Reviews by Andrew Robertson

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Choose Irvine (2023)

  Review preview for Choose Irvine

  In search of authenticity that is a lot of artificiality.

  Profile of the Trainspotting author.
• 
  La Civil (2021)

  Review preview for La Civil

  This is a considered film, a triumph, there are few like it and more's the pity.

  The story of a mother whose teenage daughter is kidnapped in Northern Mexico. When the authorities offer no support in the search, she takes matters into her own hands and transforms from housewife into a vengeful militant.
• 
  Civil War (2024)

  Review preview for Civil War

  I think that Civil War succeeds but I'm still not sure what it's hoping to say.

  A journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.
• 
  Clean (2022)

  Review preview for Clean

  There's so much here that, as with cleaning, it goes through the fabric, past the underling, to the structure, the joists, the soil.

  When illness forces her away from her beloved trauma cleaning business, Sandra faces up to her traumatic past and begins a search for her birth mother.
• 
  Clear And Present Danger (1994)

  Review preview for Clear And Present Danger

  There are several kinds of thriller nested here.

  CIA Analyst Jack Ryan is drawn into an illegal war fought by the US government against a Colombian drug cartel.
• 
  Clifford The Big Red Dog (2021)

  Review preview for Clifford The Big Red Dog

  While it's got some quirks it's relatively inoffensive, and if it feels like damning it with faint praise to say it's got nothing drastically wrong with it then fair enough.

  A girl who is struggling to fit in finds a new best friend, but after the pup grows up he attracts the attention of a genetics company, forcing the pair to go on the run.
• 
  A Clockwork Orange (1971)

  Review preview for A Clockwork Orange

  Kubrick's canvas is best enjoyed large, right at the front.

  Long-banned film about a future distopia.
• 
  Clover (2020)

  Review preview for Clover

  While it's good to learn from your own mistakes, it can be significantly funnier to watch someone else's.

  Two brothers who owe money to the mob go on the run with a teenage girl, hunted by assassins.
• 
  Cobweb (2023)

  Review preview for Cobweb

  If there's a key to unlocking the mystery it's pretty clearly signposted, shining even.

  Eight-year-old Peter is plagued by a mysterious, constant tap, tap from inside his bedroom wall – a tapping his parents insist is all in his imagination. His concerned schoolteacher starts making enquiries after Peter shows clear evidence of trouble at home. But as Peter’s fear intensifies, he believes that his parents could be hiding a terrible, dangerous secret.
• 
  A Coffee In Berlin (2012)

  Review preview for A Coffee In Berlin

  A gently-paced comedy of errors and manners.

  Niko's life is falling apart but all he really wants is a cup of coffee.
• 
  Coherence (2013)

  Review preview for Coherence

  A clever, minimal bit of film-making.

  A group of old friends gather for dinner... gather for dinner... gather for dinner...
• 
  Coins (2021)

  Review preview for Coins

  At every interaction the possibility of gleam is replaced with the certainty of grime.

  A neurotic waitress with a phobia of coins fights to control her darkest fears, as her reality falls apart.
• 
  Companion (2025)

  Review preview for Companion

  The thing that most suggests Companion isn't based on a lost Philip K Dick story is that it has more developed female characters.

  A weekend getaway with friends at a remote cabin turns into chaos after it's revealed that one of the guests is a robot companion.
• 
  A Companion for Amateur Cinematographers: Vol. I (2022)

  Review preview for A Companion for Amateur Cinematographers: Vol. I

  Federico Di Corato's film is, as is often the case with documentary, self-reflexive.

  Against the backdrop of Italy in the years of the Fascist dictatorship, a man of wealth but unknown to history scrutinises the world with his little film camera, guided by a handbook.
• 
  The Company Men (2010)

  Review preview for The Company Men

  It's well directed but even if most of the cast weren't phoning it in they would have real difficulty eliciting sympathy.

  Three corporate executives struggle to come to terms with losing their jobs.
• 
  A Complete Unknown (2024)

  Review preview for A Complete Unknown

  It purports to an authenticity that is itself imagined, a glossy act of nostalgia that feels antithetical to the shock of the new that Dylan's apparently meant to represent.

  Biopic - following Bob Dylan from folk-singer to a worldwide sensation
• 
  Concessions (2026)

  Review preview for Concessions

  It is faint praise to say that it's pleasant enough, but faint praise is what I can muster.

  Oddball staff, wacky clientele and ageing Hollywood idols cross paths in a small town cinema on the day of its closure.
• 
  Conclave (2024)

  Review preview for Conclave

  Director Edward Berger and his director of photography Stephane Fontaine have made every frame art.

  Drama surrounding the election of a new Pope.
• 
  Confess, Fletch (2022)

  Review preview for Confess, Fletch

  This isn't just light but unserious. One has the sense that those involved were having fun and watching it so did I.

  After becoming the prime suspect in multiple murders, Fletch strives to prove his innocence while simultaneously searching for his fiancé's stolen art collection.
• 
  Connect (2018)

  Review preview for Connect

  There are things that ring very true in Connect - the way in which a family, particularly father and son, don't talk.

  A young man contemplates suicide after losing someone close to him. He never feels that it’s possible to share his feelings until a care home owner Jeff becomes a source of support and a flirtation with a single mother presents a reason to choose life.
• 
  The Conspirator (2010)

  Review preview for The Conspirator

  The parallels with The Global War On Terror are obvious, but feel over-egged.

  The story of Mary Surratt, charged as a co-conspirator after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
• 
  Cooked (2010)

  Review preview for Cooked

  The character design seems off somehow, as if they've managed to find three separate uncanny valleys to pull new species out of.

  The complicated story of a love triangle between a walrus, a seal and a lobster who visit the same sauna.
• 
  Copshop (2021)

  Review preview for Copshop

  There's some good old fashioned film-making here.

  On the run from an assassin, a con artist devises a scheme to hide out inside a small-town police station.
• 
  Cop Car (2015)

  Review preview for Cop Car

  The action might take place over just a few hours, but in a tight hour and a half it's got a huge amount of tension.

  Two 10-year-old boys steal an abandoned police car.
• 
  Cowboy Dave (2017)

  Review preview for Cowboy Dave

  It's an almost entirely true story, apart from the lies. It's great.

  An English folk tale set in the suburbs of Manchester that charts the coming together of a drifter, a war party and a hustler.
• 
  Coyote Vs. Acme (2026)

  Review preview for Coyote Vs. Acme

  It's a delight, one that earns its place in a cultural canon.

  After enduring years of malfunctioning products, Wile E Coyote teams up with a local personal injury attorney to take on ACME, the manufacturer of anything and everything used by the Looney Tunes characters.
• 
  The Creator (2023)

  Review preview for The Creator

  Detail abounds. Glorious detail.

  A post-apocalyptic thriller involving a future impacted by a war between humans and AI.
• 
  Creed III (2023)

  Review preview for Creed III

  As a first-time director, Jordan acquits himself well.

  Boxer Adonis has been thriving in both his career and family life, but when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces, the face-off is more than just a fight.
• 
  Cruise (2021)

  Review preview for Cruise

  Sam Rudykoff's film adds to a canon of telephone terrors.

  With sweat-soaked skin, in a state of mortal fear, a man is forced to make lame telemarketing calls to strangers.
• 
  The Cull (2010)

  Review preview for The Cull

  Andrew Walker's script is short on words but has plenty of depth, and Jonathan Harris' direction is assured.

  A boy clashes with his father as the older man tries to teach him about life on a remote Peak District farm.
• 
  The Curse (2012)

  Review preview for The Curse

  The cast are not professional actors but that, if anything, adds to the realism.

  Fatine has ventured far from the village to meet her older lover. When a small boy catches her, all she wants to do is go home.
• 
  Celestial Wives Of The Meadow Mari (2013)

  Review preview for Celestial Wives Of The Meadow Mari

  All of it is so beautifully observed it is as waking from a childhood fever to demolish half a volume of Grimm before hallucinatory somnambulance washes once more over.

  An introduction to the customs and rituals of the Volga-Finnic people in Northern Russia.
• 
  The Challenge (2016)

  Review preview for The Challenge

  That aerial sequence is as thrilling as anything in Top Gun.

  Documentary follows wealthy Qatari sheikhs who moonlight as amateur falconers, with no expenses spared along the way.
• 
  The Chapel (2009)

  Review preview for The Chapel

  This is a subtly scary film, menacing.

  Having found what appears to be a safe refuge in an old church, two strangers struggle to maintain an already fractured relationship.
• 
  Chickens (2016)

  Review preview for Chickens

  Confident not only in establishing its rules but also in exploring them with economy and verve.

  Wondering if that glance from your crush meant something and if you will ever muster the courage to do something about it?
• 
  Chuck Norris Vs Communism (2015)

  Review preview for Chuck Norris Vs Communism

  The essence of documentary, well demonstrated, find an interesting subject and tell the story well. This is it, this is the stuff.

  The true story of how Romanians discovered the world through bootleg VHS.
• 
  The Circle (2015)

  Review preview for The Circle

  The mysteries left unresolved after the near two and a half hours are more puzzling than compelling.

  Six teenagers discover they have acquired supernatural powers as part of an ancient prophecy to fight evil.
• 
  Cleanskin (2012)

  Review preview for Cleanskin

  Cleanskin is a smart and visceral thriller.

  A secret agent tracks down a would-be suicide bomber and his cell.
• 
  Club Sandwich (2013)

  Review preview for Club Sandwich

  As Hector, Lucio Gimenez Cacho embodies the three primary desires of any teenage boy: getting one's way, getting one's end away, and potato chips.

  A teenage boy experiences first love while holidaying with his mother.
• 
  Cocoon (2009)

  Review preview for Cocoon

  Beautifully shot, with some excellent tracking work, it's visually impressive.

  A haircut promises to make a big difference to a teenager's life.
• 
  The Colony (2015)

  Review preview for The Colony

  The film does entertain, even excite at times, but it never creates a sustained atmosphere of dread.

  A woman's search for her abducted boyfriend finds herself drawn into an infamous sect.
• 
  Colour (2012)

  Review preview for Colour

  Colour is fast, eye-catching, brilliant.

  A young carer's life is brightened by a friendship with an immigrant kid, but there's trouble ahead.
• 
  Colours (2013)

  Review preview for Colours

  A good wee film.

  A gay teenager struggles to cope and find acceptance in prison.
• 
  The Complex (2013)

  Review preview for The Complex

  Tempered by a script that leads in directions that feel a bit silly at times.

  A young student gradually becomes aware that something sinister is afoot in her housing complex.
• 
  The Control Master (2008)

  Review preview for The Control Master

  An amusing confection, though it doesn't quite catch.

  What happens when a powerful device falls into the hands of scientist-turned-villain Doctor Moire?
• 
  Couple In A Hole (2015)

  Review preview for Couple In A Hole

  Kate Dickie is amazing.

  A Scottish couple ends up living like savages in a hole in the middle of a vast forest.
• 
  Creeling (2016)

  Review preview for Creeling

  As Tunnock's teacake tomfoolery turns to something more adult, more anxiety inducing, those involved demonstrate their craft and skill.

  Teenager Lily lives in a remote highland village and has known Dougie, a young lobster fisherman, most of her life. A change in their relationship becomes apparent when he agrees to take her out fishing for the day.
• 
  Crook And The Highlandman (2010)

  Review preview for Crook And The Highlandman

  Short, lyric, a minor epic.

  Factual film about the life of one of the members of mental health programme Stepping Stones.
• 
  Curious Light (2011)

  Review preview for Curious Light

  A work as oft-filmed as Alice asks for something new, but it is not here.

  A close up look at Alice In Wonderland.
• 
  Dad's Stick (2012)

  Review preview for Dad's Stick

  Well worth tracking down.

  An experimental biopic about a man who keeps things that might be useful.