Killing Lionel (2019)

7/10

Effective, cross-genre comedy thriller brought in at well under budget.

filmchap22 March 2020

This indie feature film, brought to you by Paramore Productions, pays homage to the Great British gangster genre. While its been over twenty years since Guy Richie hit the screen with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, while there have been a slew of gangster movies coming out of Britain ever since. From the magnificent Sexy Beast to the less than splendid Essex Boys, while for every Eastern Promises or In Bruges there has been a Revolver or a Craig Fairbrass ;) The genre is constantly up and down more times than an incontinence pensioner. Director Tim Thorne's first feature has a lot going for it as the characters weave in and out of the films narrative, culminating in an amusing finale that contained some genuine laughs and witty one liners. Nicely shot (no shaky cinematography to convey the fake 'edgery' that often gets lazily inserted when it comes to low budget film making) The camera movements are fluid, smooth and well suited to the action unfolding. A couple of criticisms from me would be in the pacing, which at times seems slightly off, forty or so minutes into its running time, but the momentum picks up in time for the thoroughly enjoyable finale. Along the way I did also feel that some of the acting became more of a caricature of the genre and its here that I feel the film is at its weakest, it doesn't seem to try and approach the genre from a different angle. Its such well trodden ground and to make a film of this caliber stand out in a crowd, its what I personally look for when watching films from this genre. That being said and on the whole, this film is a commendable achievement for a first time feature director. Special kudo's have to go to actors Philip Alexander Baker as the deadpan refrained Eddie and James Stannard's angry and often explosive Sully whose contrast between each other provided me with the most laughs and a near perfect dynamic.

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7/10

Fun, well made but some appalling acting.

Sideshowblob18 May 2020

I really quite like this movie. It is well made and the cinematography is excellent. There are some genuinely funny moments and some great ideas storywise. There's nothing particularly original but it works well and the end is really effective.

The acting in this movie is really hit and miss. The two leads, Barnes and Lake, are fantastic and it's a real shame the two of them didn't share a lot more screen time. I really hope they get a prequel as the two of them are great and really good actors. Whilst there are some other good performances, a few of the supporting characters are pretty weak. I'm afraid Baker and Cabbana are the worst. Utterly cringe and I couldn't watch them for more than a few minutes. Shame really as they're in it a lot and they distract from the action.

On the whole though, this is a great British gangster flick and I'd love to see more of some of the characters.

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7/10

What a peach

anil-kulkarni-108-8566331 March 2020

This is classic British crime caper all rolled into one. Lean mean filmmaking at its best. Typical British understated plotting with an apt cast of characters. There's no good guys here all compromised by their own moral depredations. But there's some nice one liners, tension building up like a turning screw and an appropriate finale. Great watch. Wish more people would watch this.

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7/10

Strong British Indie Film

lukeabbottbbtt12 November 2021

Very strong British gangsta thriller. Was worried this would be the run-of-the-mill Guy Ritchie copy, but it was a lot smarter. Whip sharp editing, strong direction and a fun script elevated this. Bearing in mind, it is essentially a simple story of a horrible man meeting a horrible end, Killing Lionel is entertaining from start to finish. Great performances from all, solid writing. If I was to nitpick, I would have liked a few more complications in the final twenty minutes to make the ending a touch more unpredictable but on the whole, amazing effort. Excited to see what Tim Thorne does next!!!!