Tabloid (2004)

Director:

David Blair

Writers:

Martin Stellman, Brian Ward

Stars:

Matthew Rhys, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, John Hurt

Cast

Credited cast:
Matthew Rhys	...	Darren Daniels
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Natasha Fox
John Hurt	...	Vince
Danny Dyer	...	Joe Public
David Soul	...	Harvey
Stefano Accorsi	...	Lorenzo
Stephen Tompkinson	...	Lomax
Art Malik	...	Philip Radcliffe
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dani Behr	...	Dani Behr
Keith Chegwin	...	Keith Chegwin
Julienne Davis	...	Tv show hostess (as Trolley Gardner)
Ainsley Harriott	...	Ainsley Harriott
Vicky Holloway	...	Laura
Gail Porter	...	Gail Porter
Dawn Steele	...	Tori

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

tv show in film | tv crew | female nudity | faked death | prank gone wrong | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 2004 (Hungary)

Also Known As:

A játék vége

Box Office

Budget:

£3,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Little Wing Films, Ultimate Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 98 min (TV)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

User Reviews

Extremely stylish and twisty

Popularity and quality are often not correlated. Tabloid was another movie that I fished from the discount bin for 1 €, not expecting too much, but not risking either.

And boy, was I mistaken. This film admittedly has no special effects, it's mostly talk and just a little action - but still, extremely thrilling, and with good visuals, including nice usage examples for fake blood.

Of course I made my "whodunit" theories while watching, but plot twists and turns canceled them out almost until the end, where Natasha winks at the audience.

That normally is a "no - no" in movies (while it's not surprising in cartoons), and I could think of only one precedent - Hitchcock's "Family Plot". And come to think, this movie indeed has more Hitchcock appeal.. the whole "wrong man" situation, being alleged for murder while being innocent. Again, the plot turns, but watch it yourself.

All in all, a very well-done thriller plus TV show satire (with the UK/US contrasting just adding to the fun). Witty, cynical, good. Highly recommended, even if you have to pay more than 1 €.