Spoilers but not plot specific. An odd little film this, starts out a thought piece about money lending and ends up a home invasion movie. It nearly hits it mark and it's nice to see a well produced UK film - but feels like a writing exercise by two writers that have very different ideas about what the film is going to be. Both films would have been decent on their own and to further add to the confused feel there is a claymation gory post credits scene. It would be interesting to hear what the producers of the film have to say about the tone they were going for. I watched this film on UK Netflix, stick it on and have a look for yourself, it will fill a late Saturday night nicely. I wouldn't be concerned about the low score reviews and rants if you know it ends up a home invasion trope you won't end up as angry as those reviewers.
17 Reviews
Nice try
iandaddio8 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This film had the potential to be a gritty realism movie about lone sharking. But the end product is an overly long overly emotionalised meandering pastiche of This is England and Eden Lake with a bit of Essex Boys thrown in for good measure.
And that for me is this film's problem, it starts off as a well constructed idea which then over plays it's hand. With less of the character building and emotional narrative supposed anchors; the autistic son is an irrelevant attempt at emotionally blackmailing the audience that fails.
The only worthy piece of acting comes from Jonathan Slinger, whose Mr Nice Guy act is genuinely believable; as is his sadistic alter ego.
The two female leads are so over developed in the start of the movie that they quickly become self parodies, more so in case of the supposed street wise and sassy Bex.
This means that the well constructed start rapidly becomes directionless and erratic in both plot progression and plot cohesion. However, the saving grace is the sheer brutality of the closing scenes. Although gratuitous, the violence is held within context of story and ability of protagonists.
Overall a nice try hence the seven stars
And that for me is this film's problem, it starts off as a well constructed idea which then over plays it's hand. With less of the character building and emotional narrative supposed anchors; the autistic son is an irrelevant attempt at emotionally blackmailing the audience that fails.
The only worthy piece of acting comes from Jonathan Slinger, whose Mr Nice Guy act is genuinely believable; as is his sadistic alter ego.
The two female leads are so over developed in the start of the movie that they quickly become self parodies, more so in case of the supposed street wise and sassy Bex.
This means that the well constructed start rapidly becomes directionless and erratic in both plot progression and plot cohesion. However, the saving grace is the sheer brutality of the closing scenes. Although gratuitous, the violence is held within context of story and ability of protagonists.
Overall a nice try hence the seven stars
Gripping dramady
info-3103420 January 2017
Bait is a really cool film about debt collection in a small Yorkshire town, made by a guy who is in the U.K. soap Emmerdale apparently.
What is very clever about the film is the use of women as the victim/aggressors yes there are lots of films like this, but it's all about the way it's done. It's supremely clever, with some really good sub plots, horrific special effects (in a good way) and some absolutely blinding performances from the two leading ladies, one of whom is very courageous as she spends much of the film in her underwear.
I can't explain too much, but this film really is very well put together. It's not perfect, but what is? In the meantime is some very clever story telling, blinding direction and gripping action.
What is very clever about the film is the use of women as the victim/aggressors yes there are lots of films like this, but it's all about the way it's done. It's supremely clever, with some really good sub plots, horrific special effects (in a good way) and some absolutely blinding performances from the two leading ladies, one of whom is very courageous as she spends much of the film in her underwear.
I can't explain too much, but this film really is very well put together. It's not perfect, but what is? In the meantime is some very clever story telling, blinding direction and gripping action.
Small budget big movie.
middleearthmusic20 June 2016
Now considering the budget of this movie was a tiny 180k this puts some of the movies that Hollywood is producing to shame. The script is sharp and the characters are well formed, a little too well formed maybe. The lead psychopath does an excellent job in luring the audience in with his charm, while disguising an underlying darkness that is truly reprobate. His counterparts play their parts equally well with a mixture of desperation and fear. Bottom line the story is very simple but there is enough thrills to keep your attention all the way. Would definitely recommend this. I'm sure everyone in the cast will glean bigger roles thanks to this.
Painful to Watch but Worth it
stephenlgash22 May 2020
This is one of those films where you keep screaming at the TV, call the police. As things slowly get from bad to worse for our heroines. The evil guy in this is pure psycho and the only reason I kept watching, in the hope he'd get a painful death, you'll have to watch to see if I got my wish.
I would recommend this for those with a strong stomach, the violence towards Women is intolerable. As are other violent scenes to an elderly Man and an OAP.
Just watch it so to see the end....
Just watch it so to see the end....
Terrible. No suspense, no scares, just stupid
mike-7713431 August 2015
The first 5 minutes starts off okay, a little slow but good production value, decent dialog. It all goes down hill from there. 35 minutes into it and nothing's happening.
Eventually, the violence starts, but it's so unrealistic and over the top, it's not believable, even within the context of the story.
The violence is really fake too, with everyone getting beat to bloody hell, then walking around sporting a couple band-aids, like they are super-human. Sometimes, even the physics stand out as obviously wrong.
This movie is frankly stupid. As it drags on, even the dialog and filming goes downhill, as if the crew realized just what a bad a movie they were making and gave up on it.
Normally, I try to finish bad movies so I can leave a complete review, but with this one after an hour I had to fast-forward through most of it.
The only reason I gave it two stars in the actors seemed to be trying with what little they were given.
Eventually, the violence starts, but it's so unrealistic and over the top, it's not believable, even within the context of the story.
The violence is really fake too, with everyone getting beat to bloody hell, then walking around sporting a couple band-aids, like they are super-human. Sometimes, even the physics stand out as obviously wrong.
This movie is frankly stupid. As it drags on, even the dialog and filming goes downhill, as if the crew realized just what a bad a movie they were making and gave up on it.
Normally, I try to finish bad movies so I can leave a complete review, but with this one after an hour I had to fast-forward through most of it.
The only reason I gave it two stars in the actors seemed to be trying with what little they were given.
Pretty much the dumbest movie I've ever seen
Neil_OMalley15 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I get that this was done on a low budget. I have no issues with the acting or production values. But the writing! Holy s. It took over an hour to show what a jerk the 'loan shark' was, which was 45 minutes too long and banged you over the head with it, and then *SPOILER* for the two women to prepare to hurt him with....a taser?!?? WTF. No other preparation, other than the blonde getting into a matching bra/panty ensemble and sheer kimono. Seriously? As if the story didn't have enough other gaping holes you could fly a fleet of airplanes through...for example, in an economically depressed town, can you not find someone who'll take the 5,000 pounds to do the dirty work for them? Or even to help them out on the Night of Revenge aka The Ridiculous Night of the Taser, Which Thankfully Worked Out For Them In Spite of Their Joint Stupidity and Lack of Preparation. That the women were so dumb throughout was a real turnoff.
These type of female revenge movies work best when you feel the victims have done everything they can to rectify their situation. All the two women did was continue to beg and plead with a guy who was clearly merciless. ONE attempt to report it to the police...also love that the boyfriend cuts out of town. Yeah, he got hurt, but was their relationship so shallow he would leave her behind to the devices of a psycho? Could the women not have followed baldy and found out about his family? and get creative there?
I'm still shaking my head. A taser. Wouldn't it have been more fun for us, the viewers, if they had booby-trapped the house in preparation for him. What kind of crappy old rope falls apart in half when the brunette is choking baldy with it? And she's strong enough to pull a sink up, over her head, and hit him with it? Huh?
Oh man. I hope, should this director venture forth again, he does a MUCH better script polish before going into production.
These type of female revenge movies work best when you feel the victims have done everything they can to rectify their situation. All the two women did was continue to beg and plead with a guy who was clearly merciless. ONE attempt to report it to the police...also love that the boyfriend cuts out of town. Yeah, he got hurt, but was their relationship so shallow he would leave her behind to the devices of a psycho? Could the women not have followed baldy and found out about his family? and get creative there?
I'm still shaking my head. A taser. Wouldn't it have been more fun for us, the viewers, if they had booby-trapped the house in preparation for him. What kind of crappy old rope falls apart in half when the brunette is choking baldy with it? And she's strong enough to pull a sink up, over her head, and hit him with it? Huh?
Oh man. I hope, should this director venture forth again, he does a MUCH better script polish before going into production.
A compelling & visceral ride
stewsith6 November 2014
I saw this film at it's premiere at the Leeds International Film Festival 2014 and was delighted to find a gripping story with very interesting characters. Both female leads were fantastic in their roles and I was gripped from start to finish. It is a definite step up for Director Dominic Brunt after his directorial debut with Before Dawn (2012) and both the character building and story have improved dramatically. The story is thrilling and the actions of the film's Loan Shark villain are brutal and visceral, often shockingly so. This only adds to the gritty, real world quality the film presents to us. I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good thriller! 10/10
So,so bad..
Eelsdownyourleg21 July 2018
Spoilers follow ...
parry_na11 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This is a hidden gem of a production directed by Dominic Brunt, who in his 'day job' plays Paddy in missable UK soap opera 'Emmerdale'. He has directed a number of horror films, and this one concerns two brassy market stall girls and what happens when they are blackmailed.
To begin with, this runs as a convincingly comedic venture with Bex (Victoria Smurfit) and Dawn (Joanne Mitchell) trying to keep their market stall afloat whilst fending off coarse but pretty hilarious amorous advances of low life customers (including eccentric oddball comedian Charlie Chuck as Nev). They also need to escape the extortion racket carried out by local villain Si (Adam Fogerty). Jeremy (Jonathan Slinger), a smiling charmer enters their lives and appears to have the answer to their problems.
Events twist and the reveals are rarely less than disastrous for the two leads. It seems extreme measures are needed.
The comedy just manages to stay the right side of reality – Bex and Dawn are necessarily sharp-talkers, living in an area crawling with men who simply want them for one thing. They have become 'master of the put-down', and they are extremely witty. When events become darker, and their families (including Dawn's autistic son and eccentric mother played by Rula Lenska) are threatened, it is impossible not to wish Si and his blackmail racket a bloody, gory destruction. Whether or not that happens, is not for me to say – but there's an animated sequence following the end credits that is not to be missed.
Great fun.
To begin with, this runs as a convincingly comedic venture with Bex (Victoria Smurfit) and Dawn (Joanne Mitchell) trying to keep their market stall afloat whilst fending off coarse but pretty hilarious amorous advances of low life customers (including eccentric oddball comedian Charlie Chuck as Nev). They also need to escape the extortion racket carried out by local villain Si (Adam Fogerty). Jeremy (Jonathan Slinger), a smiling charmer enters their lives and appears to have the answer to their problems.
Events twist and the reveals are rarely less than disastrous for the two leads. It seems extreme measures are needed.
The comedy just manages to stay the right side of reality – Bex and Dawn are necessarily sharp-talkers, living in an area crawling with men who simply want them for one thing. They have become 'master of the put-down', and they are extremely witty. When events become darker, and their families (including Dawn's autistic son and eccentric mother played by Rula Lenska) are threatened, it is impossible not to wish Si and his blackmail racket a bloody, gory destruction. Whether or not that happens, is not for me to say – but there's an animated sequence following the end credits that is not to be missed.
Great fun.
Don't waste your time.
inboxkeith13 October 2020
I just finished watching Adult Babies, another film by this director, and I mentioned this film in that review. The films have a lot in common, believe it or not -- sub par acting, script, and direction. The 2 I gave this film is generous, but it wasn't quite as abysmal as Adult Babies, so I didn't have much of a choice.
What happened to high quality British creations like Dead Man's Shoes?
What happened to high quality British creations like Dead Man's Shoes?
Preposterous and disappointing
CorneliusPavo11 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
As a Calderdale resident, I went to see this film with some anticipation. However, I was sadly disappointed. It aims to be a thriller, but it is really a thinly disguised zombie horror film with lashings of fake blood and gore. The story is preposterous...a loan shark (aided by strongarm hulk) is terrorising shopkeepers/stallowners in a small town using extreme violence and demanding absurdly high repayments (even on loans that haven't been accepted)..whilst all the victims are too terrified to go to the Police. The violence is graphic yet cartoonish..appalling injuries are sustained, yet the characters appear in the next scene as if barely touched. The two central 'strong' female characters are an absurdly glamorous pair (neither of whom has a local accent).The underlying political message seems to be 'women are strong'..this seems to require that ALL the men in the film are either weak, leering sex pests, 'dickheads' or thuggish psychos. As for its portrayal of autism, this is unbelievably insensitive and stereotyped. Victoria Smurfit and Jonathan Singer turn in very convincing performances, but, some sharp witty dialogue aside, the film is spoiled by its uneven tone, veering from gritty social realism to black comedy and then running through clichéd horror/zombie tropes...a villain who refuses to die, bodies in the boots of cars, blood gushing from skulls (The title The Taking = a nod to The Shining?). Disappointing. Could have been so much better with a more realistic storyline and characters and a slow build-up of suspense.
Bait for it
kosmasp12 August 2016
Though better not, because you'll be baiting for a long time. Which can be considered a pun especially considering our main bad guy in this. The movie has a feel of TV movie of the week to it. The main bad guy being so cliché that he almost ruins a completely solid build up. The introduced female characters where really nice and felt "real". Overcoming diversities, standing their own ground and such things.
But again the moment the bad guy comes into the play ... and it's not like the viewer will not be aware of him. It's very predictable, to a point where you are wondering if the women shouldn't have seen it earlier. This is not a generalization, actually the characters seem strong enough to be aware or to have realized what was going to happen. If anyone is doing a generalization it's the movie. And it's a shame, because these things happen and the victims have a hard time battling them ... So while the theme/idea works and it starts off good, it does slide into bad country very quickly
But again the moment the bad guy comes into the play ... and it's not like the viewer will not be aware of him. It's very predictable, to a point where you are wondering if the women shouldn't have seen it earlier. This is not a generalization, actually the characters seem strong enough to be aware or to have realized what was going to happen. If anyone is doing a generalization it's the movie. And it's a shame, because these things happen and the victims have a hard time battling them ... So while the theme/idea works and it starts off good, it does slide into bad country very quickly
Wallows in misogyny
Leofwine_draca10 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
BAIT is the second directorial feature from EMMERDALE actor Dominic Brunt, best known for his turn as Paddy in the hit evening soap. I didn't care for his zombie epidemic movie BEFORE DAWN, but BAIT is only a small progression. It's another tiny budgeted thriller in which a couple of women fall, somewhat unbelievably, foul of a loan shark who employs brutal methods to get a return on his investments. KILL LIST seems to be the big influence here, but BAIT wallows in misogyny and is a film for sadists only. Victoria Smurfit, of TV'S TRIAL & RETRIBUTION, is the main star, and she certainly gives an arresting performance, although she's also humiliated and forced into stripping off for much of it. The violence is very explicit and brutally so, but it was all a bit much for me and felt too much like padding for the most part. The only time this gets entertaining is right at the end, with some good old-fashioned retribution.
A gripping take on a dark subject
james_whitt706 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
After the cool zombie shocker Before Dawn, winning team Dominic Brunt and Joanne Mitchell turned their attention to the very real subject of money lending.
Jonathan Slinger is Jeremy, a money lender with no morals and a miserable home life who preys on the vulnerable and needy with promises of offering dreams thanks to his ability to lend them money when banks can't. Trouble is his interest rates are sky-high and if you can't pay his friend, Si "pays" them a visit. When two women, Dawn (Joanne Mitchell) and Bex (Victoria Smurfit) use his services a violent stand-off begins.
Truly frightening and superbly written, this is a morality tale for the 21st century. The film is gritty to say the least with superb performances from the main cast who tackle the grim premise with a reality that's heart-breaking.
Brunt directs with huge confidence, allowing time for the violence to grow slowly until it becomes almost unbearable.
A film that needs to be seen as it uncovers a harmful truth that is happening all across our country.
Jonathan Slinger is Jeremy, a money lender with no morals and a miserable home life who preys on the vulnerable and needy with promises of offering dreams thanks to his ability to lend them money when banks can't. Trouble is his interest rates are sky-high and if you can't pay his friend, Si "pays" them a visit. When two women, Dawn (Joanne Mitchell) and Bex (Victoria Smurfit) use his services a violent stand-off begins.
Truly frightening and superbly written, this is a morality tale for the 21st century. The film is gritty to say the least with superb performances from the main cast who tackle the grim premise with a reality that's heart-breaking.
Brunt directs with huge confidence, allowing time for the violence to grow slowly until it becomes almost unbearable.
A film that needs to be seen as it uncovers a harmful truth that is happening all across our country.
Burrows beneath your skin from the off, with a sly edit that ekes out the tension to unbearable levels
robfollower31 March 2019
Bex and Dawn dream of opening a cafe together. Out of the blue, a generous businessman offers them the funds they need to make that dream a reality. Joy turns to crippling fear when the friends discover a vicious loan shark, who expects repayments or for them to suffer the consequences.
Truly frightening and superbly written, this is a morality tale for the 21st century. The film is gritty to say the least with superb performances from the main cast who tackle the grim premise with a reality that's heart-breaking.
Burrows beneath your skin from the off, with a sly edit that ekes out the tension to unbearable levels
No competition. The other one went out of business.
nogodnomasters25 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Bex (Victoria Smurfit) and Dawn (Joanne Mitchell) operate an organic tea stand inside a mall. They want to get their own place but need a loan. Jeremy (Jonathan Slinger) is a nice loan shark and Si (Adam Fogerty) is his strong arm collector. His victims tend to be women and old people.
We see a lot of violence throughout the film, so they can thoroughly build the character of a guy who beats people up....don't make me hurt the puppy. If you have ever watched a film before, you have a general idea where this goes.
Guide: F-bomb. No sex. Some nudity. Victoria Smurfit black bra/panties
We see a lot of violence throughout the film, so they can thoroughly build the character of a guy who beats people up....don't make me hurt the puppy. If you have ever watched a film before, you have a general idea where this goes.
Guide: F-bomb. No sex. Some nudity. Victoria Smurfit black bra/panties
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