style, to pull off a mostly ill-conceived invasion (a BB gun??). Heading this gang that can't shoot straight is Roth's superb performance as the tough but conflicted Danny. It's an amusing and sardonic and poignant satire.
Given he's Tim Roth's son, not only can we expect a performance so gritty as to immediately reveal he has no acting school to weigh him down. (Also, he reminds me of the versatile Jack Plotnick, whose talents extend from acting to writing and directing as well.)
Besides Roth's presence are the stylized set-ups and performances perfected by Guy Ritchie and the sardonic asides of Quentin Tarantino's rough-hewn tough guys. Kudos to writer/director Joe Martin for catching Brit blue collar frustrations and the unfathomable gulf between the wealthy and the rest of the world's blokes.
Although Us and Them plays to the global divide between the haves and the have-nots, it goes much deeper to satirize the dangers of narrow extremism on either side of that divide.
POINTLESS AND REPULSIVE
salfan214 March 2018
Film school grads who want to do crime thrillers should look to Huston, Hitchcock and Don Siegel as much as they look to Ritchie and Tarantino. This is a triumph of slo-mo, shock cuts and lousy dialogue over genuinely intriguing content.
A putative class-warfare underpining is the excuse for torture and mayhem.
There is vistually no humor here at all, espceially for a theoretic "dark comedy".
The acting is fairly good, I'd like to see the cast with a decent script and director.
But this waste of time and talent ain't it.
GOOD FILM..QUIRKY ENDING BUT ALL THROUGH OUT IT HOLDS IT'S FORM
tkaine310 April 2018
This film has great pacing good acting and intriguing cinematography.
DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE REVIEWS KNOCKING THIS WELL THOUGHT OUT Home Invasion. Hidden between many layers reveals a film that poignantly depicts the mindset of those who have and the have nots.. The film is also a dark comedy but plays it well not to disrupt the pacing. Camera angles are also a delight when watching this film, It's a pretty straight forward movie so I won't go any further and spoil the film but it's definitely worth a watch.. Through out the entirety I was engaged , Though there was a scene or two at mid point that didn't seem to believable because it would of attracted to much attention for them to pull it off. And like I said in the header at the very end the movie kind of morphed into the dark comedy element which was kind of jolting but when you add it all up gives you a great amount of good film thats worth sitting down and setting some time aside for. so I give this a GOOD MOVIE rating.
DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE REVIEWS KNOCKING THIS WELL THOUGHT OUT Home Invasion. Hidden between many layers reveals a film that poignantly depicts the mindset of those who have and the have nots.. The film is also a dark comedy but plays it well not to disrupt the pacing. Camera angles are also a delight when watching this film, It's a pretty straight forward movie so I won't go any further and spoil the film but it's definitely worth a watch.. Through out the entirety I was engaged , Though there was a scene or two at mid point that didn't seem to believable because it would of attracted to much attention for them to pull it off. And like I said in the header at the very end the movie kind of morphed into the dark comedy element which was kind of jolting but when you add it all up gives you a great amount of good film thats worth sitting down and setting some time aside for. so I give this a GOOD MOVIE rating.
Utterly Terrible
barrywebsteris12 July 2018
Watch this film.
kamau-1526714 May 2018
I knew nothing about this movie when i sat down to watch it, so i had no expectations. But from opening moments i found myself completely engaged by the acting, and interested in the characters Strait away. The film is a truly brilliant thriller that holds your breath from the first minute to the last. Everybody's not gonna be Happy about How they have built up the explosive finale, But i liked it. No problems with that kind of approach, at least in This case.
Having said that, I enjoyed the movie very much i highly recommend every thriller fan to see it.
Having said that, I enjoyed the movie very much i highly recommend every thriller fan to see it.
Exploitative nonsense for the white van man....
FlashCallahan26 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Danny, a member of the working class, is angry and frustrated at the rough deal he faces.
When he confronts Conrad, a member of today's privileged elite, he aims to teach him and his kind a lesson they will never forget.
Holding Conrad and his family hostage, Danny and his pals force Conrad into a deadly game of chance.
Danny's master plan is to kick-start a revolution by streaming attacks against the super-rich one percent on the web.
His ultimate goal? To terrify the elite into bringing about change.
Danny's cohorts, however, have other ideas........
So forgive me if i'm wrong then, Danny has it against the elite because he never really achieved anything at school? Never had any ambition? Is it the elites fault that he most probably sat on his backside all day watching mind numbing TV and propaganda on social network sites before the pub opened?
Give me a break Mr. Film maker.
The writer of this filth certainly has a chip on their shoulder about something, whether it be the impending change the UK is facing, or other political propaganda, the film does nothing more than to titillate people who have been given a 'raw deal' with life.
It's not a rich persons fault, no matter how many flashy edits and flashbacks you can put in a film. Life can be hard sometimes, but why should you pick on the rich? Envy is a cardinal sin, and making the rich suffer for your hardship just makes you look like the desperate fool you are.
There's no subliminal message here about government revelations, it's just a piece of trash like The Sun newspaper to give the loud wideboys down the pub something to talk about other than football and women to make them believe they have a bit of culture.
do yourself a favour mate, avoid this pap, it'll just make you more angry at a world that you have no right to be angry with in the first place.
One of the most offensive pieces of 'film' I have ever seen.
Next time, have some salt for that chip, and then go and get some humble pie.
When he confronts Conrad, a member of today's privileged elite, he aims to teach him and his kind a lesson they will never forget.
Holding Conrad and his family hostage, Danny and his pals force Conrad into a deadly game of chance.
Danny's master plan is to kick-start a revolution by streaming attacks against the super-rich one percent on the web.
His ultimate goal? To terrify the elite into bringing about change.
Danny's cohorts, however, have other ideas........
So forgive me if i'm wrong then, Danny has it against the elite because he never really achieved anything at school? Never had any ambition? Is it the elites fault that he most probably sat on his backside all day watching mind numbing TV and propaganda on social network sites before the pub opened?
Give me a break Mr. Film maker.
The writer of this filth certainly has a chip on their shoulder about something, whether it be the impending change the UK is facing, or other political propaganda, the film does nothing more than to titillate people who have been given a 'raw deal' with life.
It's not a rich persons fault, no matter how many flashy edits and flashbacks you can put in a film. Life can be hard sometimes, but why should you pick on the rich? Envy is a cardinal sin, and making the rich suffer for your hardship just makes you look like the desperate fool you are.
There's no subliminal message here about government revelations, it's just a piece of trash like The Sun newspaper to give the loud wideboys down the pub something to talk about other than football and women to make them believe they have a bit of culture.
do yourself a favour mate, avoid this pap, it'll just make you more angry at a world that you have no right to be angry with in the first place.
One of the most offensive pieces of 'film' I have ever seen.
Next time, have some salt for that chip, and then go and get some humble pie.
Us - Those Who Hated It. Them - The Few Who liked It.
clintstevens26 July 2018
The one word that describes this dumazz movie is 'pointless'.
OK, we get that many 'have-nots' hate the 'haves'. For the 99% who struggle, this tripe is insulting. I won't spoil any of the plot, because it is obvious just reading the description what will take place. Not only do these low-lifes hate the rich, they also hate themselves.
Why anyone would give this film a 10 is beyond understanding. A complete waste of time; a story that could have been told in 20 minutes is stretched out to nearly 90. Don't waste your time.
OK, we get that many 'have-nots' hate the 'haves'. For the 99% who struggle, this tripe is insulting. I won't spoil any of the plot, because it is obvious just reading the description what will take place. Not only do these low-lifes hate the rich, they also hate themselves.
Why anyone would give this film a 10 is beyond understanding. A complete waste of time; a story that could have been told in 20 minutes is stretched out to nearly 90. Don't waste your time.
Food for thought
talktothebody17 September 2019
An extra point earnt for two tracks by The Damned in the soundtrack. One or two low reviews by others almost stopped me watching this movie but as I'm a curious soul it spurned me on to watch it and find out myself and I'm glad I did. Sure the movie could have been better, twice as long but it didn't have to be, the point had already been made. The obscene, grotesque wealth gap of the social divide has been widening for many decades to the point where food banks are a lifestyle for those who have nothing, It's depressing stuff but it's real life for many and the injustice of it all is sickening. Is the movie believable, could it really happen?.., perhaps but hopefully not, it does however serve as a reminder that there's a limit a person can take when they feel they have nothing left to live for. It's a shame someone reviewed this movie as only being suitable for the white van man. I think it's a movie that tests a person's perception of reality and ignorance
So bad it's not even bad
xhidden9915 July 2018
It's unworthy of any attention at all. This is garbage it's anti art. It's annoying background noise. Everyone involved in the production of this should drown themselves. Every copy of this movie should be deleted and burned. Every cineemaah critic who liked it should blind themselves. This is the new gold standard for awful.
Is it a comedy?
darren-153-8908109 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Take elements of an all time classic, including classical music, disengaged youth, violence and redemption. Add some terrible acting, a very poor script, unbelievable characters and some comedy. What do you get? One of the worst movies of the year. Not even a Sleaford Mods soundtrack can save it.
This whole movie feels like it was written and directed them. (A Rich posho) stereotyping the working class to be nothing more than simpletons. Although you can argue Glen was also a simpleton but a posh one. The dialogue and interaction between the characters is absolutely dire. Was it meant to be a comedy of was it really that bad?
This whole movie feels like it was written and directed them. (A Rich posho) stereotyping the working class to be nothing more than simpletons. Although you can argue Glen was also a simpleton but a posh one. The dialogue and interaction between the characters is absolutely dire. Was it meant to be a comedy of was it really that bad?
Spellbinding
jlc-429217 November 2018
Jack Roth is outstanding in this film and his performance, together with Tim Bentinck's carries this thriller. Some humorous one liners. Current films do not deal with the issues of the widening social divide and the disenfranchised so this film is refreshing albeit a bit raw. Overall I enjoyed it and it gave much food for thought.
Must watch
deepakmehta-194948 November 2018
If you're privileged you won't like this, if you've ever struggled...
fahimabegum-162959 January 2019
The perfect microcosm for the class war. Gritty, real and intriguing. Jack Roth was outstanding. His character was the perfect working class mouthpiece albeit quite severe. The Best of British cinema. Witty and intelligent the perfect dark political drama comedy. A relatable representation of the working classes fustrations. Not represented as complacent Roth's character pushes the class war in the opposite direction. A true piece of British cinematic genius. The film I've been waiting for.
excellent movie, Jack Roth comes of age:)
lightbeing-4826113 July 2018
Whether you are rich or poor, you can emphasise with this movie. I was gripped early on, realising that this is again some of the "best of British"... Myself growing up alongside the punk era, Tim Roth was an icon in "Made in Britain". Hence, Jack Roth is uncanny in appearance and sound whereby you can hear and see Tim in so much of what Jack portrays. The filming was excellent, the cast was perfect and although it was close to the truth, it's only a movie ;) What I felt was glimmers of a revolution or upheaval when facing the real struggles of day to day life of being working class and discarded like chattel... Simply stated this is social commentary in the moment and on point... Both clever, witty and able to see the perspective from alternate aspects. What I felt was this is just the beginning and a prologue to more in depth work to come. It feels like a revolution of consciousness that spans out into potential reality, that people wake up and work to the cause of equilibrium and a more just society of self governing...
A movie which provides food for thought
janicelcriqui19 April 2018
A provocative British crime thriller framed within the pathology of the British class system
schiarantano18 April 2022
Us and Them (2017), written and directed by Joe Martin, is a British crime drama and thriller.
It's a film that dramatizes the life of an angry, working class, young man's attempts to affect some kind of change and seek retribution against the 1 % set against the pathology of the British class system. The film is well-crafted and helped by superb acting, an excellent script, terrific cinematography, and film editing.
The non-linear narrative of the crime and the simmering tensions and hostility amongst the characters are juxtaposed against the anti-hero's motivation, selected aspects of his backstory, and the plotting of the crime alone and together with his accomplices. It is full of twists and turns which fuel the narrative and create dramatic tension.
Martin weaves together many visual elements to create an intriguing film. Close ups and medium angle shots are interspersed with wide angle shots and aerial shots, and he uses interstitial titles to structure the film. The film is shot in color and includes black and white photography, voice over, underwater footage, super imposed images, the use of filters, zooms, fades to black, video footage, freeze frames, split screens, mise-en-scene long takes and fast paced editing, slow motion, the framing of scenes incorporating windows, and car mirrors, and backlit scenes to create a visually powerful film.
The film includes a touch of the famous British humour involving Glen (Paul Westwood) in the tool shed. I particularly like the shooting of the video documentary in the film and incorporating a close up of Danny's face framed within the video camera display in the foreground with his persona, out of focus, in the background. The film is comprised of a series of riveting scenes that give the film depth and complexity. They include the scenes involving the gun pointed at the camera in and out of focus juxtaposed with Danny's face in and out of focus, the dramatization of Conrad's and Danny's thoughts and feelings during Danny's interrogation of Conrad, and the juxtaposition of the pool scene involving Conrad and Danny and Danny's backstory about his dad. And the film is filled with memorable lines including "we all fuck; we all shit; we all die." The crime drama is superbly acted and Jack Roth's portrayal of Danny is intensive and riveting and he is matched in the performance of his nemesis, Conrad, played by Tim Bentinck. Martin creates an intimate and accessible portrait of Danny, an out of control young man, simmering with anger and hostility. I'd like to single out Andrew Tiernan's outstanding performance. He plays Tommy, Danny's mate and an accomplice. The scene involving him and Conrad in the upstairs bathroom sent shivers down my spine.
Are British dramatic crime thrillers your cup of tea? Well, if they are, then, you're in for a treat with Us and Them. It's a provocative film framed within the pathology of the British class system. It's an intriguing film that held my attention.
It's a film that dramatizes the life of an angry, working class, young man's attempts to affect some kind of change and seek retribution against the 1 % set against the pathology of the British class system. The film is well-crafted and helped by superb acting, an excellent script, terrific cinematography, and film editing.
The non-linear narrative of the crime and the simmering tensions and hostility amongst the characters are juxtaposed against the anti-hero's motivation, selected aspects of his backstory, and the plotting of the crime alone and together with his accomplices. It is full of twists and turns which fuel the narrative and create dramatic tension.
Martin weaves together many visual elements to create an intriguing film. Close ups and medium angle shots are interspersed with wide angle shots and aerial shots, and he uses interstitial titles to structure the film. The film is shot in color and includes black and white photography, voice over, underwater footage, super imposed images, the use of filters, zooms, fades to black, video footage, freeze frames, split screens, mise-en-scene long takes and fast paced editing, slow motion, the framing of scenes incorporating windows, and car mirrors, and backlit scenes to create a visually powerful film.
The film includes a touch of the famous British humour involving Glen (Paul Westwood) in the tool shed. I particularly like the shooting of the video documentary in the film and incorporating a close up of Danny's face framed within the video camera display in the foreground with his persona, out of focus, in the background. The film is comprised of a series of riveting scenes that give the film depth and complexity. They include the scenes involving the gun pointed at the camera in and out of focus juxtaposed with Danny's face in and out of focus, the dramatization of Conrad's and Danny's thoughts and feelings during Danny's interrogation of Conrad, and the juxtaposition of the pool scene involving Conrad and Danny and Danny's backstory about his dad. And the film is filled with memorable lines including "we all fuck; we all shit; we all die." The crime drama is superbly acted and Jack Roth's portrayal of Danny is intensive and riveting and he is matched in the performance of his nemesis, Conrad, played by Tim Bentinck. Martin creates an intimate and accessible portrait of Danny, an out of control young man, simmering with anger and hostility. I'd like to single out Andrew Tiernan's outstanding performance. He plays Tommy, Danny's mate and an accomplice. The scene involving him and Conrad in the upstairs bathroom sent shivers down my spine.
Are British dramatic crime thrillers your cup of tea? Well, if they are, then, you're in for a treat with Us and Them. It's a provocative film framed within the pathology of the British class system. It's an intriguing film that held my attention.
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