Boiling Point

source: Boiling Point

One take movies have been around for a while and while "Birdman" snuggles in a few cuts and therefore cant be considered a one take movie, "Boiling Point" is literally a 90in play, more like "Victoria", which is a much longer movie though. The coordinations and technical difficulties that come with it are handled very well and Stephen Graham is undoubtably the only star in this movie, BUT you dont feel this, as he is supported by a brilliant cast. Especially Vinette Robinson is stunning with her facial expressions of all possible emotions you can feel in such a high pressured environment. The only "downside" of this movie is, that it can seem a little bit "too much" at times, like all stereotypes of people that work in this industry suddenly came all together and work in this one restaurant in London, which was exactly the point I think, but it takes a little bit of the realism away at times. The "Chekovs gun" is a bit to much on the nose and you see it coming from a mile away, but still the conclusion and execution of it was handled brilliantly! The amount of comic relief is just the right dose and its combined with a stunning dramatic performance by Stephen Graham, so you feel like you have a perfectly spiced dish on your plate! I'm keen to see what Philip Barantini has on his menu next!

Set in and around a restaurant during a single evening, we are following a London chef struggling to keep it together. He has problems in his family life, he owes money, and he hasn't been keeping up with the paperwork at his chic, upmarket restaurant. On the evening we meet him, the restaurant has been over-booked and understaffed, none of which the maitre de wants to accept responsibility for. And the health inspector has just arrived to go over the kitchen very thoroughly, and he quickly finds plenty of room for improvements. The chef is doing his best in the very difficult circumstances. It's Fawlty Towers without the laughs, just the relentless, grinding, pathetically-human tragedy; every cook's nightmare. And when I say relentless, this film puts you continuously in the kitchen and around the restaurant without a break and without any musical accompaniment. The whole film is made as one continuous, evolving scenario without edits for the actors or crew. And no break for the audience, either. (One shot films (or continuous take): Russian Ark (The Hermitage), 1917, Birdman, Timecode, Hitchcock's Rope are generally failures and cheats. The only good one I've seen before this is La Tarea (Homework- sp). This movie though, is a brilliantly engaging ride, and Stephen Graham is heroic, leading an excellent ensemble cast. A jaw-dropping achievement.

And swearing. And people being moody. It has no plot. Just a night in a kitchen with people stressing out. Also the ending was terrible. Stephen Graham is better than this.