Review of Downtime (1997) by Stuart K — 30 Dec 2012

Directed by Bharat Nulluri (The Crow: Salvation (2000) and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)), and written by Caspar Berry (Byker Grove). This is a film which at the time was hyped as Britain's answer to action fare like Die Hard and Speed.

It's a good idea for a film, but there's parts of it which just dive into absolute far-fetched hokum, which goes against it's gritty, realistic setting. In Liverpool, former police psychologist Rob (Paul McGann) talks suicidal single mother Chrissy (Susan Lynch) from committing suicide by jumping from her high rise flat.

She's sick of being tormented by the local gang that rule the tower block, which has been condemned, but there's a few families inside that can't move because the council won't help. However, after helping Chrissy back inside, Rob goes to meet her a few days later, but the gang end up tampering the lift controls leaving Rob, Chrissy and her young son Jake (Adam Johnston) trapped in an out of control lift.

They have to try and get out of the lift and get out of the building, but this is near impossible. It's a very silly film, which could have been an intelligent action film, but it's let down by overacting (McGann especially), but when the lift scenes come, they're very good, but it's also let down by a mawkish ending and over-trite dialogue.

Look out for a young Stephen Graham as one of the gang members.