Dead Bolt Dead
Synopsis
The result is two separate hostage situations, which become increasingly claustrophobic and desperate as the night wears on. The tension is leavened with dark humour and a splash of country and western music.
The film is the debut feature from a precocious duo: 19-year-old producer Paul de Villiers, who also wrote the screenplay, and director James Rogan, who is just 18. "I think I'm the youngest film director in the country," says Rogan, who learned his craft through the Children's Film Unit, working on four features for television over four years.
Despite their youth, the pair managed to get French distributor Filmsdistribution on board to handle international sales when they took to film to Cannes in May. The cast includes British television regulars James Laurenson and Neil Stuke, who can also be seen in Rob Walker's Circus. Rogan and de Villiers also managed to persuade Neneh Cherry and GUM to contribute two original songs to Edmund Butt's moody soundtrack.
Rogan and de Villiers are not hanging around to see how their first theatrical feature goes down. They already have their next two films in pre-production, Presence Of Mind for Mosca Film and Club 18-30 for Turnwheel Films. The movies are scheduled to shoot back to back starting in October.
Details
- Year
- 2000
- Type of film
- Features
- Director
-
James Rogan
- Music
- Edmund Butt.
- Dir
- James Rogan. 1999. 35mm. 91mins. Prod: Paul de Villiers. Co-prod: Staffan Tollgard. Scr: de Villiers. DoP: Tom Wright. Prod des: Francesco Sonnati. Ed: Colette Hodges. Main cast: Ariyon Bakare, Monique de Villiers, James Laurenson, Ronnie McCann, Neil Stuke. Funding: Private sources.
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
IT’S ALRIGHT MA PRODUCTIONS 22 Bolton Gardens London SW5 0AQ Tel: (33) 1 53 10 33 99 Fax: (33) 1 53 10 33 99 Email: info@filmsdistribution.co
Sales Company
Films Distribution (33) 1 53 10 33 99 Territories sold: French-speaking territories (excluding Canada).
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Dead Bolt Dead
Director: James Rogan
Year: 2000
Somewhere in the countryside, an assassin slips into a country mansion with orders to kill its aged occupant. Somewhere in the city, a wounded thug blasts his way into a flat and takes a husband and wife hostage.<br /> <br /> <br /> The old man in the mansion is a legendary crime Boss who has just made the fatal mistake of ordering the elimination of the rival gang. Betrayed by one of his own, his men have been rounded up in a bloody ambush. One of his thugs escapes and follows the Driver of the winning side back to his flat. Desperate to stay alive, the thug knows he will have to swap sides. His hostage, the driver, is his way in.<br /> <br /> <br /> The Assassin has no intention of killing the Boss quickly; he's intrigued by this legend. He delays . . . to have a chat . . . to have a smoke . . . but little does he know what he's getting into. It is not the first time the Boss has stared down the barrel of a gun; at first he bides his time listening to this cowboy, just waiting for the right moment to start playing his own games.<br /> <br /> <br /> Bleeding badly from a bullet in the shoulder, the Thug thinks he has found safety with the Driver and his Wife. However, the Driver is not all he seems and is in just as much danger as the Thug. Seeing events spiral out of control, the Wife decides to take matters into her own hands.<br /> <br /> <br /> These stories are interwoven in a film about the necessity to keep talking in the face of death, even if you are the one holding the gun.