F (2010) Reviews

• Very poor... AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

  Brian20052010-09-21

  Where to start? No on-screen violence. No identities for the hoodies or any real reason why they decided to kill everyone. Not a single likable character. The protagonist is an alcoholic who hits his own 16 year-old daughter! There's no one to root for, I wanted them all to die. It's a disaster. These 'hoodies', you still can't see any part of their faces even in scenes where there are big fluorescent lights above them! Logic check! If you go by the start, they are also supposed to be 'F' grade students taking revenge (although this isn't clear), but they must have 'A' grades in Athletics because they run about on large bookcases in the library, fall from the ceiling at every opportunity, they act like stealth ninjas from start to finish. The ending. Well, there isn't one. The few people that had actually stayed in the cinema just muttered "What?". It's all a very confusing and badly put together mess. Avoid.

• Had Potential to Be a Great Movie

  claudio_carvalho2011-07-25

  In North London, the teacher of the Wittering College Robert Anderson (David Schofield) is hit on the face by a student and is forced to take three months vacation to be not sued by the parents of the kid. Robert is affected by the incident and a couple of months later, he is emotionally disturbed, alcoholic and separated of his wife Helen (Juliet Aubrey). Their daughter Kate (Eliza Bennett) lives with her mother and has classes with Robert, but she does not respect her father. The principal of Wittering College, Sarah Balham (Ruth Gemmell), loathes Robert and wants to get rid of him, but the Union does not allow her to fire him. When Robert reads about violence in another school, he sends a memo advising the employees of the school and he is considered paranoid and delusional by everybody. One day after hours, Robert notes some strange movements outside the school and he advises the security guard James (Finlay Robertson) that does not give much attention to the discredited Robert. But sooner Robert realizes that the Wittering College is under siege of a gang of hooligans and he need to find Kate to protect his daughter. "F" is a film with that had potential to be a great movie. Unfortunately the inconclusive story is shallow and does not develop the characters that are unlikable or the situation, and has a weak ending. Robert is a looser and emotionally unstable; Kate is a bitch; Sarah is another bitch; Helen is also a bitch; James is coward; Kate's boyfriend Jake is a douchebag. Robert seeks out Kate in the school without any weapon (a piece of wood, a ax or whatever) to defend himself and his daughter from the gang. The conclusion is absolutely disappointing. My vote is five. Title (Brazil): "Adolescentes em Fúria" ("Teenagers in Rage")

• Great Independent Horror! Short and sweet:)

  Indifferent_Observer2011-01-11

  This is a great independent effort. They really take an old fashioned simple concept and make it entertaining. The only real character to speak of is an alcoholic Teacher who appears to be coming slowly undone more and more. After being attacked by a student one day everything just seems to be going wrong for him. I'll just leave it at that. As the viewers were just kind of watching a regular day at school that goes horribly wrong when menacing faceless(which is also a nice touch) killers start slowly taking out all in their way. The movie works with a lot of camera angles, but has a couple of decent gore shots. The directors seemed to be making a more cerebral approach which worked with the breathing and spooky sound tracks. Also, the movie didn't wear out its welcome at an hour and 15 minutes. I would say this is a very watchable British horror flick indeed.

• Great trailer. Truly Dire Film

  irascian2011-01-12

  In "the making of" on the DVD the writer/director claims it took him 2 years to write the script. One can only conclude that he lost most of it and ran out of money before he'd finished shooting it. The acting and horror are all at "Hollyoaks" level. This mess lasts a pitiful 75 minutes including titles AND HAS NO ENDING. A school is attacked by hoodies except the hoods are completely pitch black with nobody inside. And you're never going to find out who they were or what their motive was because the film just ends. Complete dreck and a waste of time. Even the digital grading has been messed up - it's a green/yellow mess.

• Worth watching if you aren't after a gore fest

  spam-11642011-01-12

  This is a great little psychological horror/thriller, and I really wish it was tagged as psychological because it seems as though some of the marketing and expectations of other viewers was more geared toward a standard gory splatter film. If that's what you're into then this may not be the film for you, but if tension and filling in the blanks with your own imagination is your thing, then you can't go wrong here. The film does a great job of creating a realistic atmosphere and then slowly raising the suspense and this trend continues throughout. There is some graphic gore but it's used sparingly and parts of the narrative that would otherwise turn this into a non-thinker are wisely left out, which allows for a far more immersive experience as you draw from your own thoughts to complete the film. That isn't to say that the filmmakers have been lazy or simply ran out of ideas or money; it's all done purposely and it certainly achieves the intended effect. The unknowns are what make this film scary, and fear of the unknown is a far stronger emotion to draw on than fear of blood or gore. Also, the film doesn't fall into the (lazy) trap of using shock scares to make the viewer jump; the film stalks you as the assailants stalk the victims. This, as with most successful psychological horrors, is a more mature take on the genre and I am very glad of the break from formula. In terms of production values, this doesn't fall into the B-movie category at all. The casting is great on all but one of the characters (I won't mention who, but it's a really very minor role which doesn't damage the experience) and the other actors all manage to realistically convey the fear that comes from being stalked by unknown predators. The video is crisp and the direction doesn't rely on cheap tricks like quick cuts, shaky-cam, or constant extreme close- ups, but goes for a more sedate approach which, again, allows for the tension to rise and rise. Audio production values are also top notch with an unassuming soundtrack peppered with the odd hint of spooky melody. Sound effects aren't over the top and increase the realism of the experience. I would have liked to spend more time in the college during a normal day to get an idea of the size and general layout of the place, as well as to contrast the emptiness of the building at night, but that's a minor gripe. A lot of people appear not to have liked the ending, but (without spoiling anything) I will say that it fits with the rest of the film. It's largely a set piece production and, with the ending the way it is, there is scope for a sequel to expand on the events that occur in this film or, again, the viewer can draw upon their own thoughts and perspective. Overall I found this film to be gripping, suspenseful, and with just enough innate malice and hold on reality to create a 'what if' situation where anybody, teacher or not, could see this happening to them at some point. I sincerely hope that a sequel will be made which maintains this level of self control over how much of the gore the viewer needs to see. It's certainly a cut above the formulaic slasher/splatter films that are all too common, and it's a lot more scary too.