Tony (2009)

A thriller centered on a serial killer in a rundown London suburb.

Director:

Gerard Johnson

Writer:

Gerard Johnson

Stars:

Peter Ferdinando, Greg Kam, Ricky Grover

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Ferdinando	...	Tony Benson
Greg Kam	...	DVD Seller
Ricky Grover	...	Davey's Dad Paul
Kerryann White	...	Davey's Mum Lisa
Eddie Johnson	...	Pub Regular
Mike Johnson	...	Pub Regular
Frank Boyce	...	Publican
Sam Kempster	...	Davey
George Russo	...	Mackey
Francis Pope	...	Smudger
Neil Large	...	Drug Taker
Rob Seth-Smith	...	Drug Taker
Cyrus Desir	...	Dealer
Vicky Murdock	...	Dawn
Neil Maskell	...	Mike Hemmings

Storyline

Meet Tony, a withdrawn, socially-awkward, and unemployed man living in a depressingly blah flat in a working-class part of London. In his free time, when he's not busy being an amateur butcher, Tony enjoys watching VHS action films on a small and obsolete TV, querying escort agencies and prostitutes about their services and prices, meeting new and interesting people on the streets and in gay bars, and taking long walks by the waterside, where he dumps body parts. Tony enjoys the occasional beer and a toke of crack, and is a non-smoker. He's lonely, badly in need of a cuddle, and would love to have you over for a powdered fruit drink and an uncomfortable and mundane chat and that bit of warmth that a corpse just can't provide.

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Plot Keywords:

gay | prostitute | serial killer | mirror | death | 

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Taglines:

It's Always the Quiet Ones

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

AbbottVision [United Kingdom] Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tony - London Serial Killer

Filming Locations:

Soho, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$4,298 (United Kingdom), 5 February 2010, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Abbott Vision, Chump Films, Dan McCulloch Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Ferdinando lived in the flat that Tony resides in during the shooting of this film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tony: [Tony walks up to a DVD seller on the street] Hello, how are you? All right.
Tony: [Tony doesn't get a response] I haven't got a DVD player, I've only got a video recorder, I'm afraid. You should sell videos. If you had any action films on video, I'd buy them from you.
Tony: [Tony still doesn't get a response] What do you think... What do you think is better, um, karate or kung fu? I'll see you, then. Might see you tomorrow.
[Tony walks off]

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Connections

References Cocaine Wars (1985)

User Reviews

There's No Place Like London

Tony is a dark character study focusing on a week in the life of Tony, a British serial killer living in a London tower block. A socially awkward individual, Tony kills because it seems to be his only way to resolve difficult social situations. It is easier for him to commit murder than to relate to other people.

To a certain extent, the film's examination of Tony resembles the 1980s film, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Peter Ferdinando's performance rivals that of Michael Rooker in the latter film, giving Tony depth and sympathy. However, the film has a class context that sets it apart from the earlier work.

Paralleling Tony's bleak existence is the blighted section of London he lives in. Walking aimlessly through poor neighborhoods and interacting with their inhabitants, Tony's behavior comes to seem an understandable reaction to his social environment. Indeed, many of the people he encounters come across as even more savage in their own ways, whether through overt aggression or bureaucratic indifference.

The film does have some flaws that prevent it from being a true classic. There are a number of scenes dedicated to establishing Tony's lack of social skills, which at times come across as overkill. Given that the film originated as a short film, these scenes seem like filler meant to bring it to feature length. Nevertheless, this British film is definitely worth a rent.