Prime Time: Bagman (2024)

I like director Colm McCarthy. If you're unfamiliar with his name then I suggest you look through his extensive selection of film and TV work. You're bound to find at least one thing that you'll really like. The same can be said for Sam Claflin, who stars here in the lead role of Patrick McKee. The only main contributor here that I was unfamiliar with was writer John Hulme, and Bagman is so bad that I hope to now stay unfamiliar with anything he does, at least until he attends some lessons in how to avoid treating viewers like complete idiots who will eat up any half-cooked slop.

It's a tale that we've seen many times in the past couple of decades. A man is haunted by something, or some figure, from his past. He starts to worry that his own trauma is something very real that may cause harm to his own child. This puts a strain on his relationship, but that strain is slightly lessened by the fact that his partner (Karina, played by Antonia Thomas) soon ends up believing that some supernatural threat really is looming large over the family.

Yet another glossy mainstream horror movie that exemplifies the very worst of modern horror movies, Bagman is so astonishingly bad, as well as being painfully derivative in a way that does it no favours at all (because it's never a good thing when you watch a film that reminds you of the 2005 Boogeyman movie), that it kept me in a state of perpetual anger from the opening scene to the start of the closing credits. It's not scary, it's not effective in any standard dramatic way, and it's horribly dull, in terms of both the content and the visuals.

Claflin seems to be sleepwalking through the whole thing, which I guess is in line with the mental state of his character. He certainly doesn't do anything to improve the dialogue. Thomas is a bit better, perhaps due to the fact that she's not so burdened with the weight of being the lead, and there are decent performances from Steven Cree (the brother of Claflin's character), William Hope (the local Police Chief), and Peter McDonald (the father shown in flashbacks as a younger incarnation of Claflin's character first starts to sense the presence of the titular Bagman). I really can't be bothered mentioning anyone else, they're either not good enough or just not memorable (and that includes young Frankie Corio, who made such a fantastic acting debut in Aftersun). 

I don't blame the cast for the varying quality of their performances though. I blame Hulme and McCarthy. There's nothing here for anyone to latch onto, but the script and direction seem to be overseen by people desperately trying to convince everyone else that it has any weight and/or worth. That's sadly untrue. I really cannot think of any one moment in this film that doesn't have a corresponding moment in one of a hundred better choices. 

I have spent some time now staring at the end of this review, trying to think of one more positive thing I could say about this film. I cannot do it. The best I can come up with is to begrudgingly acknowledge that many of the crew members show a decent degree of competence. That's it. "Bagman - there are a few decent acting turns and some people who remain competent while working with such poor writing and direction." I doubt they'll ever use that as a pull-quote. 

3/10

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Outcast (2010)

Note: This review is here after being written originally for placement on Flickfeast.co.uk.

The perfect film to point people toward if they’re claiming that the 21st century horror movie has no originality any more. Yes, there are plenty of great influences and references here (from Night Of The Demon and The Devil Rides Out to An American Werewolf In London) but this UK horror blends them all together with a style and intelligence amidst some material not often utilised within the genre, at least in the movie world.

Fergal (Niall Bruton) and his mother (Kate Dickie) are being hunted (for reasons that we learn about as the movie unfolds) and so, when they have settled down in their latest residence in an Edinburgh housing estate, they begin to prepare for the final stand that is inevitably coming. Well, Fergal’s mother prepares while the lad himself struggles to cope with the normal social awkwardness of the late teens amplified by his travelling lifestyle. James Nesbitt (in a fantastic performance that makes me think he really should do more work showing off his darker side) is the one doing the hunting, accompanied by someone trying to keep him within the rules and limits ordained by the elder, wise ones. To complicate matters further, Fergal finds himself attracted to the girl next door, Petronella (a wonderful turn from Hannah Stanbridge), despite warnings from his mother hinting at a bad outcome for all involved. And did I mention the monster attacking people at night?

The best thing about Outcast, for me, is how it takes things that really could have been mishandled and made into something laughable and depicts them as powerful, traditional methods used by people who believe in what they’re doing absolutely. I don’t know how much shown onscreen is based in fact and researched lore but it certainly feels authentic and while you’re watching people use magic here (e.g. at one point the hunter tries to locate his prey by calling a bird and slicing it open with a knife to read the entrails) you never start thinking that everyone should just bugger off to Hogwarts and leave the screen free to be full of standard, knife-wielding “muggles”.

The cast is a good mix of the youthful and the elderly and experienced (basically mirroring their characters) and this is another bonus for the film: solid acting from people portraying characters you invest in. Kate Dickie (who I recognise most from her being brilliant in Red Road, see it if you can) may not have your sympathies at the beginning of the movie, and doesn’t always keep you onside throughout, but her character reveals details that explain her actions and gain your support, to a degree. Alongside those mentioned we also get small turns from the great James Cosmo and even a small amount of screentime for Karen Gillan (best known to fans of Dr. Who as one of his many assistants).

Effects throughout, achieved through both practical make up and some decent camera trickery, are of a very high standard and the design of the creature I mentioned is excellent, especially considering the relatively low budget.

Speaking of money, does it all seem a bit cheap? Not at all. Yes, there are moments set in the city centre that are a little hastily cut and closely cropped but the majority of the movie manages to excel despite its limitations. Director Colm McCarthy and his brother Tom, who helped craft the screenplay, deserve some high praise indeed because putting aside some minor editing and synching awkwardness, this is an object lesson in how a smart, cool, intelligent indie horror should be made.

6/10

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