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Tyrannosaur Reviews
Joseph (Peter Mullan) is a man struggling with guilt over his treatment of his now deceased wife, resorting to alcohol and incendiary rage as salves. Hannah (Olivia Colman), a shopkeeper, is the victim of her husband’s relentless physical and mental abuse and finds some sort of comfort in the arms of Christianity. Actor Paddy Considine’s directorial debut, Tyrannosaur, is the story of two people lost in a world that they are unable to fully understand, relying on each other in their search for some sort of redemption. It is relentlessly grim from start to finish, but is worth watching for its sharply defined characters, a subtly effective score, surprisingly assured direction from Considine, and, most notably, two outstanding performances from the always reliable Colman and Mullan.
Some of the musical montage sections in this movie are way too upbeat, especially given the heaviness and violent overtones of the story. There are definitely some tough scenes to sit through, but Olivia Colman? Absolutely stellar. She's a highlight for sure. But as a whole, I don't think it's a very good movie. The production and editing feel off, and even the direction seems a little shaky -- though to be fair, the performances from the actors are the one thing that really shine. It's fine, I guess, but the film's sad and brutal story doesn’t quite hit the emotional depth it seems to aim for. A lot of that falls on the editing, the choice of music, and the lack of any real standout cinematography. It's trying to be more impactful than it actually is.
A very powerful, disturbing movie.
Extremely grim tale of two lost souls, one violent & one fragile looking for some sort of redemption anchored by the excellent Mullan & the truly heartbreaking Colman.
Relatively unknown when first made, hence watching with no notion. Acting, directing outstanding. Hits all your emotions in one film.
A film as hard as steel, served by an exceptional acting, especially the performance of the battered woman, totally bluffing. We will also appreciate the terrible efficiency of the direction, which sounds right in this deleterious atmosphere, prepare your handkerchiefs!
If you're the kind of person who is easily upset or depressed, Tyrannosaur is not the film for you. It's almost relentlessly bleak, often feeling like one of Dante's circles of hell, and it has a very diluted colour palate, with most scenes using only a few base colours. It's certainly well-acted, with Peter Mullan and Olivia Coleman giving some of their rawest on-screen performances to date. The film always strives for realism, and tries to show what life is like on the bottom rung, with seemingly everything and everyone out to get you. It does have it's fair share of familiar narrative devices, including the always tiresome ‘single mother's new boyfriend is an irredeemably awful scumbag cliché', but for the most part it's a stripped-down, gritty portrayal of everyday life for people with a heart full of remorse. It's certainly not to everyone's tastes, and has few moments of levity, but if you have a strong stomach, I'd recommend seeing it at least once.
With an "in-your-face" attitude, Tyrannosaur isn't easy to watch and won't appeal to everyone. It is however an honest and "real" film and the performances by Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman are very impactful
Brutal. Just brutal. Someone please delicately hand Ms Colman an Oscar... please!
This has been on my to-watch list for years and yet going in part of felt like I already knew what the film was going to be, a sort of sub-par Ken Loach kitchen realism. Well I was wrong, and glad to be. Colman and Mullan present two very nuanced characters here, you will make immediate judgments about them but then continually question those throughout. You will examine the similarities and yet the gulfs between their lives. Colman's powerful monologue here is so moving it's unreal, yes I'm in a sensitive place at the moment but I was in floods of tears. Some debut from Considine.
7.3/10 — "Pretty Good/Engaging" -(Seen on 2/25/25)
Nice story, nice performances.
Tyrannosaur is one of the best films I have ever seen. Olivia Colman gives the performance of a lifetime and should have been nominated for and won the awards for Best Actress at the BAFTAs and at the Oscars. Considine's direction is also stellar.
unrelentingly grim and visceral but theres a strange dark beauty to this film, the acting is wonderful, the story heartbreaking but the ending is very touching.
One of the most emotionally brutal films that I've ever seen- 'Tyrannosaur' flourishes thanks to a trio of great performances by Colman, Mullan, & Marsan. It's Lars Von Trier-level miserable here- completely unrelenting and deeply upsetting at times. It would be easy to resent the film for this and dismiss it but the cast give such compelling and rich performances that you allow yourself to become invested and you, basically, let the film make you feel like crap. Set in bleak suburban England, literally everything about this picture is bleak and unpleasant. Enough of this is justified, however, through the movie's focus on emotional abuse, as much as physical abuse. The film's look at masculine aggression in particular is extremely impactful and completely justifies sitting through it. It's a side point but, I must say that I really liked how the title of the film came up in the story- I was hoping that it would and it's brief mention actually resonated with me a lot so, bravo, Anyway- not for the faint hearted- 'Tyrannosaur' will leave you feeling sick but not every film is sunshine and rainbows, nor is every life, unfortunately, as is shown here.
This British film so strangely named as the terrible dinosaur, gave me a rough, hard view about loneliness, hollow relationships and another issues about human relations. Joseph's character perfectly performed by Peter Mullan