Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Hartstikke Leuk Here I sit, deeply affected by this film.This may be the only film that has made me forgive the animal(s) being killed (of course I know it wasn't real, but I just can't stand even the thought of it) because it led to a beautiful catharsis in the end, a certain change, even though, not explicitly so. I am in awe as to how the actors performed. It did not, for a brief moment, feel like acting. The child actor was magnificent as well. It all felt, dare I say, a little too real. And that is why this film is not just a film, it is an entirely profound experience on its own. It is its own world. The violence in the story, even if it feels uncalled for (James towards Hannah, Samuel's mom's bf towards her and Sam and the dog, Joseph's, well, towards almost everyone) is just there to show just how vulnerable humans really are - and we all know that when most vulnerable, the beast is actually the most dangerous.The bringing together of the two people who are at their breaking points here makes no magical, Hollywoody happy end. They help each other grow but not as many would expect it. They grow in a sense that they both pick up their strengths and do what they find needed for them to survive (not physically, rather mentally), even if it hurts them in some way. They help each other realize they would need to sacrifice a part of their already broken humanity in order to fulfill a goal of getting a peace of mind. This just goes to show that, simply put, life is a baggage but it does not have to be a burden. Ultimately, this is what I learned from this masterpiece: humans are flawed, fragile, broken, angry and pathetic. However, we all have a chance at redemption. Depends on what you find redemption is. I guess, we all have a chance at our own little personal redemptions. Our own private little Vietnams or hells becoming our own private little peaceful Saturday mornings.

tomgillespie2002 Having done some of his best work with director Shane Meadows, it's no surprise that first-time director Paddy Considine turned to the darkest areas of the human soul to find a story that is both violent and romantic, without ever confusing the two. The Meadows/Considine collaborations A Room for Romeo Brass (1999) and Dead Man's Shoes (2004) were an unsettling mixture of mental anguish and kitchen-sink drama, but Considine's debut, Tyrannosaur, keeps the tone firmly within the boundaries of the Ken Loach School of Gritty Film-Making, which help make this often gentle tale of two broken souls finding common ground often difficult to sit through.An expansion of Considine's BAFTA award-winning short Dog Altogether, Tyrannosaur follows Joseph (Peter Mullan), a heavy- drinking and unemployed widower with extreme anger issues. We first meet him being thrown out of a pub following an unseen altercation, after which he kicks his dog to death in the street in a blind rage. Further anti-social behaviour sees him end up in a charity shop owned by God-fearing Hannah (Olivia Colman). Joseph is abusive and possibly dangerous, but she decides to help him anyway. Hannah's apparently comfortable middle-class life is at odds with the tougher upbringing experienced by Joseph, and he initially scolds her for it. Yet as the charity shop evolves into something of a safe haven for Joseph, he comes to learn that Hannah's marriage to James (Eddie Marsan) is an abusive one, and that she has her own demons to face.The film certainly doesn't pull its punches. From the opening scene of witnessing the protagonist of the story brutally kill his own animal to a graphic rape later in the movie, Tyrannosaur is uncomfortable viewing but is never out to simply shock. The character of Joseph was based on Considine's father, but rather than being a carousel of unpleasant experiences torn from the directors memories, the film instead ponders whether a life wasted can be redeemed. Joseph and Hannah may seem to be complete opposites, but their shared disappointment in the life they have led and the suffering they have endured makes for a romantic bond that is both believable and profound. The relationship is given extra weight by the performances of the two leads. Mullan is uniformly excellent in a type of role he has done before, but Colman, who was up to this point of her career mainly known for her comedy work, is a revelation. An impressive debut work from an actor I have admired since I first saw him back in '99.

ma_twilkins-48562 I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. It seemed as though it would be slow and dark and grim and not a lot else. But I gave it a go. It's taught me to be more open minded about such things (and to believe Mark Kermode when he says something is worth a look).This is the story of a faint and unexpected hope amidst a sea of despair. It takes the form of a surprising friendship between the two main characters. Both are lost, suffering in their own way, quietly, or angrily. The performances are so gut wrenchingly superb that I was immediately invested in the pain each feel.From the moment the main characters meet, and the flotsam of faint, burgeoning hope begins to form, I began to will it to become something more substantial, that may save them both. The performances from the two leads are heart breaking and at times, visceral. Both are equally superb. Though some scenes are undeniably difficult, I was transfixed throughout.For me the beauty of this film is in the success it makes of showing how our relationships are what give our lives meaning and hope - That no matter how awful circumstances can become, sharing a meaningful bond with another person can make life worth living.As grim as the surroundings and the situations, that overriding streak of beauty running through the film allows it to transcend it's depressing setting. I found it a truly moving experience and would recommend it to anybody, but with a warning that if you're faint hearted, be prepared. Having said that, everything that happens serves the story and character development, so I had no problem with it what so ever.In my top five favorite films of all time, easily.

eddie052010 The British film industry. While never being the juggernaut that is the American film industry, it can still give the world great films, many of which are highly regarded. Sure, many recent British films have been utter atrocities, but there are definitely many diamonds among the rough, the best of recent years being The Impostor. One reason that many British films have been poor is that they're too real. Sure, many films are aided by the fact they're realistic, but still have some element of escapism. However, these recent British films have attempted to reveal how modern Britain is 'Broken Britain', and how it isn't just something the tabloids write in order to sell more papers (because Britain was always perfect now, wasn't it?), and because of it while many are gritty and bleak, they are often boringly one-note and forget to entertain at all. This film unfortunately falls into that trap, as while it is gritty, dark and has collection of depressed, moody characters, you won't care due to how little it has to offer outside of that and by the end you go 'so what?'The story is that Joseph, a Scottish middle aged man, is having a rough life, getting into fights with teenagers, his neighbours and is resentful of everyone he meets. After one of his fights, he runs and hides in a charity shop owned by Hannah, who he resents due to her beliefs and her seemingly perfect life. However, as he comes to discover, she is more pain than he first thinks and takes her in, forming a strong friendship. Now while the story may sound interesting at first, it suffers from a major problem that affects the rest of the movie: it is so interested in piling on the darkness of their lives (i.e. Spoilers Joseph killing his dog, Joseph's best friend dying of cancer, Hannah being urinated on by her abusive one- dimensional husband, Hannah describing why she is infertile) that eventually you lose interest, due to how boringly one-note they become and the amount of plot holes that there are.(i.e. why doesn't Hannah divorce her husband, considering how vile he is to her? why doesn't anyone call the police when something bad happens?)This problem also affects the rest of the movie as well. The characters are either depressed, horrible, violent or a mixture of the three and while that make them seem more realistic, it doesn't make them in any more intriguing or interesting, as none of them ever extend beyond that. Sure, this isn't as bad as American Beauty where ALL of the characters were annoyingly whiny, despite their luxuries (which none of the characters have in this film), but they're still very uninteresting. It doesn't help that the acting, while good, isn't outstanding. Sure, there has been much written about how good Olivia Colman is, and how she should have been nominated for more awards than she was, but she isn't that good. Sure she's a great actress, but she's about as good as everyone else in this movie, which is good, but doesn't go beyond what her character is restricted to. Unlike another underrated female performance of Pam Grier in Jackie Brown, where everyone is great, but she was a standout who truly owns her role, Olivia Colman doesn't stand out, as she doesn't go beyond the restrictions of her character or show any personality in the role, much like everyone else.It doesn't help that none of these characters get any sort of redemption throughout the film. If Paddy Considine was to make all of this misery truly mean something, than he would've had these characters rise above it, and truly make something of their lives despite their problems. However, this never happens, and the characters don't really change that much. Sure this may be like "real life", but this sense of realism is hampered by the extremes these characters go to by the end of the film. (SPOLIER) For example, when Joseph's younger friend is attacked by a dog, he kills it, rather than letting it slide or calling the police. At least while there are hints that his character will change by the end, as he sends a letter to Hannah telling her that he is getting his life back on track, Hannah isn't so lucky. Instead of divorcing her husband or (again) calling the police to get him arrested for his abuse, she (SPOLIER) kills him, in a very violent manner I should add. I understand that she was still in love with him to get any help as there are relationships like that in the real world (even if I hope there aren't many couples similar to Hannah and her husband), but if she was that in love with them, would she have really gone to that extreme? It doesn't seem very plausible, as it is completely out of character for her. It's more worrying considering that (SPOLIER) despite being in prison, seems happier that he is gone. What kind of message is that sending out? That murder solves all problems? I understand that I'm probably reading too much into this, but that is what it comes across as.Overall, while the acting is good and there are some nice scenes here and there, there isn't enough in Tyrannosaur to make it worth watching, and by the end of this miserable bore, you'll feel like you've wasted an hour and a half of your life that you could have used more productively rather than making it become extinct by watching this film. Stick to acting, Paddy.