*Sorry it’s a bit short, I wrote it for my student paper so I was working to a word limit*
Given their frequent collaborations and close friendship, it is no surprise that this directorial début from Paddy Considine bears a passing resemblance to the films of Shane Meadows. What is surprising is that rather than being a second rate Meadows imitation, Tyrannosaur is brilliantly assured in it’s own right; a brutal, beautiful film about rage, violence and ultimately, redemption. That it portrays this without descending into sentimentality is largely down to it’s uncompromising realism, and it’s central performances.
Peter Mullan is incredible as Joseph, a man caught in a cycle of violence and self destruction, but the real triumph is a startlingly brilliant, fragile performance from Peep Show’s Olivia Colman as Hannah, the charity worker who tries to befriend and redeem him. But her pious charity work and sunny optimism hide a domestic hell far worse than Joseph’s and it is her plight and the unravelling of her seemingly perfect life that are the most uncomfortable and tragic aspects of the movie.
Tyrannosaur is not an easy film to watch, and it’s darkness and graphic violence will certainly not be to everyone’s taste, but if you can stomach it, it is an abrasive, yet often uplifting and consistently moving human drama.
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