"“Despite the various positives, where Tower Block falls short is within the immensely anticlimactic finale…”"

The tower block has become a somewhat customary setting for action thrillers, following the likes of Attack the Block, The Raid and Dredd 3D all hitting our screens in the past year or so, and now we’re back in a high-rise building ready to fend off yet more of those pesky bad guys trying to murder our protagonists, as we delve into the world of the hapless and preyed upon residents of Serenity House.

Having witnessed a murder on the top floor of the residential estate, those living in the building refused to comment on the incident to the police, opting to stay out of the murder enquiry altogether. A year later and those on the floor where the murder took place find themselves under attack by a crazed gunman, as a sniper in a nearby building is picking them all off, one by one.

Amongst those fighting for survival is Becky (Sheridan Smith), couple Neville (Ralph Brown) and Violet (Jill Baker), the hot-headed Kurtis (Jack O’Connell) and depressive alcoholic Paul (Russell Tovey), alongside a handful of others – as well as a few dead bodies who had already fell victim to the sniper’s seemingly unprovoked attack. The group – who hadn’t been particularly neighbourly prior to the incident – must now work together in an attempt to escape their home and figure exactly who is shooting at them, and why.

Spawned from mind of Severance writer James Moran – and directed by debutants James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson – where Tower Block exceeds is within its simplistic premise. We don’t deviate away from the setting, there are no flashbacks, no footage of those in other buildings – we spend the entire film in this one estate and it works extremely well as a result. There is also a really riveting, fast pace to this movie as it keeps you engrossed throughout, helped along by a sharp and witty script by Moran – in what is a more darker offering than his recent feature Cockneys vs Zombies, and far less comedy inclined.

The film remains tense throughout, helped along by the fact the antagonist is human, adding a sense of realism and plausibility to proceedings. We aren’t being asked to suspend our disbelief and have to imagine ghosts or zombies – this merciless killer is a human, and one that we the audience know nothing about, putting us in the same boat as the puzzled survivors.

Smith is impressive as the lead, turning in a feisty performance as Becky, the self-imposed leader of the pack. Although it is O’Connell who completely steals the show, portraying Kurtis with an intensity and compulsive nature, a part similar to that of which the young actor has taken on before in the likes of Harry Brown and Eden Lake. The violent and volatile role is one he plays extremely well, but to avoid further typecasting he may want to step away from it.

However despite the various positives, where Tower Block falls short is within the immensely anticlimactic finale. If there is ever a film that is building up towards a big twist it’s this – but the group actually work out the evil perpetrators motive early on – and from there it’s far too easy to figure it all out. Given the feature’s tense nature and the way it tentatively builds towards the conclusion it therefore gives the ending more magnitude so for it to be so disappointing is even more impacting. 

The illogical and unfulfilling ending does prove to be a real stain on the entire film – but alas, what comes before that is enticing and enjoyable and credit must go the both Nunn and Thompson in what is a promising début film. Effectively Tower Block is a four star feature, it just comes with a two star ending. Which means – you guessed it – three stars for this one.