Tyrannosaur – Out now on Blu-Ray and DVD

Some films set out to be deliberately provocative, attempting to show the horror as much as possible and unsettle or upset the audience in a visceral manner.  Other movies manage to unsettle with a lot less fanfare.  These are the ones that stick with you and this is exactly what Tyrannosaur does.

First time director Paddy Considine has proved his skill behind the camera is equal to that in front and Tyrannosaur is a monstrous movie, if you will forgive the pun.

Olivia Colman is truly remarkable as the downtrodden but good hearted Hannah, whose chance encounter with the damaged Joseph becomes the catalyst for the unravelling of her less than perfect marriage to the utterly detestable James (Eddie Marsden).

Beauty is hard to find in any of the characters, not in the physical sense but of the soul, each one of them has an ugliness within they are struggling to contain, just some do it better than others.  Yet, in spite of the fact that virtually our first encounter with Joseph is when he kicks his dog to death, you still feel sympathy, even empathy with him.  Credit here has to be given to both the script and Peter Mullan’s harrowing portrayal, there is no single traumatic incident in his past to justify his actions, he is just an angry man and like us, the observer, he seems unaware of the source of his rage too.

What Tyrannosaur does almost pitch perfectly is make you feel.  They are not always comfortable feelings, in fact a good majority of the time it is close to distressing, but so few films these days move you in the genuine way that Paddy Considine’s movie does.

If you are looking for Hollywood glitz then I suggest you move swiftly on, if however you want a movie of true substance, this is it. Truly wonderful.

Jules says…. 4.5/5