Essex Boys

Essex boys is a British film produced in the year 2000, it's directed by Terry Winsor






Straight away upon the opening of Essex Boys, we see conventions of a Thriller with the teenage boy walking into the dark garage. This is often used in Thriller films as it plays on the audiences (and characters) fear of small spaces. There is also a risk of becoming trapped as apart from the main door, there is often no where else to escape to. Billy turns on the lights of the garage and straight away the cobwebs are highlighted as they catch the Chiruscuro lighting and instantly we are reminded of older Noir Thrillers, such as The Thrid Man. This suddenly gives a creepy feel to the cinematography. The use of the extreme darkness makes the audience feel as though there is someone hiding in the darkness and plays on their mind building fear and setting up the feel for the rest of the film.

   The first sound we here is that of Billy starting up the car with a voice over. His accent localises the Essex aspect of the film. It is non diagetic as the character is not actually speaking, so it is not within the mise-en-scene, however, the audience get the impression that this is what the character is thinking at the time, or perhaps he is looking back on himself and narrating the events in which we are about to see unfold. As he turns on the headlights, the camera cuts to Jason. He is standing in the garage door with the ambient lighting highlighting his features. This is a point of view shot as the audience are seeing it as if it were from the eyes of Billy, the fact that he is talking about Jason, emphasises this further.

   The camera then cuts to a shot where it is following the car that Jason is in. The image is bleak and almost in black and white, the audience see that Billy and Jason are about to enter a tunnel.The road is wet, an aspect often used in thriller films and it is arguably also pathetic fallacy, as you could say that the weather is reflecting the mood of the film so far.

 The camer enters the tunnel which connotates looking down the barrel of a gun, another aspect used in thrillers as it gives the tunnel a never-ending feel. A reflection of the bars of light from the top of the tunnel are reflected on the windscreen of the car and the camera cuts to an amazing shot giving the effect of prison bars over the boys face. This is called dramatic irony as we already know that, from the voice over, Jason has been in prison before, and this is suggesting that maybe Billy will be inprisioned. The camera carries on following the car as it drives out of the tunnel and drives past a sign saying 'Welcome to Essex', as if to introduce the film.

   The camera the cuts to a shot inside a van and the audience hear the voiceover once again saying 'jason says he wants to look up and old friend who he knew from before'. However, you see him leave the van with a baseball bat, suggesting he doesn't just want to 'look him up'. There is a violent fight and Jason throws acid in the man's face and drags him into the back of the van. The van drives into the Essex Marshes and the van door is opened and the man runs out, tripping over into the mud. The opening ends as we see the van driving off into the distance. Moores are often used in Thriller as a generic location because they are very isolated, it scares the audience as we know

 that there is no help for the victim. The essex moores are a cultural signifier, yet also connotation Jason's moral landscape and emotionless mind.

review: Unflinching in its dialogue and depiction, Essex Boys is a brilliantly acted portrayal of the lives of a disparate group of villains who form the underbelly of Essex society. Occasionally, this uncompromising inside look makes the hairs on the back of your neck prickle. At times, it is not an easy film to watch, and there are scenes of frighteningly realistic violence. There are moments when Sean Bean's character is relentless in his brutality, letting fly with a viciousness that is almost palpable.