Group b was one of the most high octane and also dangerous motors port series' in history. It produced some amazing feats of engineering and driver skill, but it also reminded everyone yet again that a car is not a toy, and one small mistake can end in tragedy. This film chose to break the mold of the typical sports drama, and instead of examining the rise of an underdog or an unexpected win, it went the route of showing the emotional turmoil that can be caused by one such mistake. The lead character, Shane, struggles to convince those around him and even himself that he is ready to return to the drivers seat after an accident leaves his co-driver dead. This internal struggle shows through the most when he finally gets the car moving again for the first time since the crash and he seems like he can barely make it around each turn. The script was minimalist and extremely well delivered by the actors, and the cinematography was also very well done. The only thing I could ask for is for it to be longer. To show the crash that left Shane traumatized and how he copes after his return. It was like I watched a half hour from the very middle of a full length movie and missed the start and finish. If you're interested in rally but want to see the side that isn't covered so much: the people behind the wheel, definitely give it a watch, seeing as it's on YouTube for free at the moment.
7 Reviews
Good but too short, and too dramatic.
crazycity127 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This movie nails two of the most important aspects of the group B era. The sound, and the fear. People were constantly crashing and dying. We now know its basically impossible to Drive that fast in those places (so the fia says...). The movie really nails that with the vibe it has. The cars are beautiful and the way he prepares and operates it looks authentic.
Where this movie falls off is in the measly run time of 26 minutes. For a movie that has to be bought for $3 I want more group b in my group b. By the time it gets to the good stuff were out of time ( you do get to see some amazing on board shots and exterior that do the car justice) but still. The second is that the actors are your typical grad film actors. Great at being super serious and super sad and that's it, granted its fitting here. It still gets old fast and the almost video game level silent character in real life wouldn't be let behind the wheel of a moped let alone a 800bhp death machine... Also the co driver is such a wasted character. You think crazy boy is scared what about the guy who's life is in crazy boys hands, but instead he just mopes around because hes not crazy boys lover co driver.
rant over.
This movie is okay. If you love the group B era this scratches that itch until Hollywood can finally give us a proper rally movie. If you want a masterful telling of the trials of the Bs then probably save that $3
Where this movie falls off is in the measly run time of 26 minutes. For a movie that has to be bought for $3 I want more group b in my group b. By the time it gets to the good stuff were out of time ( you do get to see some amazing on board shots and exterior that do the car justice) but still. The second is that the actors are your typical grad film actors. Great at being super serious and super sad and that's it, granted its fitting here. It still gets old fast and the almost video game level silent character in real life wouldn't be let behind the wheel of a moped let alone a 800bhp death machine... Also the co driver is such a wasted character. You think crazy boy is scared what about the guy who's life is in crazy boys hands, but instead he just mopes around because hes not crazy boys lover co driver.
rant over.
This movie is okay. If you love the group B era this scratches that itch until Hollywood can finally give us a proper rally movie. If you want a masterful telling of the trials of the Bs then probably save that $3
Great Short Film: Satisfies My Love For Rally and Character Studies
alexarag1 March 2017
This was an excellent short film.
Personally, I am extremely happy that the film did not simply focus on the cars and the actual rallying aspect of the Group B era in the short screen time we were given. Why? Because it is not meant to be a documentary or a fan service film. The filmmakers here showed that they love rally, but more importantly, they love making good movies and creating great characters—the setting of the group B era was just the icing on the cake.
The film perfectly captures the sheer awesomeness AND fear that the 1980s era of rallying brought to motorsport, and more importantly, the drivers themselves.
In the short time we had, the filmmakers established a great main character study, as well as introducing minor sub-plot elements of the Group B era ("The car goes faster than my mind") to accurately portray the instability of that era.
Excellent.
Personally, I am extremely happy that the film did not simply focus on the cars and the actual rallying aspect of the Group B era in the short screen time we were given. Why? Because it is not meant to be a documentary or a fan service film. The filmmakers here showed that they love rally, but more importantly, they love making good movies and creating great characters—the setting of the group B era was just the icing on the cake.
The film perfectly captures the sheer awesomeness AND fear that the 1980s era of rallying brought to motorsport, and more importantly, the drivers themselves.
In the short time we had, the filmmakers established a great main character study, as well as introducing minor sub-plot elements of the Group B era ("The car goes faster than my mind") to accurately portray the instability of that era.
Excellent.
Beautiful and Brilliant!
injury-654475 October 2020
I didn't think I would be that interested in this short given the subject matter. I was so wrong!
The performances are outstanding. The film is able to evoke an incredible amount of emotion, I was in tears by the end. Fantastic direction and a heartrending score. Just magical.
By the way, Richard Madden is beyond gorgeous!
The performances are outstanding. The film is able to evoke an incredible amount of emotion, I was in tears by the end. Fantastic direction and a heartrending score. Just magical.
By the way, Richard Madden is beyond gorgeous!
well crafted
Kirpianuscus25 September 2020
Interesting construction of characters, fair story, nice introduction in the history of rally and good Richard Madden job. Each - piece of admirable short film about past, present, come back and pressure , options and the choice.
A bit lost in execution
Horst_In_Translation22 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
"Group B" is a British 26-minute live action short film from 2015 and this one was written and directed by Nick Rowland. The star here is lead actor Richard Madden. Many will know him from Game of Thrones, but justg a few days ago he managed to score his very first Golden Globe nomination for his most recent project. So he and also his older works like this award-winning project here are a bit more in the focus now again scoring some additional attention. Maybe you recognize from the main photo here on imdb already that here we got a movie about rallye driving, a highly unusual suspect for films and I cannot remember any other film about said subject. So I really hoped this could have been a strong outcome. But sadly, it fell a bit flat to me, even if it is not a failure. The rallye aspect should have been more dominant in my opinion. Instead it just turned into a mediocre character study overall with a mostly disappointing ending. The "can't hear you / can hear you" part was not half as emotional and memorable as I wanted it to be. Still when we see the rallye action with the second seat driver giving the instructions the way it is usual there, it was still nice to watch. But yeah, everything non-rallye I found fairly forgettable and so as a whole I must give this movie a thumbs-down and a negative recommendation. Maybe if you really love rallye or Madden, then give it a watch, preferrably both. Otherwise skip it. The performances are also okay at best, not bad, but also not good enough to make up for some mediocrities. My suggestion is to watch something else instead.
Very disappointing, too much emotion and hardly any Group B!!!
tony-193614 December 2018
When you have a film title Group B I think it reasonable to expect quite a lot of Group B cars (we get limited shots of 1 and honestly, with the exception of the Citroen, it was probably the least impressive group B car) and some great group B action but what you get instead is an emotional tale of rally driver with some major issues trying to get back into the saddle and very little driving action. I found it depressing which is far from what I hoped for when I bought it. There were so many great stories in the world of Group B so not sure why they had to invent one.
Having got that off my chest I will say the acting was great
Having got that off my chest I will say the acting was great
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