Change Your Image
mralowe
Reviews
Piggy (2012)
If you're a fan of revenge films, you'll love Piggy
Up there with the very best of revenge films, Piggy is an Indie classic. Forget expensive Hollywood productions, with their highly predictable plots and A-list actors dialling it in for the next multimillion-dollar pay check - Piggy keeps you guessing, thrilled and engaged, from start to finish.
The only actor you're sure to recognise from this, as a UK viewer, is Martin Compston, one of the lead actors from BBC's 'Line of Duty. However, the Casting, Acting, Script and Direction are faultless, with a highly credible plot.
The film shows us Joe's pathetic life, living to work, lonely and almost scared of his own shadow. Things start looking up though, when his older brother (John) comes back into his life and insists on Joe coming out to the pub to socialise, with a group of friends.
When a vicious gang of thugs take his brother's life, it looks like the end for Joe. He descends into hopelessness and depression.
This is where Piggy steps in, announcing himself as an old school friend of John and immediately starts to pick him up. Within days, Joe is taken on a path to brutal, unforgiving revenge. With great humour and plot twists thrown in, there is nothing more I could ask from 1 hour 46 minutes of film.
"One-by-one Joe. One-by-one."
Philly D.A. (2021)
Very moving indictment of US 'justice' system
When I first started watching, I thought this was a drama. After about 10 minutes, I realised that it was an exceptional real-life documentary about a campaigning new District Attorney and the team of like-minded individuals he builds up around him.
Larry Krasner wins election to the post, then sets out to right the many injustices in the US criminal justice system, as it applies to the citizens of Philadelphia.
As a citizen of the UK, I hadn't previously realised quite how much power a DA's office has in the US. They can have a real influence over which crimes are prosecuted, sentencing and parole policy, as well as holding other institutions to account - especially where the police are concerned.
As the series progresses, we meet some of the outstanding campaigners who join Larry in battle and hear a number of heartbreaking stories and statistics. The number of Phildelphians imprisoned for many years, for trivial incidents (or simply their inability to pay a huge bail bond) is truly shocking. Not surprisingly, this disproportionately affects poor and black citizens.
I'd love to see a follow up on what happened next.
Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
If you like moving revenge films....
Incredibly moving, revenge film. Traumatised ex-soldier returns home and proceeds to despatch those responsible for his brother's death, using his combat skills. He is absolutely fearless and menacing, which juxtaposes brilliantly with the comical, cowardly villains. The flashbacks, detailing the cruelty experienced by his brother with learning difficulties, are cleverly created, ex-soldier Richard periodically interacting with the past. The script, casting and acting are superb, especially Paddy Considine as the lead. A high-quality, low-budget classic 10 out of 10. I can't believe that this film had such modest box office and is still little known outside the UK.