City of Tiny Lights (2016)

In the teeming, multicultural metropolis of modern-day London, a seemingly straightforward missing-person case launches a down-at-heel private eye into a dangerous world of religious fanaticism and political intrigue.

Director:

Pete Travis

Writer:

Patrick Neate

Stars:

Riz Ahmed, Billie Piper, James Floyd

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Riz Ahmed	...	Tommy Akhtar
Billie Piper	...	Shelley
James Floyd	...	Lovely
Cush Jumbo	...	Melody
Roshan Seth	...	Farzad Akhtar
Hannah Rae	...	Emma
Antonio Aakeel	...	Young Lovely
Reiss Kershi	...	Young Tommy
Vincent Regan	...	Tall Man / Schaeffer
Danny Webb	...	DS Cal Donnely
Ram John Holder	...	Trinidad Pete
Damson Idris	...	Hakim
Branko Tomovic	...	Big John
George Sargeant	...	Stuart
Alexander Siddig	...	Al-Dabaran

Storyline

'City Of Tiny Lights' is a witty gumshoe in contemporary (sub)urban London. When Asian Private Eye, Tommy Akhtar, is put on the trail of missing hooker, Sexy Russian, he begins to expose a series of dark secrets that reveal uncomfortable truths about Tommy's own past and London itself.

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Plot Keywords:

father son relationship | cancer | family home | hotel room | hotel | 

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Taglines:

Some secrets should remain buried

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grad neupadljive svetlosti

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films,MEDIA Programme of the European Union,UK Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actors playing the younger versions of the main characters had almost no acting experience between them. One of them was enrolling into drama training when she was offered the part.

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Soundtracks

Shedding Skin
Written by Ghostpoet (as Obaro Joe Ejimiwe)
Performed by Ghostpoet (as Ghost Poet) Feat. Mélanie De Biasio (as Melanie De Biasio)
Published by Universal Music Publishing Ltd
Courtesy of Play It Again Sam

User Reviews

London dick.

Private eyeing in present day Britain is a rough proposition. Guns are illegal, and then there's the whole immigration tension going on. Tommy Akhtar (wild eyed Riz Ahmed) is a typical, hard-drinking, tough talking, fistcuffing gumshoe with a heart of gold, trying to solve a missing Russian escort case whilst his very complicated past comes back to further cloud the perpetually rainy skies of London.

Ahmed is perfect in the lead, offering equal parts macho and empathetic soul; the gutsy dick able to take a beating, romance a good woman, and stand loyally by his loved ones.

"City of Tiny Lights" uses interesting political bents with religious, racial and drug tensions seething in the background, showing England for the explosive melting pot it truly is. Beautifully shot in wet, dark London, sparkling with Christmassy bokeh lights popping out of ominous shadows, this is one gorgeous looking film.

A little messy and cacophonic at times, this stab of celluloid is saved by a splashy, vibrant style that is pure eye candy.