Tyrannosaur Film Review
Director Paddy Considine
Starring Peter Mullan, Olivia Coleman & Eddie Marsan
Distributor Element Pictures
We’re introduced to Joseph, the protagonist of Tyrannosaur, as he emerges in a rage from the local bookies and proceeds to kick his beloved dog to death. Not the most charming of introductions. Played by Peter Mullan, Joseph is a walking cage of rage. He hurls bricks through store windows. He beats youths in a pub senseless for talking too loudly. With his wife long since passed away, and his best friend dying of cancer, Joseph is an angry, lonely man struggling to come to terms with broken dreams. One day, in the midst of a fit of rage, he takes shelter in a charity shop. There he forges an unlikely friendship with Hannah (Olivia Colman), a very religious woman from a local well-off estate. Initially, she appears to be the picture of suburban content. But as soon as we head back to her home and meet her husband James (Eddie Marsan), it becomes clear that there are definitely disturbing things going on behind closed doors. 
Tyrannosaur is most notable for being the directorial debut of Paddy Considine, the terrific Brit actor responsible for astonishing performances in the likes of Dead Man’s Shoes and In America. Behind the camera, he’s definitely channelling a bit of his old friend Shane Meadows. Like Dead Man’s Shoes and other Meadows’ efforts, Tyrannosaur makes few compromises in its grimy, cynical and realistic look at working class Britain. While it does eventually embrace a bit of that quiet optimism that acts as a stark contrast to the grimness in This is England et al., Tyrannosaur is largely a very dark, shocking film. Shot in predominantly dank grey hues, this is a powerful study of aggression and the different forms it can take. Anger and bitterness are the emotions that influence every frame of Tyrannosaur.
The story is mostly handled with great care by Considine. There’s no doubt that film grabs your attention, and it rarely lets the audience off easily. Every brief glimmer of hope is swiftly counteracted by a more pessimistic scene. There are a few humorous asides to lighten the mood (Irishman Ned Dennehy provides much needed chuckles in his scenes as Joseph’s drinking buddy Tommy) but this is mostly grim stuff. Only the understated and complicated friendship of sorts that develops between Hannah and Joseph reinstates any sort of faith in humanity in a very weird sort of way. Joseph does ‘come-of-age’ so to speak, and begins to learn the error of his ways. It’s not sentimental, but Joseph does become likable despite his initial outbursts of unwarranted aggression.
The cast impress. Mullan is magnificent in the central role – reserved when needed, and a terrifying presence when he wants to be. Colman, on the other hand, turns in a relatively twee performance, and being perfectly honest she’s a little hard to take seriously given her recognisability from comedies like Peep Show. She does the job, though, and a few suspect later twists in her story are the fault of Considine rather than Colman. And Marsan, as usual, dominates the screen as the unpredictable James.
The one nagging concern I have with Tyrannosaur is its lack of subtlety. In many ways, that’s entirely the point. But sometimes the unending grimness is a little exhausting and over dramatised. Not every development in this story is entirely credible, although in fairness it does eventually lead to an ending whose destination may be predictable but the specifics are somewhat surprising. There are also a handful of plot points that don’t go anywhere particularly interesting.
That said, distinctive Tyrannosaur most certainly is. Considine’s direction and writing is mostly confident, with a few nice flourishes like clever editing. It’s definitely rough around the edges, but the sheer force of its delivery ultimately draws you in. Strong performances, good ideas and a powerfully grimy atmosphere: Tyrannosaur shows Considine as charismatic behind the camera as he is in front of it.
Score 3.5/5
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