OBSERVER: Rourke’s Reviews
Steve
n (MA). 92 minutes. Now available on Netflix.
Director Tim Mielants and star Cillian Murphy, who collaborated so well on Small Things Like These, reteam for Steve, a highly energised drama that mainly rides on a wave of emotion, hitting viewers square between the eyes.
Set in the mid 90s, the story focuses on Steve (Cillian Murphy), the driving force, as well as one of a dedicated group of teachers who work at Stanton Wood, a boarding school for very troubled young men.
The other staff members include Amanda (Tracey Ullman) and Shola (Little Simz), along with visiting psychologist Jenny (Emily Watson).
The problematic students include Shy (Jay Lycurgo), Jamie (Luke Ayres) and Riley (Joshua Parker).
We see a particularly chaotic day at the school, as Steve, dealing with daily fights and verbal confrontations with the boys, also has to manage a documentary crew on site, wanting to film the work required to try and keep these social outcasts on track, a politician who is stopping by for a surface level photo opportunity, and the board who own the building and the trust fund which keeps the school open.
As each crisis escalates, it starts to take a toll on Steve’s mental state.
Mielants wants to brutalise the viewer from the early going, showing what constant pressure and stress these goodhearted people are under.
Underpaid, overworked, and dealing with non-stop abuse, it’s no wonder these teachers burn out so completely.
Unfortunately, the script by Max Porter, adapted from his own novel, which actually focused on student Shy, never fleshes out many of the characters enough, necessary for us to get under the skin of both teacher and student. This is not helped by some over-the-top, Michael Bay style cinematography (other, more positive stylistic choices reminded me of Kevin Reynolds’ underrated 1997 drama, 187) which disconnects us from the personal heartbreak. The cast are committed, but it is Murphy who truly creates a genuinely dramatic core that the
rest of the cast can bounce off. Steve does work as an intensely visceral experience, an approach which may leave some viewers exhausted and beaten.
But it is a pity the film-makers don’t deliver the material’s pain in a more measured way, building the people on each side of the desk in a three-dimensional manner that completely draws us in.
RATING – ***½
Beast of War
n (MA). 87 minutes. Now showing in cinemas.
Australian director Kiah Roache-Turner, who for the past decade has crafted a stream of potentially cool, but subpar genre films such as the Wyrmwood films, Nekrotronic and Sting, returns again with Beast Of War, and although it doesn’t reach the heights it could have, does prove to be his best film to date.
Beginning as a WWII tale, we are introduced to the standard group of army recruits, going through their paces before being placed on a carrier, which is then attacked by Japanese aircraft.
The ship sinks, but a small band of survivors manage to get on a torn away piece of ship metal, including Leo (Mark Coles Smith), Will (Joel Nankervis), Des (Sam Delich) and Teddy (Lee Tiger Halley).
Surrounded by fog, the battered group are worried about being spotted by rescuers, but that soon pales into comparison when they are suddenly under siege by a giant great white shark.
Though you never are convinced the action is taking place on the open ocean (even with the fog machines), Roache-Turner is stylish enough to allow us to accept it, and the mainly practical effects are a definite positive. Smith (Mystery Road : Origins TV series, We Bury The Dead) gives a solid lead performance, and is ably supported by the rest of the small cast.
Beast Of War is mild fun, and while no classic (it is nowhere near as good as the other 2025 Aussie shark movie, Dangerous Animals), is more entertaining than expected.
RATING – ***
Aaron Rourke
Pictured: Steve (Cillian Murphy) endures a tough day at school in the intense drama, Steve.