Two Down (2015) User Reviews

simple interesting film

[Cederic · 7/10 · 14 March 2018]

Coming into Two Down entirely cold, having not heard of it before and without reading reviews, seeing a trailer or any knowledge about its creators, I got to enjoy a lovely film.

Unmistakeably British from the outset the film is set in London but does nothing to exploit stereotypes or caricature Londoners. Instead it reflects internally on its own characters, some of whom are quite weakly developed but collectively work well together to create a shared atmosphere within the film.

The plot is extremely simple but that's taken as a strength by the film. Rather than create elaborate plot twists and try and shock the viewer the film is relaxed about introducing new elements and information, and does this sufficiently often to keep the film moving. It was noticeable that just as the film lets you settle into 'Ok, this is the situation' it then draws you gently back out of that complacency, forcing your engagement to understand the implications of the latest revelation.

That gentleness underlies everything in the film. Its comedy is quiet and understated, the characters are (mostly) very measured and act with calm intent, and even the action scenes (shoddy though one of them is) are very quick, simple and there only to fill gaps in the story.

This film isn't going to appeal to kids seeking CGI fueled action sequences, expensively shot stunts, blood and gore, sex or ADHD influenced cuts. That's not its audience. Instead it's worth watching Two Down if you like low budget British films, if you like films that aren't afraid to take their time to tell you a story, or if you just want to watch a good film.

Solid debut from Fizz and Ginger Films

[BoboDee · 6/10 · 8 August 2019]

A poor beginning and a somewhat predictable ending. I was ready to turn it off after ten minutes due to the cringe worthy dialogue. But I stuck with it and I can say it improves over the middle ground. All-in-all, it was a good effort for an indie debut flick, which was produced on a tight budget. As a fan of Independent British film, I would definitely support these guys and watch any future projects. Loved Tori Butler-Hart as Sophie and an underused Conleth Hill. Alex Hassell, as John Thomas, was slightly irritating to begin with, but taken in the tone and context of the film, the character grows on you.

Vastly uneven - the second half is better than the first half, but overall it simply isn't worth the effort

[jimbo-53-186511 · 4/10 · 13 March 2018]

A contract killer John Thomas (Alex Hassell) is given a seemingly simple assignment - kill a young woman. However, John fails to murder the young woman and ends up being shot himself. Badly injured, he heads towards the flat of an old friend, but it turns out that his old friend has since moved out and he imposes himself on the reluctant new owner of the flat Sophie (Tori Butler Hart). Sophie unwittingly involves delivery boy Luke (Graham Butler) in her ordeal, but after some food and whiskey they listen to John's story and decide that they will help him out...

I'm British and I always try to give the benefit of the doubt to low-budget British films such as Two Down and whilst it certainly has its moments it isn't a brilliant film in its entirety...

For a start, the film is almost impossibly slow - I persevered because I'm used to dull slow starting films and it does take a lot for me to shut a film off halfway through, but Two Down came close.

So anyway it gets established (after a while) that John's failure is not to be tolerated and mob-boss Harry Montague (Game of Thrones Conleth Hill) doesn't take kindly to failure and tasks John's own brother to eliminate him (which of course Sam is reluctant to do as it is his own brother).

There is a slight story/character study here about a contract killer developing a conscience and starting to 'think for himself' but it is skimmed over in this film and this aspect of the story doesn't quite get the development that it deserves. Alex Hassell gives a good performance, but it was quite a distracting performance (he reminded me of a cross between Raul Julia and Johnny Depp in this film - this wasn't helped by the fact that I watched a moustachioed performance recently from Johnny Depp recently in Murder On The Orient Express).

To be fair though, the film does improve slightly in the second half - in the sense that it gains some momentum, but it's still rather predictable and did very little to get me on the edge of my seat.

In summary, the second half is OK but the rather boring and overly talkative first half of the film will likely prove too much for many people to endure - like I say the second half of the film is better than the first half, but overall I'm really not sure if this film is worth the effort.

Astounding Low Budget Debut

[malcolmrogersfilm · 10/10 · 10 September 2015]

I was fortunate to stumble across this at a festival, The Artemis Women in Film Festival in California, and loved every minute of it. As and Englishman living in L.A it was wonderful seeing London again but without the gritty gangster feel that seems to come from most UK films of this sort, nor the glamour that Hollywood tends to see the city through. From the classy opening scene with credits I could see the filmmakers had taken great care to create a film to span decades but set in a modern world. It told me that this was going to be a very well crafted film indeed. And I wasn't disappointed. The script, shots, editing, music is stylish, well thought out and brilliantly executed. And the acting is sublime. Not one bum note in the 88 minutes that the film runs for. The pacing is perfect, allowing us into the strange world of 'John Thomas', a very British joke!, but never feeling as if it should be faster. It's a low budget affair to be sure, but for a debut feature it sings of promise for the filmmakers and I'm intrigued to see where they go from here. Bigger and brighter things I'm sure.

An engaging watch

[mark-25776 · 10/10 · 6 March 2018]

I can't critique a film. All I can say is this was a great watch with twists and turns which made it hugely entertaining. The fact it has a small cast and a smaller budget makes the achievement even more lamentable. Brilliant.

Excellent debut film!

[jamesgouldsnr · 10/10 · 29 June 2017]

I came across this on Flix Premiere and it is by far one of the best films they have on there. It's a clever, witty, British hit-man movie with one foot in the 1970's, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

For a debut feature it has high production values, the acting is superb, the writing is subtle and intelligent but darkly funny. What more do you want from a movie.

There are a few small action sequences but they feel more like real life scuffles than full blown martial arts fights, which is so refreshing to see.

It's looks beautiful, is brilliantly directed by Matthew Butler Hart and there are some real star turns from the three main actors.

I can't wait to see what these guys do next. In the meantime I'll be happy to watch this again.

Masterpiece!

[inzurna216216 · 10/10 · 2 April 2018]

Three words... WOW, what an amazing movie, the story starts getting better and better, such a beautiful story, with so much touching moments, amazing soundtrack, congratulations to Two Down , total respect to you guys.

Excellent Piece of Filmmaking

[michaellynton · 10/10 · 1 March 2016]

I was part of a jury for a film festival and this film came to us from the U.K a while ago and I was thrilled to watch it. As a jury member you have to watch a lot of films. A lot of films. Most which are OK, but a lot which are not so OK. So when something like this comes along, low budget debut feature, it restores my faith in emerging filmmakers.

The film is 'about' a hit-man who has been injured on a job and makes for a safe house only to find a young woman now living there. She's no damsel in distress, she can look after herself and from the off you wonder if there is something else going on with her. They are then joined by a take out guy, and they spend the evening together getting to know the hit-man and trying to figure out why the job went wrong. I can't say much about the story without giving away huge spoilers as the way the film is done any mention of what's or who's or why's will spoil it for you and that is certainly something I don't want.

The script is excellent, slick, intelligent, funny and really gives the brilliant actors something to work with. It is very well crafted by the director and the storytelling is clear, clever and accomplished without bringing too much attention to itself like so many films do these days. The story and characters are the thing here and he has done everything to make sure it stays that way. A true director.

I read somewhere for the festival that the whole film was shot in 12 days. Once you see the result you will agree with me that that is extraordinary. Lots of indie films are shot quickly due to lack of budget, but they don't come out looking like this.

It is a huge feat the team have pulled off and I urge everyone to see it if they can. Yes it has its flaws, all films do, and I'm sure with more time and money they would have been able to smooth them over, but if this is what is coming out of the UK after a 12 day shoot, we should start taking notice.

I really liked

[Nuekeee · 10/10 · 19 March 2018]

I watched this movie today and I was positively surprised. This movie was action packed, but still tasteful and fun to watch. I haven't seen the prequel and still enjoyed this movie a lot. If you want to see a good movie with comedy, this is a must watch!

pleasantly original and unpredictable

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 2 January 2019]

When a criminal tries to pull off a job, something goes wrong. Seriously wounded, he drags himself to what is supposed to be a "safe house". Much to his surprise, he is confronted by an unknown young woman who denies all relation to the supposed owner of the house...

A suspenseful, pleasantly unpredictable story which bears little relationship to the paint-by-numbers formula seen in so much thriller and crime movies. The viewer really, truly does not know what is going to happen next : the story, which is lightened by moments of sardonic wit and surreal coincidence, could go left, go right, go up, go down, turn on itself.

Sadly, the final twist was a twist too far for me, but I can't speak for everyone.

"Two Down" also boasts good direction and, especially, good acting. Alex Hassell is seriously charismatic and compelling as protagonist John Thomas - I, for one, would have remained glued to the screen if he had opened a financial newspaper in order to discuss price fluctuations regarding crude oil...

Old School Movie for a new audience

[aceshapiro · 10/10 · 14 March 2018]

I produce, I don't review, but after seeing that there are some obviously malicious and fake (I hate that word at the moment but there it is), reviews about this movie, I had to write what I thought. (It's becoming common practice now and I despise it).

I produce movies in LA and sometimes the UK and have done so for almost 5 decades. So for young filmmakers like these to understand the kind of movies we were doing in the 1970's, but but to set it in present day London, with all kinds of twists, and on what I presume was a small budget, is nothing short of miraculous.

And to those fake reviews who say 'who would have have rated this 10', well look at all the awards and reviews from actual reviewers in publications....lots of people. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but this looks like some kind of business plan that some bitter person has paid for.

The script is so well crafted, the acting and direction superb and the music is just spot on. This film is doing very well out there, and for a reason. I can't wait for their next one, which has already been made, so this one can't be that bad otherwise they wouldn't have been given the cash...

You may not love this movie as much as we did, but you're going to like it a lot, I promise. From an old time movie guy, I watched this and had hope from British film again (sorry guys!, but the UK have been having issues recently).... AS