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Title: Wasteland (2012)
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| Credited cast: | |||
| Vanessa Kirby | ... | Nicola | |
| Matthew Lewis | ... | Dodd | |
| Iwan Rheon | ... | Dempsey | |
| Timothy Spall | ... | D I West | |
| Luke Treadaway | ... | Harvey | |
| Neil Maskell | ... | Steven Roper | |
| Gerard Kearns | ... | Charlie | |
| Brad Moore | ... | Sgt Kendon | |
| Lewis Rainer | ... | PC Nixon | |
 |
Grant Crookes | ... | Prison Officer |
|
|
Paul Clayton | ... | Albert |
| Gary Cargill | ... | Scouse | |
| Andy Calderwood | ... | Ropers cronie | |
| David Turner | ... | Construction Site Manager | |
|
|
Neil Athale | ... | Prisoner |
Battered, bruised and under arrest, Harvey Miller (Luke Treadaway) sits in a police interview room facing interrogation. Clutching a stack of eyewitness statements, Detective Inspector West (Timothy Spall) has no doubt in Harvey's part in a foiled robbery, and his subsequent attempted murder of local businessman Steven Roper. Denying everything, Harvey agrees to tell his version of events in full. We take in his release from prison a month earlier, and the malevolent, unjust act that put him in there. We see his emotional reunion with his sibling-like best friends, and the immovable loyalty they have for one another. We see the rekindling of a lost love, a second chance for two people meant for each other. We see the ingenious planning of the ill-fated robbery, the amazing twist, the shocking outcome and the real driving force behind it - retribution. What unfolds is an exhilarating, moving and hilarious story of loyalty, jealousy, friendship, revenge and the pursuit of happiness. Written by MoliFilms
As the credits rolled at the end of this movie I felt a sense of surprise more than anything. Surprised that 'The Rise' was a very good film, exceeding my expectations in every way. A hidden gem almost, a film that I had not heard of until I saw it on Netflix. I am a fan of the genre; the British 'indie' scene is one that I usually enjoy.
This movie is marketed as a heist & revenge movie, which is exactly what it is, but it is not your run of the mill heist flick. It is a powerful, gripping & gritty drama with a great solid plot, good characters & superb acting.
It starts very well, throwing you into the story, the lead character is being interviewed by a detective and he begins to tell the story, showing the viewer how he came to be in that situation. The movie does go down a few gears through the middle of the film but then picks up pace and the final 30-40 minutes are fantastic. I won't ruin anything, but the end of the film is very, very enjoyable. The acting is superb; you genuinely feel for the characters and certainly take sides between the good and bad. The 4 main lads are all convincing and portray their own characters well. There is definitely chemistry between the 4 leads and they do have a realistic, relatable relationship.
One negative I have is that I thought the relationship/girlfriend storyline was a little unnecessary but it is something we have come to expect in almost every film nowadays. To give credit though, it was kept to a minimum and acted more as a sub plot rather than taking centre stage throughout.
I'm not going to say much more as I don't want to give anything away. I'm not sure why this film is so hidden, it never took off and never went mainstream. I know there was a delay in releasing it and it also underwent a title change from 'Wastelands' to 'The Rise'. Overall it is a very impressive film from a novice director/writer with good acting from all the young and upcoming British stars.
8/10