Genres

Visitors Review

Gizmo 2012-05-25 22:11:58

Closer to the truth than you might think

This is actually a brilliant film, if you can forgive a few minorflaws. Kebbel plays 'Bobby' brilliantly and the key characters are allconvincing; a tip of the hat to the absence of prima donna Hollywoodstars there.The accuracy and attention to detail in certain areas more than make upfor the relative shortness of the film, for example how Bobby takes aquick visual check of the chamber on his rifle before moving from coverin between contacts in the main firefight scene. This scene gets theold adrenalin going a little, it is actually very similar to the streetbattle scene from 'Heat'; no music, just the sound of gunfire echoingin the streets.The espionage element and the political scheming is portrayed smoothly,allowing the viewer to think for themselves and make up their own mindwithout going overboard on the conspiracy element. Whatever your viewson whether or not this side of the plot is fictional, it's a film worthwatching. The only difference between 'worth watching' and 'great film'is just a matter of budget and time really.

Ross Downing 2012-05-25 13:00:00

Complex, ambitious, challenging- a real experience

I actually had this film and another British 'grit' film - a JasonStatham film- 'Blitz' at the same time. I knew a little about TheVeteran and and just didn't feel like watching it since I assumed itwas going to be dark. It is that. However, when I actually got myfinger out and started playing it- it really grabbed me by the manhoodwithin seconds. Literally. Yes this is a heavy film, but is itsomething you want to watch? Yes. Is it entertaining, very- it hasintrigue, drama and action. The human element of the main character isportrayed excellently by Toby Kebbell who I had seen some monthsearlier in the Guy Ritchie gangsta powerflick 'RocknRolla'. I think it's useful to actually bring up Ritchie here, due to its linkswith Kebbell- and for that matter Statham's 'Blitz' which is a form ofdark Ritchie film actually. What they all have in common is the grimunderbelly of London and the disturbed inwards of British society.Unlike Ritchie's MTV approach, The Veteran has a hugh scope- a truecomment on modern society, civilisation, morality... I could go on...REALLY heavy subjects which are explored with the vigour of a novel. Infact, this film would have probably been better as a novel- some of thelabyrinthine plot does not take on first viewing, but I saw that asindicative of the confused state of morals, politics, loyalty andjudgements that the film centres on. In this respect Kebbell's hard buttraumatised soldier is a great piece of acting and a fantastic vehiclefor a mixture of action/thriller entertainment and social commentary.The conflicting opinions about the movie Blitz are typical of the stateBritish cinema finds itself in right now. On one hand you have the typeof Lock, Stock Brad Pitt 'ultraviolence' and crime-glorificationpopcorn for the Hollywood market. The Transporter, Crank and so on arealso in the same vein you could argue- pretty soulless Stathamnonsense. Blitz as a film is halfway between that and this. And what isthis?Well, it is the other hand. Something British cinema can actually beproud of, it has depth. It does not wallow in 'cool' Tarantino styleviolence and gore- instead it uses ultra-realistic action scenes(helped by the military/espionage storyline) to get into the heart ofthe British (read 'western') battlefield of crime, corruption,terrorism... and well, watch it and find out. In many ways, you mightalmost class this as a post-apocalyptic film, it echoes 1984 andgeneric Orwellian dystopia. Man up and watch it, give it just minutesand you'll be hooked. Whether this type of film or the Ritchie style will gain control overBritain's cinematic soul remains to be seen.

xiferfrost 2012-05-21 09:07:34

Storyline mashed up

The cinematography was fine, I actually like the fact that they madeeverything realistic. The only thing that is unlikable in this moviewas the storyline mashed-up. There are things that are uncertain, thereare things that are not clear or lacking of foundation.There was two main story that was mashed up in this story. First is thepart where the main actor is dealing with the drug dealers, and secondis the part where the main actor acquired a job as from another party.These could have been a better movie if the two main story was relatedto each other.Mystery unsolved about the girl.

tezashrapnel 2012-05-20 13:32:22

Great film but.......

I watched this film the other day and loved it as Im a Londoner myself.I can relate to what was going on and the story was good, But with allthese type of films made about gangs,Crooks (Harry Brown, Snatch etc)inLondon they all fall into the same and this is. To an outsider its likeyou seem to be able to get away with shooting guns like the wild westand not one copper is on you, I can tell you that in reality you wouldhave about 5 mins before you are took down and arrested. But hey itsonly a film and I suppose you have to let it go. About the film theacting was good the area they shot it in was around North London whichI know very well and I live close to but this film can be a littledepressing so don't view it if you are a bit down but apart from what Isaid its a very solid movie...Enjoy.

seany_c 2012-05-13 10:35:42

Entertaining Brit Flick

Saw this with my girl today and enjoyed it very much. It's nothinggreat by any means, but it's a good little film. Toby Kebbell plays asoldier back from Afghanistan, who soon finds himself in another war,this time on his home turf. The film switches between a plot involvingterrorism and a plot involving violent gangs on the estate. Both areinteresting to watch and both eventually collide. The plot is somethingwe've seen hundred's of times over but that's not to say this isn'twell made. Kebbell is very good in the lead role and can certainlycarry a film. The supporting actors perform well enough too but nowherenear Kebbell's standards. The gun-heavy climax is gritty and well done,if you don't take it too seriously of course. Me and the missus werethe only ones in the cinema, so I'm guessing this will probably die adeath while it's on the big screen. Overall a violent, over-the-top butentertaining Brit flick, not to be taken seriously but not to beignored. ***/*****

robcourt87 2012-05-12 17:02:28

Good Not Great

POSSIBLE SPOILER the film was good though i just found it boring ittook over half an hour before any action then the film started gettinggood though through the whole film it feels like its missing somethinglike background music it feels to quiet and then the ending to the filmwas just a bit of a let down and now just makes me think that the wholefilm was pointless an okay film but I've seen better its got nothing onother films of its kind of genre like adulthood and shank they aregreat films based in the London grime sceneas i was saying the film feels deadand thats all i can say for it

Tony Heck 2012-05-10 12:48:13

Surprisingly good and a lot like a "Munich" style revenge movie. This deserves to be watched. I liked it a lot. I say B.

"There are over 2,000 terrorists operating in the U.K. alone and thatnumber is increasing daily." Miller's (Kebbell) army enlistment is overand he is not sure of what he wants to do. When he meets a group headedby Gerry (Cox) he finds his niche. Along with his new found friends hebegins to hunt down and eliminate terrorists and a local gang of drugdealers. Having seen many of the recent war movies in the last fewyears I went in expecting to see long and boring (like 90% of theothers). I was very surprised by this one. While not an amazing movieby any stretch this is a very good movie that is comparable in manyways to "Munich". A small group hunts down and tries to eliminate thebad guys one by one. Saying that pretty much sums up what the movie isabout and while the acting is not great it is still very much worthwatching and better then 90% of the movies that have been like thisrecently. Overall, a surprisingly good movie that deserves to bewatched. I give it a B.

adam_s_hosier 2012-05-09 22:32:29

A proper war film where the scum hoodies get it - excellent

Knowing a little about the worlds portrayed in this film (war andespionage), I can safely say that yes though the plot is a bit tooflexible and yes a pretty unrealistic urban warfare ending against scumhoodies with guns (in real life they'd just have pathetic little knifesand pathetic little attitudes so would never stick around to have thesoldier take it to them) - this film is well worth watching.I'm not going to say anymore, just watch it!NB OK, so I wasn't going to say anymore except that I have to have 10lines of review text. This film is deeper than most of the "expert"reviewers from papers like the Guardian give it credit for. Watch itand see if you can pick out the messages it is trying to get across.Much more than the Guardian seem to think - but then again I don'tsuppose Guardian journalists get out that much. That should do!

da_ve4 2012-05-02 00:16:30

It should have been 2 separate films!

Overall it was a good film albeit slightly confusing at times. The maincharacter is very likable. There seems to be one plot which isadvertised - the council estate plot, and the terrorist plot. The filmwould have been better if it stuck to one of the plots. The ladyinformant character remains unresolved. I believe it could have beenquite similar to Harry Brown if done well. The terrorist part of thefilm was a bit confusing with too many twists to keep anybody trulyinterested. I believe if this part had been developed it could havebeen similar to an American blockbuster film which would usually starMatt Damon. The main character's performance is very strong and thereactions are more realistic and believable than in most action scenes.It was a nice touch to see someone actually reload in a movie. It isstill watch able but it could have been a lot better.

davideo-2 2012-05-01 16:34:36

Above average DVD actioner

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Miller (Toby Kebbell) returns home from war to the council estate helives in, but finds it in the grip of a crime wave, perpetrated byyoung boys under the influence of local villain Tyrone (Ashley 'Bashy'Thomas.) Struggling to re-adjust to civilian life, he is offered a jobby an old army pal to execute a government operation, headed by Gerry(Brian Cox) to take out a terrorist cell. But as he delves deeper intohis mission, he finds trust may be a virtue that could cost his life.One of the excerpts of favourable reviews printed on the back cover ofThe Veteran (I'm sure it was from Empire Magazine) hails it as 'HarryBrown has some competition.' While it does deal with a man standing upto crime on a troubled estate, this manages to be as much of a sub plotas the part where he takes on the government operation, and while bothparts have promise, together they throw the film off course a bit,making things a bit jumbled and incoherent. A shame, since as an actionfilm, it is quite well made, slick and stylish enough and with atighter, more effective script than you might expect from such anobviously low budget work. Best remembered as the eccentric musicalgenius from RocknRolla, in the lead role Kebbell melds well into theaction hero role, while as the most high profile member of the cast Coxhas as much presence as ever, delivering his all even to a more minorrole.This is an ambitious, fairly effective but sadly sort of misguidedeffort, that does more than you expect but can't quite cover over thecracks. ***

bernie843 2012-04-30 16:24:26

Excellent realistic Brit movie

I came out of the British army a few years ago as did some of my 9 SqnPara friends. They went down the same route this film depicts in London, and Iremember vividly a conversation I had with one in a dirty kebab shop inLondon where I was trying to give the argument against kidnapping a guyfor payment. It was all covert and for a ex-officer and for goodpayment.They had meetings by the disused East End docks before it was all builtup. I felt that they were being set up but they wanted to get the'buzz' of combat back again, tired of the dreary civvy life.This film was like stepping into their lives. It was so realistic. Theyeven had the radio talk that we use off to pat. The cleaning of theguns, the professional way that they carried out their work... all TOOreal. This was written by someone who has done this, take my word forit. As for other reviewers saying it was unrealistic well even as a lowlySapper I carried out stake outs in London, all sneaky beaky stuff. Itis what we ex-military do when we get out. If we are lucky we get abreak and get out of it. This guy, like some of my dead friends,didn't.Hate the ending but love it because of that. A Hollywood version wouldhave to have a touchy-feely tree-hugging nice ending.If you like European films because of their realism then you will lovethis! The Das Boot of retired British military films.

kosmasp 2012-04-30 00:01:17

Professional

Toby Kebbell that is. A powerhouse performance by a guy you might nothave taken notice up until now. But if you watch this, you will atleast remember his face (with time and maybe some luck on his part,concerning movie roles, maybe even his name). While the movie has itsflaws his performance doesn't have any.As you can tell by the rating (R), it does not pull any punches oranything else. You don't have to be too careful to follow the story,but it does take a certain level of commitment to stay with it untilthe end. Our main protagonist is an anti hero. And yet, while hedoesn't want to be in the top spot, he never shies away fromresponsibility. Or "doing the right thing."

FlashCallahan 2012-04-27 23:20:32

you're either with us or against us....

Story is pretty straightforward on this one. Man comes back fromAfghanistan with no job etc. goes to a pub to meet his mates, comeshome, gets threatened by some 'yoofs'.Turns out the 'yoofs' have a boss, who wants the titular character tojoin his organisation. he says no. Few plot point later it turns outthe government and this gang are selling anything you could think of onthe streets. This vexes the 'Veteran'.....Did someone say 'bloody rampage??' owing lots to death Wish, Harry Brown and even Uwe Bolls rampage, thisfilm is probably one of the most depressing things you will see thisyear, and the most silliest.Kebbell is great in the role, he has the emotion and menace to play acharacter like this, it's just the fact that the rest of the cast areso by the numbers. From the main guy who sits in his chair with all hismates around him with guns and dogs, to the young kid with theattitude, to Brian Cox who is just reprising hi role from the Bournemovies.And the script is dodgy too. Until the final act, Kebbell has nothingto do but look annoyed, punch walls and get kidnapped......Three times(the guy is a soldier, you think he'd be more aware of this).But then the ending is gritty and very, very powerful, which just aboutredeems the rest of the film and it's lazy characterisation. Iconfident in saying you won't see a more solemn ending in a film thisyear, even though you can see it coming a mile off.So it's not a bad movie, just a bit sloppy, but thanks to Kebbell andthe ending, is above average.

Perry Bee 2012-04-27 06:58:16

Good solid film

I just watched this film, and it was way better then what some of thereviews on here indicated. Sure as like most films it is nothing new,no Oscars will be handed out, but it had me watching with interest fromstart till the end.Sure it had some slow parts in it, but the story line was solid, actingwas good, and the pile of bodies made up for the slow parts.The British do these kind of films well, most of their cop shows arewell done, and they are very good at making crime films.Like I said no Oscar on its way, but a hell of lot better then the crapthat has been coming out of Hollywood this year.Solid 8 out of 10

Philip Mackenzie 2012-04-26 02:02:20

Worth watching for the camera work

Watched this film today and thoroughly enjoyed it. The camera sceneshave been thought through for maximum effect. The feel of the wholefilm is gritty and fast moving. The scene which overlooks Canary Wharfis a new one on me ,it compares old and new London architecture in onescene. I have been to the Heygate estate and think this film thoroughlycaptures every essence of the area. The film is fast moving and nothingis overdone but is all conducive to the final scene. A Great BritishUrban Piece along the same lines of Harry Brown which i think wasfilmed on the same estate but from watching the two you can appreciatethe different views of each director.

GUENOT PHILIPPE 2012-04-25 04:01:46

A great UK movie

I already knew, when I bought it, that this film would be for me. TheUK noir crime film at his best. With an unavoidable social background,British oblige, we watch here the story of an ex soldier in Afghanistanwho gets back in his neighbourhood and has to deal with everything andevery one: dealers, terrorists seed, misery...I rapidly thought of one of the early Denzel Washington's film: FORQUEEN AND COUNTRY, where he played here exactly the same kind ofcharacter. A man in struggle with a hopeless fate, a former SAS soldierFalklands war vet. Dark, violent, superbly shot and characterized, a very good feature.

deathbliss 2012-04-25 07:17:33

Another movie with a bad ending...

OK so here's the second movie in the last few weeks that has awoken myire. I really liked the acting, photography, transitions, and our hero.However I hated that fact that...(START SPOILER) First off our hero is too easy to sneak up on. Itdoesn't match the professional character portrayed elsewhere in thefilm, nor does it match the reality of an experienced soldier'straining and reflexes. Our hero is supposed to be a veteran, butpeople, one of them a little kid, sneak up on him 3 times. He's alsocaught off guard once, leading to his capture. Oh and our so-called vetis a complete idiot. He listens to Cox's character at the end and goesoff on a one man war against the gang, but they don't have the girllike he was told. Cox told him that to ensure he could not rescue thegirl. He wanted to send our hero off to his death. But thedirector/producer/writer aren't done enraging us, nooo. Next the vetwades through the gang, only to get shot from behind in the side of theneck by an twelve year old punk and conveniently he's out of ammo, sothe kid is able to come up and shoot him in the head. He never rescuesthe girl, never gets proper revenge, its another, "bad guys win, letsmake a great movie with a great story and great characters but give ita tragic, artsy ending" (END SPOILER).I really wish people would stop making this garbage because there isnobody on earth who can honestly say they like it. Do yourself a favorand stay away from this, unless you enjoy being really, really annoyed!

Ced Yuen 2012-04-24 16:54:12

'The Veteran' spins too many plates, and ultimately ends up dropping them.

At the end of 2008's 'The Hurt Locker', an ex-soldier struggles tochoose which type of cereal to buy. Accustomed to life-or-deathsituations, he is incapable of such a trivial decision. It's a briefscene, but it perfectly captures the difficulty of adapting to civilianlife after the horrors of active duty. This is precisely the kind ofvibe that 'The Veteran' aims for, but misses entirely.Robert Miller (Toby Kebbell) has just returned from Afghanistan. Unableto get a job and still haunted by his experiences of war, he feels likean outsider. He suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, whichmakes it even more difficult for him to adjust.On its own, this would have been enough, but there's more: Millerstarts monitoring suspected terrorists for the government, and uncoverssome kind of conspiracy. Meanwhile, a local gang starts terrorising hiscouncil estate, so he has to deal with that as well. So now there'sespionage conspiracy and social commentary.Miller's psychological problems present an interesting examination intothe effects of war, but there isn't enough of it. Any credibility thatbuilds up is shattered every time the story wanders elsewhere. Just asviewers get a glimpse into Robert Miller's psyche, the film jumps awayinto 'Spooks' mode – shot after shot of people in cars, watching orfollowing or driving past each other, seemingly without reason orconsequence.Then there is the council estate storyline. The handful of scenesfeaturing hoodies and poor grammar fail to mask a lazy attempt attrying to make the film gritty and realistic. Of course there areplaces and situations just like the council estate portrayed, but thereis nowhere near enough development to make viewers actually care aboutthese people and their 'hood. Without actually stopping to examine thesocial issues implied, the inclusion of these scenes is an exercise intime-wasting.The problem with 'The Veteran' is that it lacks focus. Indecisivelyjumping all over the place between different genres and irrelevant plotlines, the film has a scatter-gun approach that doesn't hit any of itstargets. The narrative just ends up feeling disjointed, which allowsvery little emotional investment. It is hard to understand what isgoing, but even harder to care about it.The action is another thing that's indecisive. There is initially verylittle action, and when there is some violence, it comes in shortbursts. It is effective, and clearly meant to contrast thegun-pornography in American films. Then the film changes gear and givesMiller a machine gun. With no clear sense of identity, the film is asconfusing as it is frustrating.There are hints of things that could have made this a good film had thefilmmakers not tried so hard to be clever. The surveillance sectionsoccasionally present an effective bit of tension. Toby Kebbell does agood job essentially driving the film by himself, playing Miller with aconstant restlessness that makes him seem genuinely uneasy.None of this, however, will save this film from the bargain bin at yourlocal petrol station. What starts off as a believable, gritty portrayalof a man's plight rapidly descends into incoherent tedium. 'TheVeteran' spins too many plates, and ultimately ends up dropping them.

letemdi 2012-04-24 14:24:48

paranoid concerns of war, government, crime, and loss of control comes together neatly

By far the best action movie I have seen in years. The story jumbles abit but the acting is A1.this story definitely digs deeper then justboom sticks, Only one scene does the shoulder mount (i am assuming) gettwitchy.The cast plays excellently with each other and the lead actorsrepresentation of p.t.s.d. is well done and not over played.thecinematographers/directors creation of an almost Dystopic present daywas masterful. Well played and I have a feeling I will be followingthose involved for some time to come. Resisting the monopolized worldof large effects c.g.i. and over the top action sequences this featurepulls you directly into the soldier, resisting action because itsnecessary until it boils over. I found myself begging the hero to becool and not bite then at other times to attack with out mercy and thedirector seemed to carry us along on a more emotionally realisticbattle of the personal experience. There are a few lacking oruncomfortable bits in here with dialogue being a touch to muddled orsuppressed and the odd bad angle but these cracks by my opinion onlyadded an authenticity to the style they were driving for.

smoochpapandreas 2012-04-23 17:30:52

Wonderfully bruised, battered, and full of unsettling ambiguity

This is one of those instances when I approached a film with the IMDbscore lodged at the front of my brain, blinking like a huge red warninglight trying to stop from proceeding any further. 'This is going to bedistinctly average,' I thought to myself as I sat down. And to be fair,it was distinctly average. For the first 120 seconds.The rest is something quite different and is really a vehicle for aremarkable performance by Toby Kebbell. I won't bother with plot or spoilers. Neither will ultimately help youdecide whether you'll enjoy this film and, indeed, may very well spoilit. It's better to perhaps describe where 'The Veteran' fits within itsgenre. From my vantage point, it was a beautifully underplayedespionage film of that kind which fell out of favour somewhere in the1960s. It's not as convoluted as the world of John le Carré thrillersand 'The Veteran's cod-New World Order philosophising probably doesn'tbear close scrutiny. In many respects it reminded me of the betterHarry Palmer films though played out in that kind of world that MichaelCaine recently visited in the equally gritty (though morally morequestionable) 'Harry Brown'. I hesitate to say that this is a betterfilm than 'Harry Brown' (though my instinct immediately after watchingit is to say that it is). The violence is fast, brutal, and utterlymundane and perhaps explains why it reminded me of that Mel Giblsonminor classic, 'Payback'. It shares many of the same shades as thatfilm, where characters live in that grey area between good and evil. That, I suppose, characterises many of the very best spy films and forthis reason 'The Veteran' is a film that is bound to split both theaudience and the critics. Perhaps for that reason I'm marking it alittle too generously but I can't help that. This is for those of uswho like our spy thrillers bruised, battered, and full of unsettlingambiguity.