Reviews by Jeff Robson

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  127 Hours (2010)

  Review preview for 127 Hours

  If, like me, you’re a fully paid-up member of the Boyle fan club, this still has all the things you go to his movies for – imagination, heart, humour and a constant desire to try something new.

  The truer story of Aron Ralston, a climber who had to resort to desperate measures when trapped by a boulder.
• 
  1 - Life On The Limit (2013)

  Review preview for 1 - Life On The Limit

  Crowder’s film is clearly a labour of love and offers a more multi-angled approach than anything I can recall that’s gone before.

  Documentary charting the most glamorous – and dangerous years – of the Formula One motor racing championship.
• 
  28 Weeks Later (2007)

  Review preview for 28 Weeks Later

  Focus on character gives way to the temptations of a bigger budget – more bangs and gore but markedly less suspense.

  Six months after the events of 28 Days Later a US-led force begins a tentative attempt to repopulate Britain.
• 
  3.10 To Yuma (2007)

  Review preview for 3.10 To Yuma

  Mangold’s version proceeds far too quickly to a ludicrous, logic-defying shoot out.

  A Civil War veteran tries to raise the money to keep his ranch afloat by escorting a notorious outlaw to jail.
• 
  Accident (1967)

  Review preview for Accident

  The brittle, feigned civility prompts dialogue the equal of any Pinter ever wrote.

  A happily-married academic develops an obsession with one of his students.
• 
  Alpha Dog (2006)

  Review preview for Alpha Dog

  Cassavetes could easily have made all this into a dead serious finger-wagging morality tale of wasted youth. Fortunately, he realises the potential for jet-black comedy.

  The party-hearty lifestyle of bored Californian rich kids is rocked to the core when a botched drug deal has tragic consequences.
• 
  Atlantic City (1980)

  Review preview for Atlantic City

  Sarandon is a beguiling mix of innocence and toughness and Lancaster brings all his charisma and dignity to bear on a role that is in many ways an older version of the handsome but doomed noir heroes he made his name portraying.

  An ageing small-time gangster becomes infatuated with an aspiring casino croupier.
• 
  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

  Review preview for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

  Grahame-Smith’s script manages to condense the original novel to a manageable beast.

  The president has a stake in a deadly game.
• 
  Afterschool (2008)

  Review preview for Afterschool

  'An effective and realistic examination of a world where intelligent and privileged characters have reached near-adulthood without having any real understanding of basic morality.'

  A boy at an exclusive American private school becomes increasingly obsessed with watching video clips on his computer.
• 
  Amigo (2010)

  Review preview for Amigo

  A beautifully observed study of a small community remaining united in the face of seismic shifts.

  Set during the American-Philippine war as the head of a bario has to answer to both the Americans and the Filipino patriots, with deadly consequences.
• 
  Annie Leibovitz: Life Through A Lens (2006)

  Review preview for Annie Leibovitz: Life Through A Lens

  One of the things that shines through very clearly from the footage of Leibovitz at work is how sensitive she is to her subjects, consistently managing to capture original and unexpected images of even the most-photographed actors, performers and politici

  Documentary focusing on the American photographer.
• 
  Appaloosa (2008)

  Review preview for Appaloosa

  Harris the director handles both the personal moments and the action sequences well.

  Two professional ‘peace-keepers’ try to bring law and order to a town run by a murderous rancher. But matters are complicated when a young widow arrives.
• 
  Armadillo (2010)

  Review preview for Armadillo

  Always moving and often downright terrifying it reminds us once again of some uncomfortable truths.

  A documentary charting the experiences of Danish soldiers in Afghanistan.
• 
  As You Like It (2006)

  Review preview for As You Like It

  Much Ado About Nothing was like being given a surprise invite to a lavish summer party in Tuscany; this feels more akin to being trapped in a 'back to nature' weekend theatre workshop where the actors are having a lot more fun than you.

  A banished duke and a young nobleman, Orlando, seek refuge in the Forest of Arden. The duke's daughter, in love with Orlando, pursues him disguised as a boy and devises a test for his love.
• 
  The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008)

  Review preview for The Baader Meinhof Complex

  Further evidence of German filmmakers’ willingness to confront the darker episodes of their recent past – and spark a controversy in the process.

  As protests against the West German government of the late 1960s become increasingly violent, a group of young left-wingers decide to take direct action.
• 
  The Ballad Of Mott The Hoople (2010)

  Review preview for The Ballad Of Mott The Hoople

  Ramshackle, poignant and very British but capturing the sheer joy of being allowed to make music and prat about on stage for a living.

  Mott the Hoople members Verden Allen, Dale Griffin, Mick Ralphs, Overend Watts and Ian Hunter tell the story of their band at a 2009 reunion gig.
• 
  Bernadette: Notes On A Political Journey (2011)

  Review preview for Bernadette: Notes On A Political Journey

  Doolan does a good job of distilling an incredibly complex period of history down to a manageable length.

  The remarkable political life of Bernadette Devlin McAliskey.
• 
  The Black Cat (1934)

  Review preview for The Black Cat

  Despite the fact that no supernatural events actually occur, there’s an all-pervading air of evil, insanity and downright perversion.

  A couple of newlyweds find themselves trapped in a spooky Hungarian mansion after a car crash.
• 
  Blue Jasmine (2013)

  Review preview for Blue Jasmine

  Blue Jasmine has all the wit and insight of classics from Allen's autumnal period.

  A troubled woman travels to San Francisco to spend time with the sister she hardly knows.
• 
  Beirut Open City (2008)

  Review preview for Beirut Open City

  Habchi orchestrates the seemingly disparate plot strands with considerable skill, building a sense of disorientation and withheld information that reinforces his main themes.

  An Egyptian filmmaker based in Beirut tries to make an expose of the Lebanese security agencies, but finds that he, too, is under scrutiny.
• 
  Blitz (2011)

  Review preview for Blitz

  The film has some undoubted visual flair.

  A troubled, uncompromising detective tracks a serial killer targeting police officers.
• 
  A Bloody Aria (2006)

  Review preview for A Bloody Aria

  As an examination of the sometimes narrow gulf between civilisation and savagery, and with a claustrophobic in your face combination of edge-of-the seat thriller and jet black comedy, it works very well.

  A music professor and a young student, on an illicit country drive, encounter a group of murderous young yokels.
• 
  La Bohème (2008)

  Review preview for La Bohème

  Tasteful, reverential and just a teensy bit dull.

  Rodolfo, a struggling writer in 19th-century Paris, falls in love with Mimi, a beautiful seamstress.
• 
  Boystown (2007)

  Review preview for Boystown

  By and large this is a warm, engaging and at times genuinely tense film with some interesting things to say about Spain’s burgeoning gay scene and its matriarchal society.

  A Madrid estate agent makes desirable apartments available by murdering the old ladies who live there.
• 
  Breach (2007)

  Review preview for Breach

  Congratulations are in order to Shattered Glass helmer Billy Ray for playing it straight and subtle, resisting the temptation to jazz up the action quota and indulge in Hollywood speechifying.

  A young, ambitious FBI agent is ordered to spy on his boss, who the organisation believe has been betraying his country for 20 years.
• 
  Brick Lane (2007)

  Review preview for Brick Lane

  A sensitive and beautifully acted tale.

  A Bangladeshi woman struggles to come to terms with a new life in Britain and her own identity.
• 
  Bright Star (2009)

  Review preview for Bright Star

  A poignant and rewarding tale.

  The poet John Keats meets the woman who is to become the love of his life.
• 
  Broken (2012)

  Review preview for Broken

  Underneath the sound and fury is a subtle, poignant and often very funny take on growing up.

  A young girl’s life changes when she witnesses a brutal attack.
• 
  Bronco Bullfrog (1969)

  Review preview for Bronco Bullfrog

  A harsh but tender portrait of lives that are defined and confined by geography and circumstance.

  A young apprentice in late 60s East London drifts into petty crime and dreams of escape.
• 
  The Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best (2011)

  Review preview for The Brooklyn Brothers Beat The Best

  O’Nan the writer and director consistently pulls an unexpected development or a priceless piece of dialogue from up his sleeve, ensuring you never lose interest in the tangled lives of a flawed but basically good-hearted main trio.

  Two musicians go on the road.
• 
  Bye Bye Blackbird (2005)

  Review preview for Bye Bye Blackbird

  Trust me, you’ve never seen a film quite like this.

  A construction worker joins a circus troupe and falls in love with a beautiful trapeze artist.
• 
  Bypass (2014)

  Review preview for Bypass

  Hopkins has an eye for a telling image and coaxes powerful, committed performances from his cast.

  A young boy on a council estate turns to crime when he finds himself the sole provider in the house.
• 
  Camille Claudel, 1915 (2013)

  Review preview for Camille Claudel, 1915

  An inward, austere examination of ideas of madness, empathy and the creative impulse.

  Confined to an asylum, the former mistress of sculptor Auguste Rodin tries desperately to obtain a release.
• 
  Captive (2008)

  Review preview for Captive

  Uchitel shows enough directorial flourishes to make me think he could certainly handle a broader cinematic canvas.

  Two Russian soldiers force a Chechen prisoner to act as guide – and begin to develop a bond with him.
• 
  Captivity (2007)

  Review preview for Captivity

  The finale takes an age to arrive and then manages to be both unbelievable and predictable.

  A beautiful fashion model is kidnapped and tortured by an unknown assailant.
• 
  Circus Of Horrors (1960)

  Review preview for Circus Of Horrors

  It ain’t Citizen Kane, but equally it’s a notch or two above the legions of Z-grade schlockers that Hammer was already beginning to churn out at the time and which proliferated as the Sixties swung on.

  A deranged plastic surgeon transforms disfigured prostitutes in a circus - but leaving the ring could prove deadly.
• 
  Cleo From 5 To 7 (1961)

  Review preview for Cleo From 5 To 7

  Many filmmakers would be happy to have this as their crowning glory; considered as a debut it’s little short of astonishing.

  A young French singer wanders the streets of Paris while waiting for the results of a cancer screening test.
• 
  Corpo Celeste (2011)

  Review preview for Corpo Celeste

  The two central performances – Vianello’s bewildered, sensitive, lonely young girl and Cantalupo’s harassed moral inadequate – are pitch-perfect.

  A young girl struggles to cope with a family move, while preparing for her confirmation ceremony.
• 
  Correspondence: Jonas Mekas - JL Guerín (2011)

  Review preview for Correspondence: Jonas Mekas - JL Guerín

  Without any constraints of time or budget, and no need to impose any narrative on their musings, the result is often vague, undefined and verging on the pretentious.

  Two filmmakers exchange ‘letters’ in the form of filmed reflections on their personal experiences and the nature of cinema.
• 
  Charlie Bartlett (2007)

  Review preview for Charlie Bartlett

  Yelchin is a charismatic and believable anti-hero, smart but insecure and neither a walking wisecrack-machine nor a stereotypical ‘mixed-up kid’.

  A bright but troubled rich kid unexpectedly finds himself in the American ‘public school’ system – and finds a novel way of beating the bullies.
• 
  Chemical Wedding (2008)

  Review preview for Chemical Wedding

  One of the key plot developments in the film is a process by which you can reverse time and live a day all over again, sadly an option not available to filmgoers yet.

  A mild-mannered academic takes part in a virtual reality experiment and is possessed by the spirit of notorious British occultist Aleister Crowley.
• 
  Coffin Rock (2009)

  Review preview for Coffin Rock

  A garbled, unsatisfying mess that lacks any credibility or genuine suspense.

  A psychopath targets a woman who is seeking fertility treatment.
• 
  Containment (2015)

  Review preview for Containment

  McEnery-West turns his restrictions to virtues, creating a nightmarish, hermetically sealed world where his audience share the protagonists’ sense of brutal dislocation.

  The residents of a tower block find themselves sealed in when a lethal infection breaks out…
• 
  Crooked House (2008)

  Review preview for Crooked House

  Gatiss is obviously a born storyteller, with a knack for boiling a tale down to its essentials, but throwing in enough red herrings and incidental details to keep the viewer pleasantly puzzled.

  A cursed house draws three sets of characters through the ages.
• 
  Daft Punk's Electroma (2007)

  Review preview for Daft Punk's Electroma

  They really do do nothing but walk. Across the desert...this is all no doubt a radical deconstruction of conventional narrative assumptions and cinematic codes. It’s also very boring.

  Two robots' quest to become human.
• 
  Dark Horse (2011)

  Review preview for Dark Horse

  The plot’s undoubtedly secondary to the characters, and once again Solondz has drawn a gallery of very recognisable and very flawed human beings.

  Todd Solondz draws dark comedy from the story of two dysfunctional thirtysomethings planning to marry.
• 
  The Devils (1971)

  Review preview for The Devils

  It’s a frenetic ride, but one that builds to a sombre climax.

  A rebellious priest in 17th-century France is falsely accused of witchcraft.
• 
  Dragonslayer (2011)

  Review preview for Dragonslayer

  Patterson’s undoubtedly got the confidence of these rad dudes, creating the feel of a genuine dispatch from another tribe.

  Documentary following a year in the life of skateboarder Josh ‘Skreech’ Sandoval.
• 
  Deadmeat (2011)

  Review preview for Deadmeat

  The budget limitations are painfully obvious and the dialogue wooden in the extreme.

  An ex-convict vows revenge on the gang who caused his brother’s death.
• 
  Death Note: The Last Name (2008)

  Review preview for Death Note: The Last Name

  The cumulative effect is of a film straining to keep it all together.

  A brilliant Japanese student uses a book given to him by a ‘god of death’ to dispense his own brand of justice.