Downtime (1997)

Former police psychologist Rob helps to save young Chrissy when she is about to commit suicide by jumping of 21st-story balcony with her 4-year-old son Jake. When he persuades her to go on ... See full summary »

Director:

Bharat Nalluri

Writer:

Caspar Berry

Stars:

Paul McGann, Susan Lynch, Tom Georgeson

Cast

Credited cast:
Paul McGann	...	Rob
Susan Lynch	...	Chrissy
Tom Georgeson	...	Jimmy
David Roper	...	Mike
Denise Bryson	...	Jan
Adam Johnston	...	Jake
David Horsefield	...	Kevin
Stephen Graham	...	Jacko
Birdy Sweeney	...	Pat
Paul Johnson	...	Marcus
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Neil Armstrong	...	Jones
Hywel Berry	...	Paul
David Case	...	Sam
Craig Conway	...	Hammy
Daniel Lake	...	Johnny

Storyline

Former police psychologist Rob helps to save young Chrissy when she is about to commit suicide by jumping of 21st-story balcony with her 4-year-old son Jake. When he persuades her to go on a date, they are trapped with Jake and old Pat in an elevator because a drunken gang crashed into the elevator's engine room.

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Plot Keywords:

elevator | police | police psychologist | balcony | psychologist | 

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Taglines:

Next time, take the stairs

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Genres:

Romance | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 1998 (UK)

Also Known As:

To asanser tou tromou

Filming Locations:

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arts Council of England, Channel Four Films, IMA Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

'Die Hard' meets Ken Loach meets a poorly realized Nike commercial

Mr Nalluri may well have seen this film as his shoo in on the Hollywood big time, but his inability to direct actors (as opposed to "great action sequences") puts him in the queue behind all the other explosion-meisters (a beard, baseball cap and movie logo bomber jacket are also required for this 80's derivative member's club).

The film's rather flimsy premise - drug-fuelled thugs wreek havoc on the occupants of a Newcastle tower block - could be seen as a brave attempt to couple Loachian observation with the action movie genre, but it's simply a rather crass attempt to add gritty realism to a juvenile plot.

Paul McGann tries his best under the circumstances (as does Tom Georgeson), but the actors take second place in this film... The lift gets all the 'best' scenes.

'Downtime' was hailed as a calling card for one of Britain's exciting young directors. I think Mr Nalluri needs to get out more.