Downtime
1997
Two people who live in a Newcastle tower block, one a former police psychologist and the other a depressed single mother, face a terrifying future... Read more
| Starring | Paul McGann, Susan Lynch, Tom Georgeson, Dave Roper |
|---|---|
| Director | Bharat Nalluri |
| Genres | Thriller |
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Downtime
Two people who live in a Newcastle tower block, one a former police psychologist and the other a depressed single mother, face a terrifying future...
| Starring | Paul McGann, Susan Lynch, Tom Georgeson, Dave Roper |
|---|---|
| Director | Bharat Nalluri |
| Studio | CINEMA CLUB |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 27 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 20 Mar 2004 Production year: 1997 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Two people from totally different backgrounds fall in love while trapped in a tower-block lift in director Bharat Nalluri's ludicrous romantic thriller. Even dafter than it sounds, this Newcastle-set fiasco switches between low-rent suspense (the dodgy lift sequences) and glib, socially aware drama (teenage thugs terrorising the neighbourhood) with absolutely no rhyme, reason or logic. No one acts sensibly in this dumb mix of Die Hard and Barbara Cartland, while the hostage crisis finale defies belief. This is British film-making at its absolute nadir.
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Imagine Ken Loach remaking Die Hard. Police shrink McGann talks single mum Lynch out of jumping off the tower block... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Up and Down
This low budget Brit thriller follows all the standard Hollywood plot devices (feisty heroine, troubled hero, child-in-jeopardy, bad-boy villains) but uses a gritty, urban Northern English council estate as a backdrop.
After a fairly gripping start, Downtime settles into a formulaic scenario - four people trapped in a lift, hanging by threads. The script clunks from time to time, the bad boys are given no character development, and the 'quirky' hero quickly becomes irritating and cliched. Credit though to Susan Lynch for making Chrissy naturalistic and believable. She holds the entire film together, and gives it three stars. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Up and Down
This low budget Brit thriller follows all the standard Hollywood plot devices (feisty heroine, troubled hero, child-in-jeopardy, bad-boy villains) but uses a gritty, urban Northern English council estate as a backdrop.
After a fairly gripping start, Downtime settles into a formulaic scenario - four people trapped in a lift, hanging by threads. The script clunks from time to time, the bad boys are given no character development, and the 'quirky' hero quickly becomes irritating and cliched. Credit though to Susan Lynch for making Chrissy naturalistic and believable. She holds the entire film together, and gives it three stars. -
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