Bill Gibron is a veteran film critic from Tampa, Florida.Horror without hope is excruciating as both an experience and as entertainment. If there is no light at the end of an arguably awful narrative tunnel, no amount of artistry can turn it into something worth watching. Movies such as Precious and The Road have discovered that, once you travel down a decidedly dark and dreary path, the route both before and behind you becomes bleak and black. In his first film as a writer/director, actor Paddy Considine (Stoned, Submarine) has decided to go back to the British tradition of the "angry young man" film, except in this case, the rage inside his main character is so volcanic as to be almost apocalyptic. Watching Joseph (Peter Mullan) explode in fits of uncontrolled violence is just part of this film's main flaw. Realizing there will be no redemption whatsoever turns an intriguing kitchen sink character study into a trial by terrifying interpersonal fire. We first meet this man as he kicks his own dog to death. Joseph is a widower and enjoys the bottle a bit too much. All his pent up feelings are funneled through a never-ending desire to defile and destroy. After yet another meaningless rant - and scuffle - in a local pub, he stumbles into the charity shop of young Hannah (a stunning turn by Olivia Colman). She's a devoted Christian and offers to pray for him. Confused, Joseph appears both moved and maddened by the act. Still, her sympathy strikes a chord and he ends up spending more and more time with the timid little woman.
And she has every good reason to be so frightened. Her horrid husband, a despicable man named James (Eddie Marsan), is the kind of lout who comes home drunk and defiant, urinating all over the living room - and his sleeping wife. What he does next is even more horrific. Over the course of her time with Joseph, Hannah begins to confide in him. The discovery of what James is capable of, and the sadistic spouse's realization of what his wife has been up to, lead to a situation that will forever change the dynamic between these sullied lost souls.
Taking its name from Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (it's part of Joseph's history with his now dead wife) and dealing realistically with issues such as poverty, abuse, and suppressed psychological trauma, Tyrannosaur becomes a 'one and done' experience. You're glad you've had the opportunity to see some of the best acting of the year (or any year) but heartsick over the manner in which you were exposed to it. Avoiding the typical fly on the wall approach of similarly styles films, Considine applies standard cinematic structures to his often harrowing events, letting their impact wash over us in expected, if still sickening ways. Not meant as a good time, we are torn between avoiding the pain and embracing it as a natural extension of the storytelling.
Considine does strive for a bit of salvation (Joseph has a hilarious drinking buddy, and though he clashes with Hannah often, he clearly appreciates her concern) but it's way too little far too late into this descent into Hell. As Hannah struggles to see something special in her life, it is clear she will be consistently let down by the men in her meager existence. As for Joseph and James, we get two sides of the same stunted coin. Both are bad, it's just a question of degrees. The same can be said for Tyrannosaur itself. This is a dire, depressing effort. How much you get from it will definitely depend on your tolerance for disgust without deliverance, since there is a lot of the former and very little of the latter present.
