Here’s the first trailer for Dexter Fletcher’s directorial debut, Wild Bill. The movie stars Will Poulter, Liz White, Andy Serkis and Jaime Winstone. We got to see the movie at the London Film Festival and you can read our review of it here. Fletcher has been on our screens for years and became famous amongst teenagers back in the late 80s – early 90s when he appeared in the TV show Press Gang but this is the first time we’ve seen him behind the camera.

Have a watch of the trailer below and check out Andy Serkis as the bad guy!

Wild Bill is released 30th March.

The film follows Bill Hayward, out on parole after 8 years inside, as he returns home to find his now 11 and 15-year old sons abandoned by their mother and fending for themselves. Unwilling to play Dad, his arrival brings them to the attention of social services.

With the danger of being put into care looming, Dean forces his Dad to stay by threatening to grass him up for dealing. Dean soon connects with Jimmy and through this new bond starts to realize what he’s been missing.

He has a family and a place in the world, but when Jimmy gets into trouble with Bill’s old cohorts, he quickly has to decide what kind of Dad he wants to be. A good one, or a free one.

Source: Yahoo UK

As the second week of the LFF draws to a close, a film we’ve been following at HeyUGuys  for quite some time, Wild Bill – the directorial debut of Dexter Fletcher – finally makes its UK debut.

We rather enjoyed the movie, so hot footed it down to Vue in Leicester Square to catch up with the cast and crew.

JASON FLEMYNG

On working with Dexter

Well he’s my greatest, oldest friend, so it was so nice to go full circle and have him directing. Between us we’ve made 150 films now, and it’s just fantastic to get one of us [behind] the camera, and it was always going to be him. He’s a hard worker and a grafter.

The great thing about actors who direct is that they understand about actors very well, so it was great to have another actor direct you. Whatever you say about Dex, he’s a classy actor so if he says it should be this way, it should be happening. Matt Vaughn, who’s sort of the Godfather of all of us, he’s not technical, he couldn’t direct an actor if he tried, so it’s lovely to know Dex.

WILL POULTER

On ‘stealing’ the film from Charlie Creed Miles

Ah no, I didn’t do that. Certainly not. I was just very grateful to be involved. I think everyone did this for the love, the entire cast. To work with a man like Dexter, he’s the most enthusiastic man on the planet, and he just set the tone for the incredible working environment so everyone could do their job, and we all loved it.

On the chance to get away from being described as a ‘child actor’

Yeah, I suppose it is a bit of a transition. I relish the opportunity to play a very mature character, which is a challenge for me, but I loved it. Dean’s a character that really attracted me. He’s a 16 year old who carries responsibilities that most 16 year olds can’t imagine. It was a real wake up call for me to see what real life is like. I’m very lucky, I come from a great family and don’t have to think about those things. It’s a real eye opener, and the character’s fantastic and I enjoyed every minute of it.

DEXTER FLETCHER

On the serious tone of the film

That was striking a balance. The great thing about Danny [King – Fletcher’s co-writer] is that he does have a great comedic bent, and that was something that I completely exploited and wanted to very much be a part of Wild Bill, and why I initially started speaking to him right away, because I knew the subject matter was particularly, or could be particularly dark and bleak, and I didn’t want to make a bleak, dark film. I wanted to make a film that actually had a point, and I felt that this story had that, but at the same time I didn’t want us to come out of it feeling like we’ve just been bashed over the head for 90 minutes. So my way of thinking was, if I got someone involved like Danny King, he was going to elevate that humour in the story, and find the things that were funny. We talked about how someone trying relentlessly and failing is kind of funny, Laurel and Hardy trying to get a piano up the stairs is funny, because they can’t do it, and they don’t stop trying, and they’re beset with obstacles and things that knock them back, and that’s where the humour comes from, and I knew that Danny  had that in spades. He knew the Language, he knew the people, and he knew the world, so that was where that came from.

On having young actors in the film

I was very lucky with the kids that I got. Sammy Williams is phenomenal and Will Poulter is a massive talent emerging and I exploited that. As soon as I met them I knew they were the guys I needed, but also I have a history of being a child actor myself, and I know that world, and I was very comfortable, very confident that I would be able to work with these young actors, and I think they give two of the best performances in the film.

The release of a inmate from prison and their subsequent reintegration into ‘regular’ society is an area that is filled with potential for interesting drama.

Ulu Grosbard’s under-seen and underrated 1978 film Straight Time (based on the equally excellent book No Beast So Fierce by Edward Bunker) uses this premise to explore the way in which the released inmate’s, played by Dustin Hoffman, life is defined by the way in which they have been labelled by society.

In his debut film, Wild Bill, Dexter Fletcher treads similar territory with his lead character struggling to adjust to life outside of prison but in addition he introduces an intense family drama to the mix.

The titular Bill (Charlie Creed-Miles) returns home from prison after many years inside and in the interim period his two sons, Jimmy (Sammy Williams) and Dean (Will Poulter), have been abandoned by their mother and left to fend for themselves. In Bill’s absence 15 year-old Dean has taken on the role of the family patriarch and cares for his younger brother whilst trying to hold down an illegal job on a construction site. Rather amusingly, and with a hint of social commentary, the construction site in question is the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome.

Shortly after Bill’s release he is deposited unconscious onto Dean and Jimmy’s sofa, Bill’s old friends do a good job of celebrating his return by helping him get totally inebriated. Dean and Bill instantly clash, Dean clearly blaming his father for, in his eyes, abandoning them. The animosity intensifies when Bill later highlights the boy’s living arrangements to the social services leading to a rather awkward home visit.

Bill is at first a reluctant father, uninterested in taking care of the boys and anxious to get away from his old criminal life, planning to move up north for work and a new start. Dean manages to blackmail him into staying though, at least until the social services are off their backs.

The remainder of the film follows a path that is perhaps not too difficult to predict, with Bill upsetting the apple cart by refusing to get back involved with his old friends’ criminal activities, Dean and Jimmy reconnecting with their father and a slight romantic sub-plot between Bill and local prostitute Roxy (Liz White). The film rests not on dramatic twists and turns though but on a slow and engrossing story that pulls you into the world in which the main protagonists and a number of side characters (populated by very recognisable British actors) live. This is done with expediency and an economy that ensures that a lot of the characters really get under your skin without the film feeling crowded or over-reaching.

The way in which the actors inhabit their roles is also essential to this investment and there are many performances to commend here. Poulter is perhaps most noteworthy, unsurprising to anyone who has seen his impressive debut in Son of Rambow in 2007, but Liz White is also excellent in a role that could have so easily been a simple stereotype. The way her character is drawn has subtlety and she brings a lot of warmth to the role.

Fletcher perhaps lives up to a widely held belief here about the ability of actor turned directors to coax strong performances out of actors but a lot of the groundwork is clearly already there in the script (written by Fletcher and Danny King). Fletcher’s direction is also mostly very competent with the film feeling entirely cinematic, no complaints here about this looking like an ITV drama, but retaining an intimate and small scale approach. Cinematographer George Richmond does excellent work too, helping give the film a look of its own and technically notable shots such as a long tracking shot early on, which weaves through their flat and the corridor outside, belie the low budget roots of the film but are appropriate to the content, not simply grandstanding.

Far removed from the nonsensical and childishly excessive gangster films that have clogged up DVD shelves in the UK, particularly in the wake of Lock, Stock  and Two Smoking Barrels (in which Fletcher starred), Wild Bill is a convincing and absorbing drama and an impressive début feature.

Wild Bill is playing as part of the London Film Festival on the 21st and 23rd of October.

***½~ (3.5/5)

We’ll be posting last night’s interviews that we took from the red carpet at the Jameson Empire Awards today and tomorrow. If you haven’t watched them yet, you can keep track here.

This time round we’ve got Gareth Edwards, the man responsible for the phenomenal Monsters, and who will shortly be bringing Godzilla back to the big screen.

Just as Gareth arrived in front of me, we were surrounded by the cast of The Inbetweeners to my right, and Tom Hiddleston on my left, causing everyone around us to surge forward, and forcing Gareth and I to move much closer together than is entirely comfortable for, well anybody to be honest.

In spite of the slightly odd interview conditions, we spoke about Monsters, and how he feels about the focus of much of the praise being on the production values rather than the story, how close Godzilla is to filming, and whether this concept art from last year’s San Diego Comic Con had anything to do with his movie.

While we were on the red carpet for the Jameson Empire Awards, we had a chance to talk to Son of Rambow and Narnia star, Will Poulter, who seemed to be competing with Gareth Edwards and Tom Felton for the title of nicest man in the British film industry.

During the conversation, he spoke briefly about his love for The King’s Speech, before talking about his next film, Wild Bill, which is directed by Dexter Fletcher. After hearing how excited Will was for the film, we had to stop Dexter on his way in, and get him to give us some more details. To find out more about it, check out the video below.

Today sees the release on DVD and Blu-ray of the third chapter in the Jack Trilogy – Jack Falls, a film we’ve been following for some time and we had the chance to sit down with writer/director Paul Tanter to talk about the film, the pressures and pleasures of a first time directing gig and the future for Jack and for Paul.

We reviewed the film here and there’s plenty of Jack to catch up on here.

To begin – how did you get started in the industry – how did you get Jack Said published and then made into a film?

I got started when Jack Says was in pre-production. The producers had an early draft of the script they wanted working on and Rita Ramnani, who had been attached to play Erin from the start, suggested me. We had been friends since university and she knew I was trying to get a break in writing. She put me in contact with Simon Phillips and we talked about where we could take the story. I did some rewrites and the result was the Jack Says film. As we were shooting Jack Says, we worked on a back story for Jack, as his character has amnesia in the film, and this could give Simon something extra to add when playing Jack.

The more we talked about it, the more we realised that there was potential for a prequel story we could release alongside the film – so I wrote the Jack Said graphic novel and we released in with the film. Getting it published was probably easier than usual as we had a film to market it alongside. When the book and film came out and were received well, we knew that we wanted to make the Jack Said film next, so I worked on fleshing the story out into a feature-length screenplay. When people could see we had the first film and the graphic novel behind us, it meant we had some momentum to press on to the next.

You’ve taken on directing duties for the final chapter – what made you want to step behind the camera?

I think it’s the control aspect and wanting to be able to shape what I’d written. I was fortunate to be on set for the filming of the first two in order to offer my input, work with the actors and so forth, and I was involved with all of the Jack Said post-production. The natural progression seemed to be to move on to direct and I was fortunate that the producers agreed to take a chance and let me set behind the camera with my co-director Alexander Williams.

Jack Falls - Adam Deacon as Hogan & Alan Ford as Carter & Simon Phillips as Jack

How was the transition from writer to director?

Well, like I said, I’d already been very closely involved with the shooting of the previous two, but this one meant everything that I hadn’t needed to take responsibility for – working on the storyboards, inputting on the design of the sets and costumes, casting the roles, working on never ending shot lists – and that was before we’d even shot a frame! Then there’s being responsible for everything that ends up in the can. Before I was offering suggestions and opinions, now it was making the decisions – and you do feel the pressure. But it was great; to be able to see it through from beginning to end and to do exactly what you want with it – there’s a great freedom there and it’s a privilege.

Now that you’re more in control how does the film differs from its predecessors?

Apart from being more involved with the production decisions and working with the actors, the main difference is the look – high contrast black and white with touches of colour. This is definitely the most noir-ish one we’ve done.

Tell us about the choice of high contrast black and white – as this a deliberate attempt to recreate the look of the comic book.

I’m massively proud of the first two, but we always want to get bigger, better and try new things. We tipped our hat to the style of the graphic novels in the flashback scenes in the other films and for this one really wanted to go back to the roots of the graphic novels. So for this one we went for full, high-contrast black and white, with some splashes of colour. It’s a risky move when you don’t have Sin City’s budget, but I’m proud to say I think we achieved the style and tone of the books with Jack Falls.

This was Olivia Hallinan’s first feature film and her role requires a lot from her – how was it working with her?

Working with Olivia is a dream. We cast her of the basis of an audition at the end of a very long day. We’d seen about 50 actresses and she came in a revitalised the room – as she left we were grinning and nodding to each other. It was only afterwards that we researched her and found about all the TV shows! None of us had really watched Lark Rise to Candleford or Sugar Rush and now I’m finding we are probably the only people in the country who hadn’t – as every single person I meet knows who she is from either of those shows! She’s a fantastically talented actress and keen to do whatever is demanded of her. Whether it was throwing herself across concrete, jumping through floorboards or having a gunfight, she got stuck in and was revelling as an Avengers-type heroine! She’s laughing with you up until you call action and is then instantly blowing you away with the performance. After a fairly intense scene with Tamer Hassan, I remember he came up to us afterwards saying “my god, she’s good, isn’t she?” Alan Ford and Dexter Fletcher were similarly charmed and taken with her. We were very fortunate to have her and I think this film is going to be the first of many for her.

You’ve got some big names from British film here, do you find that established figures from the British film industry are supportive of independent films like the Jack Trilogy?

Very much so. I think actors are keen to strike a balance with the big studio films they are always on demand for and smaller independent films. If you’re able to offer them something they like and are excited about doing something with, they’re amazingly keen to accommodate you. Tamer flew back from shooting in the US just for us to play the Boss, Jason Flemyng and Dexter Fletcher were keen to support us as they like the way their roles were written and excited about doing something with the roles. Alan Ford is a legend of British films and the entire crew was buzzing when he was on set. Adam Deacon is a great actor and increasingly in demand; not only was he great in the role but accommodated us when we ran over and came back for an extra day for us. Neil Maskell is a familiar face in British films and left us spellbound with his performance – and came back to voice his character Sid in our accompanying animation Jack Falls: Sid’s Story. We even managed to bag cameos from Martin Kemp, Hellraiser’s Doug Bradley and Zach Galligan from Gremlins, whom came over to Amsterdam to do a scene for us! I think everyone was very interested in the way we were shooting and being involved with a British film noir.

You’re part of what has been termed a creative collection, with many films in production, what’s the feeling among the community with regards to future of the British film industry?

I can’t speak for everyone as a whole, but as far as we’re concerned, we’ll keep on making films and progressing, learning, trying new things and pushing ourselves as hard as possible. The plan is to keep on delivering entertaining, quality films. We’re independent so are at a disadvantage against the studios with their backing, but we’ll continue to strive to do the best possible. There is now a linked collective of us who work together on various projects, which is great as there’s a good network of support for others on their projects.

Now that the Jack Trilogy is done what’s next for you?

I’m working on a couple of things at the moment. There’s another Jack film in the pipeline, and I’m developing a comedy script. I’m also working on a graphic novel prequel for a war film and on a real life-based story of a credit card fraudster. But for the next couple of weeks it’s all about promoting Jack Falls and the trilogy box set of Jack Says, Jack said and Jack Falls!

HeyUGuys thanks Paul for his time, if you’re suitably inspired you can pick up the film, or the box set here.

The final chapter in Paul Tanter’s Jack trilogy is an effective thriller rooted in, but not burdened by, the gritty London gangster genre and completes the story of Jack Adleth in a compelling fashion.

As this is the endgame the film is stripped down to its essentials; the momentum of the film carries everything and everyone to their inevitable end with a sense of urgency. The high contrast black and white, previously used in the flashback sequences of the preceding films, is a bold move, with colour used sparingly and it’s more than a superficial choice – this film is about good and evil, with very little in between. There is duplicity here but for the most part once Jack decides that an end is needed the whole film shakes off the extraneous elements prevalent in many films of this sort.

If you’ve not seen the two films previous to Jack Falls it’s worth catching up, although the film does work on its own. While the series began with an undercover cop losing his footing in the criminal world, then being unable to find a way back to his old self, there is less soul searching here – Jack Falls begins with an assassination attempt of our main character, then is all about him finding catharsis and revenge.

The shift in tone from the film’s immediate predecessor is an effective and worthwhile move. Despite the tough nature of Jack Said the bickering in the family business between the two daughters of the boss had a playful edge whereas there is nothing frivolous about this final chapter.  Simon Phillips continues his great work as lost undercover cop Jack Adleth, who is submerged so far in the corruption of both the criminal world and the police force he worked for that everything becomes about breaking the surface. Phillips’ subdued manner always has the threat of violence about it, and it’s a compelling mix. He makes it work, holds the film together when it is in danger of getting stuck in the cliches of the genre.

First time director Paul Tanter, adapting from his own comic book series, does an exceptional job with the action, with the set piece of Jack and Natasha, played by Olivia Hallinan, trapped in a block of flats was particularly well handled and the film thankfully punctuates the uncompromising action with some great character work from Phillips, Jason Flemyng and Hallinan. Tamer Hassan and Dexter Fletcher make the most of their roles, and Adam Deacon and Alan Ford make for an unusual and enjoyable criminal pairing.

It’s a stylish end to the series, benefiting from stripping itself to the bone and allowing the narrative line from the previous films to lead but never tether the story. Phillips is compelling in the lead and the direction from Tanter and Dominic Burns has a confidence and vitality to it. Look beyond the obvious comparisons to Sin City or the many children of the Lock Stock school of geezer gangster films and you’ll find a strong final chapter to this British noir trilogy.

The Blu-ray and DVD of the film is out on Monday the 21st of March.

This week, HeyUGuys were lucky enough to be invited to the May Fair hotel in London for the premiere of British gangster flick Jack Falls. The concluding part of a trilogy, the film is released on DVD and Blu-ray this Monday.

Adapted from the graphic novels written by Paul Tanter (who makes his directorial debut here) it’s a visually ambitious film with a narrative scope which clearly extends beyond its modest budget.

Before the screening, we had the opportunity to chat to some of the figures from behind and in front of the camera (and in some cases, both).

Co- star Alan Ford (aka Bricktop in Snatch) on why the Brit’s love the gangster genre:

It’s nothing new. People have always liked the villains from that type of world, going right back to Bill Sykes in Oliver Twist.

Does he ever tire of being offered roles as the bad guy?

I never think that. Work is work and I’m always happy to do it. It’s better to be typecast than not cast.

Co-star Dexter Fletcher (no stranger to the genre) on why these types of film are popular with audiences:

People always like films about good vs. evil. The idea of good triumphing over evil is something that people like to see as we all want to believe the world is that kind of place.

On whether we can expect a cameo of some kind in X-Men: First Class, given his appearances in Matthew Vaughan’s previous features?

There was talk of it, but in all honesty, I’m not in it. I’ve directed my own film and unfortunately, that was very labour intensive, so that meant I couldn’t play the part of a CIA man he wanted me to do.

On his directorial debut:

It’s called Wild Bill and it’s my take on a western, but I’ve set it in the East End of London. It’s about a man who is released from prison and comes home to find his two kids living alone in a council flat. The backdrop is the Olympic stadiums being built and ultimately what the character has to do is save his kids from the local drug dealers, but in doing that, we gets himself into serious trouble. We’ve got Andy Serkis, Eddie Marsan, Olivia Williams, Will Poulter (Son of Rambo, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and Jason Flemyng in it.

Actor/co-producer and co-director Dominic Burns on what the film meant to him:

Jack Falls was a great experience. The best thing about it for me was getting to work with so many legendary British actors. Alan Ford, Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher. We have Hellraiser’s Doug Bradley in there and Zach Galligan from Gremlins, who I worked with on my debut feature, has a little cameo. We’ve been incredibly lucky because the actors we’ve worked with have been really nice and accommodating, and they’re guys who take the work and their characters seriously and are very open to chat and discuss ideas.

His upcoming projects:

He have (comedy ensemble) How to Stop Being a Loser, which features Richard E. Grant and Gemma Atkinson, in post-production and we’ve also just wrapped Airborne with Mark Hamill. Next on the cards is a film called UFO.

We asked writer of the trilogy and co-director, Paul Tanter, about the ideas behind giving the film its unique look:

With the first two films in the series, we did kind of go film noir with them, but we didn’t push it to as far as we could and they ended up being shot quite traditionally. They were very much normal, linear films, shot in colour and we would go for black and white with some of the flashbacks.

With this one we knew from the start that we wanted to do something a little different because we purposely wanted to push ourselves a little bit and get bigger and better. We said from the start let’s go back to the graphic novel for and try and adapt that look on the screen. With this one, we’ve gone for the high contrast black and white, with splashes of vivid colours which really stand out.

I think doing that, we’ve tried something which hasn’t been seen in another British film as yet, and I hope we’ve pushed things forward a little, particularly in terms of it being so low-budget too. We are an independent film – we’re not studio-backed. We’ve had to be as resourceful as possible with Jack Falls.

Star and co-producer of the trilogy Simon Phillips (pictured here with Martin Kemp) on juggling both roles:

Producing and acting in a project is easy and difficult at the same time. You get the films made how you want them to be and you have the opportunity to get involved in films you want to be part of. Being the actor, you get a good sense of wanting to tell the story, and then you’re wearing the producer’s hat you’re saying how can we do that? It’s the best of both worlds as you’re both doing what you love and you are the makers of your own work.

On working in a creative collective:

We do cross share a lot of stuff. We’ve got lots of people in common whom we work with. It’s a big collaboration because you can’t actually ignore how small the industry is and you’ve got to be able to lean on it to help each other.

It’s interesting to note that the filmmakers here are doing things on their own terms, having been able to carve out their own brand of low-budget projects, designed to appeal to a wide audience, and made up of an eclectic list of familiar and cult faces (the first film, Jack Says, featured the late Mike Reid and Eric Cantona amongst it’s cast!). It’s an interesting and appealing business model that any future UK directors and producers who are toying with setting up their first projects could learn a great deal from.

We’ve been following the third chapter of the ‘Jack’ trilogy for some time now and Lions Gate Home Entertainment have given us a look at the animated short film which precedes the final chapter – Jack Falls.

Animated in the style of Paul Tanter’s comic book, the source material for the three films, this video sets up an important relationship, which has far reaching consequences for our main man Jack Adelth in the film.

Jack Falls had its premiere last Monday night and the film is out on Blu-ray and DVD on the 21st of March

Jack Falls stars Tamer Hassan, Simon Phillips, Olivia Hallinan, Alan Ford, Jason FlemyingAdam Deacon, Annie Cooper, Martin Kemp, Dexter Fletcher and also features a cameo by Gremlins star Zach Galligan. The movie is written Paul Tanter and directed by Tanter and Alexander Williams.

Here’s the short, my review of the film is up on the site tomorrow.

Unless you’re heading out to the premiere tonight of Paul Tanter’s Jack Falls you’ll have to wait a week to see how the tale of Jack Adleth is resolved when the DVD and Blu-ray is released on the 21st of March.

Concluding the Jack Trilogy, comprising of this film’s predecessors Jack Says and Jack Said, this film has many of the cast returning, along with a few new faces. Simon Phillips returns as our lead alongside Tamer Hassan, Olivia Hallinan, Alan Ford, Jason Flemying, Adam Deacon, Annie Cooper, Martin Kemp, Dexter Fletcher and keep your peepers peeled for a cameo by Gremlins star Zach Galligan.

Surviving a murder attempt in Amsterdam, former police-officer Jack Adleth (Simon Phillips) heads to London to seek revenge and settle old scores, but soon finds himself in danger not just from his former criminal associates, but his old police colleagues too. As he battles to stay alive, he must also deal with the guilt from the consequences of his undercover life.

 

Here are the pics, click for full size,

To celebrate the release of the first ever British Trilogy know as the ‘JACK’ trilogy, Lions Gate Home Entertainment have been kind enough to give us three copies of the final instalment, Jack Falls, to give away on Blu-ray. Not only that, but we’ve managed to get our hands on three copies of the graphic novel which have been signed by Writer / Director Paul Tanter. Jack Falls is released on both DVD and Blu-ray 21st March.

Putting a stylish spin on British gangster movies, JACK FALLS is the final instalment of the gripping ‘JACK‘ trilogy, based on the popular graphic novels. JACK FALLS DVD & Blu-ray plus the DVD Trilogy boxset are available to own from the 21st March 2011.

Surviving a murder attempt in Amsterdam, former police-officer Jack Adleth (Simon Phillips) heads to London to seek revenge and settle old scores, but soon finds himself in danger not just from his former criminal associates, but his old police colleagues too. As he battles to stay alive, he must also deal with the guilt from the consequences of his undercover life.

Shot in high contrast black and white with splashes of Sin City style colour, and a great British gritty edge, JACK FALLS stars Tamer Hassan (Bonded by Blood, Layer Cake), Simon Phillips (Jack Said, Jack Says), Dexter Fletcher (Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Stardust), Adam Deacon (Adulthood, Kidulthood), Jason Flemyng (Clash of the Titans, Kick Ass) and Martin Kemp (The Krays), with Olivia Hallinan (TV’s Sugar Rush) Zack Galligan (Gremlins) and Doug Bradley (the infamous Pinhead of Hellraiser).

To be in with a chance of winning the movie on Blu-ray and a signed copy of the graphic novel, all you need to do is answer the following question using the form below:

In the ‘Jack’ Trilogy, who plays the title character ‘Jack’?

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 21st March 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

We’ve brought you images, we’ve brought you the DVD cover art and now Lions Gate Home Entertainment have released the brand new DVD and Blu-ray trailer for their new movie, Jack Falls which I’ve embedded below. This is the first ever British-made movie trilogy and we can’t wait to see it.

Jack Falls was directed by Paul Tanter & Alexander Williams and stars Tamer Hassan, Simon Phillips, Olivia Hallinan, Alan Ford, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Flemyng , Dominic Burns, Neil Maksell, Doug Bradley, Zach Galligan, Adam Deacon and Martin Kemp.

Jack Falls is released on DVD and Blu-ray 21st March and you can order your copy here.

Synopsis: Putting a stylish spin on British gangster movies, JACK FALLS is the final instalment of the gripping ‘JACK‘ trilogy, based on the popular graphic novels. JACK FALLS DVD & Blu-ray plus the DVD Trilogy boxset are available to own from the 21st March 2011.

Surviving a murder attempt in Amsterdam, former police-officer Jack Adleth (Simon Phillips) heads to London to seek revenge and settle old scores, but soon finds himself in danger not just from his former criminal associates, but his old police colleagues too. As he battles to stay alive, he must also deal with the guilt from the consequences of his undercover life.

Lions Gate Home Entertainment have been good enough to pass on these new stills from Paul Tanter’s Jack Falls, which is the third in the Jack trilogy and is out on Blu-ray and DVD on the 21st of March.

Our review of the film will be up on the site nearer to the release date and if you need to catch up with the series then Jack Says and Jack Said are the previous installments.

Jack Falls stars Tamer Hassan, Simon Phillips, Olivia Hallinan, Alan Ford, Jason Flemying, Adam Deacon, Annie Cooper, Martin Kemp, Dexter Fletcher and also features a cameo by Gremlins star Zach Galligan. The movie is written Paul Tanter and directed by Tanter and Alexander Williams.

Synopsis: Surviving a murder attempt in Amsterdam, former police-officer Jack Adleth (Simon Phillips) heads to London to seek revenge and settle old scores, but soon finds himself in danger not just from his former criminal associates, but his old police colleagues too. As he battles to stay alive, he must also deal with the guilt from the consequences of his undercover life.

Lions Gate Home Entertainment are really spoiling us with their new title, Jack Falls. We debuted the Cover Art for the DVD and Blu-ray a couple of weeks ago and today they’ve asked us to put up these new images from the movie which is released on both formats March 21st.

Jack Falls has now entered into the record books along with it’s predecessors, Jack Says and Jack Said as the first ever British Trilogy and the makers even have a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records to prove it! Jack Falls stars Tamer Hassan, Simon Phillips, Olivia Hallinan, Alan Ford, Jason Flemying, Adam Deacon, Annie Cooper, Martin Kemp, Dexter Fletcher and also features a cameo by Gremlins star Zach Galligan. The movie is written Paul Tanter and directed by Tanter and Alexander Williams.

Synopsis: Putting a stylish spin on British gangster movies, JACK FALLS is the final instalment of the gripping ‘JACK‘ trilogy, based on the popular graphic novels. JACK FALLS DVD & Blu-ray plus the DVD Trilogy boxset are available to own from the 21st March 2011.

Surviving a murder attempt in Amsterdam, former police-officer Jack Adleth (Simon Phillips) heads to London to seek revenge and settle old scores, but soon finds himself in danger not just from his former criminal associates, but his old police colleagues too. As he battles to stay alive, he must also deal with the guilt from the consequences of his undercover life.

Shot in high contrast black and white with splashes of Sin City style colour, and a great British gritty edge, JACK FALLS stars Tamer Hassan (Bonded by Blood, Layer Cake), Simon Phillips (Jack Said, Jack Says), Dexter Fletcher (Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Stardust), Adam Deacon (Adulthood, Kidulthood), Jason Flemyng (Clash of the Titans, Kick Ass) and Martin Kemp (The Krays), with Olivia Hallinan (TV’s Sugar Rush) Zack Galligan (Gremlins) and Doug Bradley (the infamous Pinhead of Hellraiser).

If you’ve not seen the previous chapters in the series do check them out, and we’ll bring you our review of the film as soon as we can. The DVD is released on the 21st of March.

Join the official Facebook group here and the Jack Falls Twitter account is here!

Check out the new images below which you can click to enlarge.

We’re very happy to bring you the first look at the DVD artwork for a film we’ve been looking forward to for a while: writer/director Paul Tanter’s Jack Falls.

This is the third chapter in the Jack series, preceded by Jack Says and Jack Said, which ended with a particularly nice cliffhanger and it’ll be very interesting to see how things work out.

The films are adapted from Tanter’s comic book trilogy, and as with the previous two films there are some very impressive names in the cast including Simon Phillips, Tamer Hassan, Olivia Hallinan, Dexter Fletcher, Alan Ford, Adam Deacon, Annie Cooper and Martin Kemp.

Also starring are Jason Flemying, Neil Maskell and Doug Bradley and we’ve also been told to look out for a cameo from Gremlins star Zach Galligan.

If you’ve not seen the previous chapters in the series do check them out, and we’ll bring you our review of the film as soon as we can. The DVD is released on the 21st of March.

Here’s the artwork, and if you’ve not already seen it I’ve included the trailer below,

When talking about British Film there are certain, unavoidable, assumptions one automatically makes.  Those crisply enunciated words have long conjured pictures of rolling hills, heaving bosoms, mad Kings and foppish fools.  An entire industry has been built upon the ever changing hair of Mr Hugh Grant and Jane Austen’s back catalogue has been taken advantage of in the parlour time and time again.

It is a world apart from those reliable old exports that we may find the Britain of gangster flicks.  They populate a straight-to-DVD nether world which has scant regard for global recognition.  These are not slick Ritchie flicks, attracting Hollywood stars to a middle-class vision of roughing it.  These are honest to goodness, behind the scenes at the terraces, unflinching looks at a crude life of crime.  A fist-full make it to limited big screen release bolstered by underworld faces, true-crime notoriety and boxing names.  Few seek to venture outside the paint-by-numbers plot lines.  None seemed to wander far beyond our shores.  Until now!

Dead Cert is a creature apart from its plodding predecessors.  Granted a premiere at FrightFest 2010, Black & Blue Films and Raw Film Productions’ bold new project is treading new ground in its shiny old loafers.  The film takes the staples of the genre: busty birds, brawny boys, turf wars and violence and throws in a bloody new twist – vampires!  The only heaving bosoms here run ruby red with the claret of punters past.  It sounds compelling stuff and late last year HeyUGuys were lucky enough to be granted front row seats as the carnage commenced.

A gang of tough London gangsters get more than they bargained for when a group of businessmen make an offer to buy their club, the Inferno. They turn out to be nothing less than Vampires wanting their land back and turn viciously on the gangsters when they fail to have demands met…

To bring the ambitious project in shy of a million pounds without damaging its slick appeal the producers sagely cropped production costs and, aside from location days in the country lanes and strip clubs of Essex, the bulk of Dead Cert’s shoot took place in an echoing Dagenham Warehouse.  It was here we joined the cast and crew during their (frosty) penultimate week of filming.

The eclectic cast features genre veterans Billy Murray and Craig Fairbrass, Lock Stock alumni Dexter Fletcher and Jason Flemyng and character greats Perry Benson and Steven Berkoff.  Sugar and spice are provided by scream queens Janet Montgomery and Lisa McAllister while Big Joe Egan offers all the muscle anyone could ask.  Murray also acted as one of the film’s producers and his camper van, parked up in a far corner of the warehouse, offered the closest thing to a VIP area we found on the back-to-basics shoot!  The atmosphere on location was one of tremendous camaraderie, despite the freezing temperatures.  There was a real sense of mucking in and even the syrup-drenched, bloodied extras were psyched to take a turn in the killing room.

In fact every cast member we spoke to echoed the instant sense of inclusion they felt when joining the project.  Black & Blue have sought to assemble something akin to a rep company and the benefits of that solidarity were plain to see.  Jobbing British actor Danny Midwinter (Rise of the Footsoldier, Freight) had the role of Dennis Christian written especially for him.  When we sat down together he became quite choked about his time on the film.  Billy Murray had been something of a mentor to him over the years and brought him through a dark time in his life – offering a shoulder, not to cry on, but on which to lean until he was ready to stand alone and an invite join the Black & Blue family.  It was a story I heard repeatedly during my two days on set.  Many of these good ol’ boys have had careers that ebb and flow with the slow mud drag of an estuary tide.  They are old timers, pros in the very truest sense of the word and the combined weight of their experience lent an authenticity to the production which left me intrigued to see the finished product.

Conventional career success has come more smoothly to Andy Tiernan (300, Mr Nice) perhaps, yet nevertheless he was relishing his role as the monstrous Chekha.  Snarling with savage charisma as cameras rolled he slinked across a bloodied banquette to mesmerise his prey.  Off-set he grinned with ill-disguised glee as he told me how much he loves to be a bad guy.  Andy met director Steve Lawson at a convention and had been on board with the project in its various incarnations from day one.  He, Steve and producer Jonathan Sothcott, shared a desire to see vampire pictures return to a Lost Boys sensibility.  To show the smile beneath the teeth!  Andy also pushed to bring Perry Benson and Ricky Grover into the fold “these two great home-grown comedy talents”.  A versatile actor who delights in a challenge, he had chosen to play the part of Chekha entirely in Romanian simply “to give it something different”.  That something different required that he translate his dialogue line by line – quite a demand for a non-Romanian speaker!

The man behind the Dead Cert story, Ben Shillito, also acted as our guide.  The behatted Sickipedia fan told us outrageous lies about the cast and crew, jokes we cannot repeat here and above all made us very welcome.  Ben and Steve Lawson were originally sent a vampire vs. demons script to develop for Dead Cert but chose ultimately to go their own way.  Dead Cert as it now exists was born during a brainstorming weekend with co-writer Nick Onsloe.  Ben’s obsession with gothic horror, mainstream and obscure, was well matched by Jonathan Sothcotts’s passion for Hammer and when the two met everything fell into place.

Ben and Jonathan had Billy Murray in mind for demonic lead Dante Livenko from the outset.  Billy had other ideas.  Having signed on as the project’s producer he had no idea he would end up its star.  When we chatted over a bucket of severed limbs he acknowledged he had somehow been sweet-talked into complying!  Ben described Billy’s performance as “calm, menacing and brilliant.  Billy is Christopher Lee in this role”.  Billy himself was more modest as he admitted how much fun his walk on the dark side had been.   Indeed his transformation to Dante was a million miles from the crinkle eyed charmer of our interview.  As I went over my notes he reappeared, threw me off my feet and swooped down to take a cheeky bite and readers…

I believed in vampires!

Meanwhile on set it was all kicking off.  The gleaming Inferno club of our first visit with its writhing glamour girls and immaculate bars was a gore spattered, intestine strewn abattoir.  Luckily This is England’s Perry Benson and young gangster favourite Roland Manookian soon arrived – tooled up and ticked off – to set things straight.  And lest you think Dead Cert is all about jobs for the boys, let me assure you that the girls were equally well-represented.  Lusty beauties, feisty girls next door and vampish vixens abounded.

The Dead Cert set was a vibrant, violent delight and the footage we saw promised nothing less from the final cut.  Selected tickets are still available for the debut screening this Thursday night at Frightfest and, if you’re planning to lounge around London town, we urge you to give it a go.  As the East End boys would have it:

This one’s got a lot of heart!

Last week we bought you the exclusive look at the character posters for the third film in the ‘Jack’ series, Jack Falls, written by Paul Tanter.

Today we’ve got a look at the final poster for this film, and it’s in keeping with the graphic style seen in the posters thus far but also in the great trailer we posted recently.

There’s still another few months until we get to see this one on the big screen, and as with the previous two installments, Jack Says and Jack Said, the final chapter in story looks to be an exciting and stylish one, with Simon Phillips and Tamer Hassan (whose London based post apocalypse thriller The Last Seven is out at the end of the month) heading the cast.

Here’s the poster,

Last week we posted the trailer for Jack Falls, the third in the Jack series by Paul Tanter.

The trailer was pretty great, promising a fast paced, hard hitting film with the nicely gritty tone it shares with its predecessors.

Tanter’s film, which he adapted from his own comic book, features a great cast with Simon Phillips returning in the title role alongside Tamer Hassan, Martin Kemp, Dexter Fletcher, Adam Deacon and Jason Flemyng.

Now we’ve got an exclusive look at the character posters released for the film, and very nice they’re looking too.

We can’t wait to see how the story continues, looks like December 2010 is when we’ll find out.

Jack Falls is the third film in the comic book series written by Paul Tanter, and the new trailer for the film adaptation, which stars Simon Phillips, Tamer Hassan, Dexter Fletcher, Adam Deacon, Martin Kemp, and Olivia Hallinan, looks pretty impressive.

Following the continuing downward spiral of an undercover cop Jack Falls is set to pick up where the last chapter ended up, and the London noir styling of the previous films looks just as good in these trailers below.

We spoke to Paul following the wrap on the previous film in the series Jack Said and he talked about the next chapter in the series, and soon we’ll get the chance to see how far the writer/director will push his main character.

Trailer:

Dead Cert is a film we’ve had our eye on for a while now.

Director Steve Lawson’s take on vampires running amok in London’s gangster-strewn underworld has attracted a pretty impressive UK cast including Craig Fairbrass, Billy Murray, Kick-Ass’s Dexter Fletcher and Steven Berkoff and now there’s a trailer for you all to see what the fuss is about.

Embedded below is an unofficial production trailer and sets out the story effectively, with plenty of fangs and fists rolling between gangsters and vampires and there’s something of the From Dusk Till Dalston about this one.

We spoke to the director Steve Lawson before the film rolled into production (you can read our interview here) and we’re hoping to sit down with him again

Check out the trailer below.

Here’s our Dead Cert coverage so far, and there’s plenty more to come from this one. Expect big things from this one.