Wow! Such a good movie.

Absolutely Fantastic

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Written and directed by Hadi Hajaig, Puritan stars Nick Moran, Georgina Rylance, Pete Hodge, David Soul and Ralph Brown. Music is by Simon Lambros and cinematography is by Peter Ellmore.Simon Puritan (Moran) is a medium in the East End of London. Tormented by the bad cards life has dealt him, he's become a alcoholic and battles with migraine headaches. When his latest client introduces him to Ann Bridges (Rylance), it spins his life onto another plane.Low on budget it may be, but Hadi Hajaig's movie has style and atmosphere to burn. Though set in modern London, Hajaig pitches Simon Puritan into a Gothic flavoured world. It's world where the spectres of Jack the Ripper and Aleister Crowley dwell, where architecture is by Nicholas Hawksmoore. Then the director fills this eerie backdrop with shadows and filtered light, enhancing the blood reds and the deathly blacks for maximum impact. There's the distinct whiff of the supernatural as Puritan finds himself in classic film noir territory.The plot is deliberately labyrinthine as intriguing characters wander in to further cloud Puritan's perception. Some of the means and motives of the main players are at first glance murky, but as the makers blend genres, as Simon tries to crawl out from what is now a vortex of crime and dishonesty, it pieces together with a devilish glint in its eye. Ambiguities are one of the film's strengths, they drag us the viewers into Simon's confused state of mind, whilst simultaneously keeping us hooked into this most interesting and visually stunning picture.Performances are only OK and the sound mix is sadly poor at times, but I'm convinced this would be better known and rated if more fans of noir could see it. 8/10

I liked the production and costume design, the clever way it looks Victorian whilst being set in the modern day. I liked the colours and the camera, and I liked the cast. I also liked that it took itself seriously and the makers clearly went out to make a good film rather than a commercial one. In fact, its only nod to commercialism seems to be the casting of Hutch as the self help guru (he's fine, but this really could've been anyone).I didn't like the snail like pace and numerous references to ultimately irrelevant historical characters that are clearly a bit of an obsession for the writer. The identity of the burned man is rather more obvious than I'm sure it was intended to be and the Aleister Crowley bit is laughable.It deserves credit for being brave & really lovely to look at, but it's very,very slow with no ultimate reward for your patience.

Beautifully elegant movie. Saw this at the Berlin fantasy film festival, I am someone who likes Alan Moore comics and also the works of Neil Gaiman, so when i saw the plot summary in the festival catalogue which discussed Hawksmoore etc, i bought tickets immediately.I'm not sure how much the film costs but it was a gorgeously photographed and directed little film, I know its relatively low budget just by watching it, but it still is imbued with a lot of class and perception, reaching higher than I expected a film would.My girlfriend and me were caught up in it immediately from the opening close up shot of Simon Puritan's face drenched in deep red light. The film wraps itself around you in a very subtle way, you don't know that it has hooked you, but when you realise you really enjoy the fact that it has gotten to you, because you have stopped trying to figure it out and are simply engrossed in its plot and visuals.Am looking forward to its release. Wonder what the director is doing next??

Lovely music and beautifully shot. There is some fine acting from David Soul, Geogina Rylance and Nick Moran, who really draw you into their world. The first 15 minutes or so is a bit slow (in my opinion), but well worth sitting through as the plots start to unfold. There are some good surprises and some really great atmospheric moments. (I love a really tense scene in a large manor house - very Hitchcockian !) The film uses a lot of static shots which along with the prevalence of dark moody cinematography give the film its own strong character. There is a love scene which is handled with great sensitivity and the Director builds the tension throughout the film, and in hindsight you see that he has littered the film with clues. I've seen it at festival and believe it is intended for release in 2006 sometime - well worth going to see.