Leopards, Rose Theatre, Kingston review - a no-thrill thriller about sex and power
When the trousers come off and the handcuffs go on, the climax is the sexual politics lecture
Is it a thriller? Is it a character study? Leopards, Alys Metcalf’s two-hander about a middle-aged white charity executive – male – and a young job applicant of mixed race – female – goes under the colours of both, but falls short of either genre.
DVD/Blu-ray: The Fifth Horseman is Fear
Gruelling, gripping Czech thriller set in Nazi-occupied Prague
One of several 1960s Czech films which explicitly addresses the Holocaust, Zbyněk Brynych’s 1964 thriller The Fifth Horseman is Fear ( …a pátý jezdec je starch) wrong-foots us from the first frame.
The Nest review – intriguing, off-kilter family drama
Jude Law and Carrie Coon are a couple in meltdown in Eighties London
The Nest is a peculiar animal, hard to nail down, parts family drama and social satire, but with a creepy sense of suspense rippling under the surface that threatens to bust the plot wide open.
Reminiscence review - looks great but doesn't deliver
Lisa Joy's sci-fi blockbuster undone by cliches and feeble characterisation
Edinburgh Fringe 2021: Fear of Roses / Myra's Story
A head-spinning thriller and a heart-wrenching monologue at Assembly venues
Fear of Roses Assembly Roxy ★★★
Nobody review - Bob Odenkirk reinvents himself as all-action dynamo
Blood-splattered thriller keeps it taut, tense and tight
Fans of Bob Odenkirk’s work in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul will be delighted to see him taking centre stage in Ilya Naishuller’s thriller, but perhaps bamboozled at the spectacle of Odenkirk taking the plunge into the blood-splattered territory previously the preserve of John Wick and Liam Neeson’s Bryan Taken Mills.
Before We Die, Channel 4 review - Lesley Sharp excels as a detective in crisis
The Woman in the Window review - hitching a ride with Hitch
Joe Wright's derivative thriller squanders its impressive cast
Darkest Hour may have been director Joe Wright’s finest hour, but we can say for certain that, despite its impressive cast, The Woman in the Window isn’t.
Black Bear review - unexpected knotty treat
Plaza delivers a career-best performance in rug-pulling drama
We’ve all experienced the “fast food film” – enjoyable while we watch it, but realise afterwards it was an empty thrill with little nutritional value. Much rarer is the film that can only be truly appreciated once the credits roll. Black Bear, with its segmented presentation and recurring themes, is one such film. Risky, baffling, and more than the sum of its parts.