If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Harvey is sitting in a police interview room facing interrogation, and Detective Inspector West has no doubt in Harvey's part in a foiled robbery, and the attempted murder of local thug Steven Roper. Denying everything, Harvey agrees to tell his version of events, from his initial release from prison, right up to the point of his arrest....Even though the film has good intentions, and for a low budget Indie movie, it looks wonderful, it's basically just ripping off the interrogation from The Usual Suspects, and to rip off such a prolific movie with such rich narrative and characters, you have to have something special up your sleeves..........this really doesn't deliver anything new though.It's not a bad film though by any means, Treadaway is good as the main protagonist, and the superb as always Maskell is unsettling as the antagonist. But other than that, it's just another run of the mill crime drama about someone who's fed up of his life and wants to be somebody, and wouldn't you know it, resorting to crime is the only way.His gang are the usual rag tag team of Ne'er do wells, and if you want to find out what happened to Neville Longbottom when he graduated from Hogwarts, look no further than this.Spall as good as he is, is just there to listen to the story and to be the ears of the subliminal confession, until the tables are turned in the most predictable way imaginable.So it's a watchable movie, about ten minutes too long, but you'll be yearning for Keyser Soze come the end.

THE RISE is a would-be British crime thriller set on the grim streets of Leeds. The Northern setting is a good one, allowing for a touch of originality in the locales and some interesting accents, but otherwise it's business as usual for this low budget production. An ex-con decides to pull off one last heist with the aid of his buddies and decides to go up against a crime boss, both to make a fortune and get his own back on the man who sent him to prison in the first place.There's a fair bit to like in this film, not least the naturalistic performances from a trio of young stars. Luke Treadaway (ATTACK THE BLOCK) is the lead and Matthew Lewis (HARRY POTTER) and Iwan Rheon (GAME OF THRONES) his ne'er do well buddies. In addition, we get a world-weary Timothy Spall as a cop whose wraparound story structures the plot, and Neil Maskell (KILL LIST) in his nastiest turn yet as the villain of the piece; both are more than effective.The shooting style is good, the acting grounded, and there are plenty of novel twists and turns in the narrative. A shame, then, that this film isn't as good as it thinks it is and that the whole is a lot weaker than the sum of its parts. The script mistakes expletives for wit, and all of the characters are as cold as can be, which robs the movie of much of its suspense - how can you be immersed in the proceedings when you don't care whether the leads live or die? THE RISE is also a slow burner, which as a filming technique is fine when there's a build-up to something worthwhile, but the actual heist is a disappointment and a huge anticlimax when it comes down to it. This film's okay, but hardly the stuff of greatness that reviews would have you believe...

Having watched a number of British crime/gangster/hiest films has led me to a simple conclusion...we just don't do them so well (with the exception of a notable few). Flimsy story lines, flimsier plots and character development to name just a few of my gripes. Very few stand up against what the rest of the world has to offer.I went into this film with very little expectation, and up until the last 30 mins it seemed I was to be proved right yet again....not so!A great watch in the end. Yes, the storyline doesn't tread any new ground. But what it does, it does very well I think. It seems to plod along quite nicely with some decent enough character development and acting (but to be honest nothing spectacular). But the plot and the twists towards the end are well worth the wait. And kudos to the director/writer to leave in a 'did he/didn't he' scenario, where it is left to the viewers imagination as to what happens next. Far too few film makers do this in my opinion, preferring to spoon-feed the audience every bit of detail.I was also impressed with the soundtrack. Very contemporary (with the odd golden oldie thrown in), and which was actually quite emotional at times.I must admit I have been rather generous in rating this a 7/10. But that is because I am just so pleased that something of this quality has been produced in Britain.Would definitely recommend this.

Certainly reminiscent of Lock Stock, with the neat dialogue, polished even, well acted and directed. I was happy with all the performances, and it is largely a young cast. It's not lighthearted, with some excursions into working class (ie unemployed class) despair and poverty, thus Wasteland I suppose, and it might be this that led to the hiccups in its release, not quite knowing where to pitch it. If that's the reason, well that's just another illustration of the institutional uselessness of the management in the film business (nobody knows nothing), because the movie is self evidently a pearl. Never quite seen anything like it before is a recommendation, not a problem. Some pretty graphic violence (realistic, not overblown, and it injures the victims), lots of swearing. Finally it's a caper, The Sting comes to mind.