The Toll. (15.)
Directed by Ryan Andrew Hopper.
Starring Michael Smiley, Annes Elwy, Iwan Rheon, Paul Kaye, Steve Oram and Julian Glover. 83 mins. In cinemas.
The opening line is the demand, "This had better be ****ing good," and if the quality of this Welsh set comedy-thriller isn't quite the full expletive, it is comfortably into the realms of “blooming.” And though there's a lot of good things in Hopper's debut, the main asset is definitely Michael Smiley in the main role. Brendan spends his days in a toll booth on an empty road, an isolated existence of seemingly Beckettian wretchedness. But Brendan has a coloured history and lively present: from his lonely booth he has fingers in many pies. You don't ask questions if the toll bells for you.
The Toll is a little bit of everything - character study, contemporary western, Brit gangster flick, Keyser Soze, impassioned book club recommendation for Stoner by John Edwards Williams. Matt Redd's script is a busy little crime farce built around a still steady centre and it is best when it is quiet. Since appearing in a couple of episodes of Spaced in the late 90s, Michael Smiley has become one of those familiar faces who pop up everywhere but never outstay their welcome. The Northern Irish actor has that great gift of being very versatile while always being Michael Smiley. This though is his definitive performance: he is epically droll and deadpan, equally adept at conveying great menace and dull ordinariness. The Toll is a star vehicle for a supporting player.
Directed by Ryan Andrew Hopper.
Starring Michael Smiley, Annes Elwy, Iwan Rheon, Paul Kaye, Steve Oram and Julian Glover. 83 mins. In cinemas.
The opening line is the demand, "This had better be ****ing good," and if the quality of this Welsh set comedy-thriller isn't quite the full expletive, it is comfortably into the realms of “blooming.” And though there's a lot of good things in Hopper's debut, the main asset is definitely Michael Smiley in the main role. Brendan spends his days in a toll booth on an empty road, an isolated existence of seemingly Beckettian wretchedness. But Brendan has a coloured history and lively present: from his lonely booth he has fingers in many pies. You don't ask questions if the toll bells for you.
The Toll is a little bit of everything - character study, contemporary western, Brit gangster flick, Keyser Soze, impassioned book club recommendation for Stoner by John Edwards Williams. Matt Redd's script is a busy little crime farce built around a still steady centre and it is best when it is quiet. Since appearing in a couple of episodes of Spaced in the late 90s, Michael Smiley has become one of those familiar faces who pop up everywhere but never outstay their welcome. The Northern Irish actor has that great gift of being very versatile while always being Michael Smiley. This though is his definitive performance: he is epically droll and deadpan, equally adept at conveying great menace and dull ordinariness. The Toll is a star vehicle for a supporting player.
