X (Jon Hewitt, 2011) aka X - Night of Vengeance; wr. Jon Hewitt, Belinda McClory; Viva Bianca, Hanna Morgan Lawrence, Peter Docker; shot King's Cross - whence the X in the title
Confronted with the moral turpitude of Jon Hewitt's 2011 release, I turned to the wisdom of Andrew Urban and Louise Keller – to find that she at least is also in dismay. They try to write about it as if it has a story, and is about something of some value – but it's clear she at least is floundering in the same morass. It's the worst kind of exploitation. It is about something: namely, violence towards and the degradation of women. It's disgusting. (One good thing about it was that it had the shortest possible title – until they added three more words so that ppl could tell it was a title and not a warning.) If it were possible to set morality aside, I would have to admit that this is very well made, shot and edited. And the ending is brilliant.
Louise Keller:
The film quickly escalates into dark despair and some pretty nasty characters are involved as the action becomes increasingly violent. I felt pretty grubby by the end ... Louise Keller, urbancinefile
Andrew L. Urban:
The screenplay links the story points with an authenticity that's satisfying and the thrills are well orchestrated, including a couple of street fights, a chase or two and some dramatic confrontations - as well as a surprise or two. Andrew L. Urban, urbancinefile
Luke Buckmaster:
There are a few clunky spots of dialogue and acting but the central performance from the fresh-faced Hanna Mangan Lawrence is particularly strong. Her character doesn’t succumb to the stereotypical bam-bam feminist revenge mode and nor is she, or the other female characters, represented purely as desperate victims. Victims of circumstance, perhaps, but that’s another kettle of fish*, hinted at in the subtext that swelters below a battered and uncompromising narrative. X is a solid genre flick that bites down hard on its subject material and speaks loudly through gritted teeth. Luke Buckmaster.
* He means it's a horse of another colour.
Garry Gillard | New: 9 October, 2012 | Now: 21 March, 2022