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High-Rise

  • 20152015
  • RR
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
42K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,818
662
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Jeremy Irons, Elisabeth Moss, Sienna Guillory, James Purefoy, Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, and Louis Suc in High-Rise (2015)
1975. Two miles west of London, Dr. Robert Laing moves into his new apartment seeking soulless anonymity, only to find that the building's residents have no intention of leaving him alone. Resigned to the complex social dynamics unfolding around him, Laing bites the bullet and becomes neighborly. As he struggles to establish his position, Laing's good manners and sanity disintegrate along with the building. The lights go out and the lifts fail but the party goes on. People are the problem. Booze is the currency. Sex is the panacea. Only much later, as he sits on his balcony eating the architect's dog, does Dr. Robert Laing finally feel at home ...
Play trailer1:16
5 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Sci-Fi

Life for the residents of a tower block begins to run out of control.Life for the residents of a tower block begins to run out of control.Life for the residents of a tower block begins to run out of control.

IMDb RATING
5.5/10
42K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,818
662
  • Director
    • Ben Wheatley
  • Writers
    • Amy Jump
    • J.G. Ballard(novel "High Rise")
  • Stars
    • Tom Hiddleston
    • Jeremy Irons
    • Sienna Miller
Top credits
  • Director
    • Ben Wheatley
  • Writers
    • Amy Jump
    • J.G. Ballard(novel "High Rise")
  • Stars
    • Tom Hiddleston
    • Jeremy Irons
    • Sienna Miller
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 237User reviews
    • 337Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 14 nominations

    Videos5

    International Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 1:16
    International Teaser Trailer
    High-Rise U.S. Trailer
    Trailer 2:20
    High-Rise U.S. Trailer
    High-Rise
    Clip 1:14
    High-Rise
    High-Rise
    Clip 1:48
    High-Rise
    Ever wanted something more? Join us at the High-Rise.
    Featurette 1:22
    Ever wanted something more? Join us at the High-Rise.

    Photos279

    Louis Suc in High-Rise (2015)
    Tom Hiddleston in High-Rise (2015)
    Sienna Miller in High-Rise (2015)
    Elisabeth Moss and Tom Hiddleston in High-Rise (2015)
    Sienna Guillory in High-Rise (2015)
    Jeremy Irons in High-Rise (2015)
    Jeremy Thomas and Ben Wheatley in High-Rise (2015)
    Luke Evans in High-Rise (2015)
    Jeremy Irons and Sienna Guillory in High-Rise (2015)
    Luke Evans in High-Rise (2015)
    Luke Evans in High-Rise (2015)
    Tom Hiddleston in High-Rise (2015)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tom Hiddleston
    Tom Hiddleston
    • Laingas Laing
    Jeremy Irons
    Jeremy Irons
    • Royalas Royal
    Sienna Miller
    Sienna Miller
    • Charlotteas Charlotte
    Luke Evans
    Luke Evans
    • Wilderas Wilder
    Elisabeth Moss
    Elisabeth Moss
    • Helenas Helen
    James Purefoy
    James Purefoy
    • Pangbourneas Pangbourne
    Keeley Hawes
    Keeley Hawes
    • Annas Ann
    Peter Ferdinando
    Peter Ferdinando
    • Cosgroveas Cosgrove
    Sienna Guillory
    Sienna Guillory
    • Janeas Jane
    Reece Shearsmith
    Reece Shearsmith
    • Steeleas Steele
    Enzo Cilenti
    Enzo Cilenti
    • Talbotas Talbot
    Augustus Prew
    Augustus Prew
    • Munrowas Munrow
    Dan Renton Skinner
    • Simmonsas Simmons
    • (as Dan Skinner)
    Stacy Martin
    Stacy Martin
    • Fayas Fay
    Tony Way
    Tony Way
    • Robert the Caretakeras Robert the Caretaker
    Leila Mimmack
    Leila Mimmack
    • Lauraas Laura
    Bill Paterson
    Bill Paterson
    • Merceras Mercer
    Louis Suc
    Louis Suc
    • Tobyas Toby
    • Director
      • Ben Wheatley
    • Writers
      • Amy Jump
      • J.G. Ballard(novel "High Rise")
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Class struggle becomes all too real as a young doctor moves into a modern apartment block in suburban 1975 London. Drugs, drink, and debauchery dissolve into murder, mayhem, and misogyny in this pseudo-post-apocalyptic breakdown of societal norms. —David R Turner
    • high rise apartment building
    • tower
    • sex standing up
    • class warfare
    • suicide by jumping
    • 284 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Leave the real world behind
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Sci-Fi
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for violence, disturbing images, strong sexual content/graphic nudity, language and some drug use
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film includes two interpretations of the ABBA song "SOS" - one by the film's composer Clint Mansell and the other by Portishead. "SOS" was released in 1975. The same year as the novel "High-Rise" JG Ballard.
    • Goofs
      When Laing cuts into the human head during the pathology / dissection scene, blood is shown flowing from the fresh incision. This is medically impossible, as blood ceases to flow once a person is deceased; even more so when the head has been long since detached from the rest of the body.
    • Quotes

      Ann: There's no food left. Only the dogs. And Mrs. Hillman is refusing to clean unless I pay her what I apparently owe her. Like all poor people, she's obsessed with money.

    • Connections
      Featured in Film '72: Episode #45.4 (2016)
    • Soundtracks
      Sundance Chant
      Written by Conny Velt

      Published by Neue Welt Musikverlag GMBH & Co. KG

      A Warner / Chappell Music Company

      Performed by Gila

      Licensed courtesy of Gila

    User reviews237

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    Rises high at first, then quickly falls down and crashes with a thud
    'High Rise' had a lot of promise. An amazing and unique concept, same goes for the source material which is a gripping read and stands out conceptually. Ben Wheatley seemed the right director, as he does have a great style. It had a cast that one really should not go wrong by, the actors all immensely talented. The trailer looked great visually and indicated an intriguing film. Will admit that there were doubts though, as the book is yet another book that is difficult to adapt.

    Doubts that sadly proved to be correct on the most part, the reasons have been said frequently here and there is not an awful lot more to add. There are books around that should really have been left alone due to being unadaptable. 'High Rise' is one of them. Other book to film adaptations seen recently that fit under this distinction are 'House of the Spirits' (which would have been much better as a mini-series), 'Naked Lunch', 'Cosmopolis' and 'Crash', just to say that despite singling out three David Cronenberg films he is a director generally held in high regard by me. Coming back to talking about 'High Rise' as a film, it is a case of style over substance and is a difficult to rate film and a case of the trailer being much better than the film. Didn't love it, didn't hate it, am very conflicted really.

    It starts off so promisingly. The first half hour, or first act, is very intriguing and easy to follow, drawing one right in. Throughout, 'High Rise' looks fantastic. Actually thought it was one of the best-looking films of the year, the production design alone left me in awe and the cinematography perfectly captures the dystopian nightmarish nature of the story. Clint Mansell's score is both haunting and rousing, adding a lot to what is going on and even enhancing it without over-bearing. Wheatley's direction is very uneven, but he does excel in the visual style which is very imaginative.

    The cast are also remarkably great, it is amazing that they did so much with material that they are well above of. Luke Evans especially brings a lot of intensity, charisma and poignancy to the one character the film tries to develop and the one character the viewer feels anything for. Tom Hiddleston carries 'High Rise' with a lot of charm and commands the screen with ease. Jeremy Irons has fun with his role, while also being menacing and providing his distinctive gravitas. Elizabeth Moss is also a standout. The rest of the cast are underused but still make the most of what they have, nobody's bad here.

    Such a shame though that 'High Rise' goes downhill rapidly too early in a rather sudden and very violent change of tone and the rest of the film becomes very disjointed. It became increasingly dull with no real momentum, and the middle act especially felt over-stretched and padded. Giving the sense of the film being far too long (by about an hour, the middle half hour could easily have been cut out) and the lack of momentum showing an indication of the story overall being too thin structurally. It is not just dull, it becomes confusing and over-complicated to the point of incoherence. While Wheatley excels on the style aspect of 'High Rise', the substance is messy and too detached, that is what was meant by his direction being uneven. Sad because on paper he seemed the right director.

    Felt nothing for the characters, other than Evans' Wilder they are sketchy caricatures kept too much at a distance emotionally. Emotionally, 'High Rise' left me cold, felt very little tension or emotion because there was so much frustration at the lack of momentum in the middle act and the chaotic over-complicated confusion that reached breaking point by the rather abrupt and head-scratching ending. Other frustrations are the vapid and self-indulgent script and a quite interesting moral on paper being executed heavy-handedly.

    Overall, very hard to rate and the polarisation in the reviews is understandable. Started off so well and with a lot of great things (especially the visuals and cast) but the rest of the film badly underwhelmed. 5/10
    helpful•17
    2
    • TheLittleSongbird
    • Jun 14, 2019

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 28, 2016 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Belgium
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • High Rise
    • Filming locations
      • Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK
    • Production companies
      • HanWay Films
      • Film4
      • British Film Institute (BFI)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $346,472
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $79,887
      • May 15, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,289,074
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 59 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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    The Daily Stream: High-Rise Is A Stylish Dystopian Nightmare
    Jan 15Slash Film

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    Jeremy Irons, Elisabeth Moss, Sienna Guillory, James Purefoy, Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, and Louis Suc in High-Rise (2015)
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