Harrigan (2013)

One of the main criteria that I judge movies by is how they motivate or don't motivate me to go check out more about them and this movie definitely motivated me.I grew up through the 70's and I was surprised when the movie stated in the beginning that Britain was going through a period of strife with a 3 day work week and blackouts because they were rationing power. Now mind you, I was in High School and needless to say World News was not at the top of my list of things to keep informed about but I was shocked that I had somehow missed that bit of recent history.In any case, onto the movie. I loved the acting, the grittiness of the characters and the downright humanity of it all. I didn't feel like I was watching a movie as much as I was watching a story being told about real people and real events. Kudos to everyone who had a part in this from the best boy up to the Executive Producer.If you want to watch a good movie made on what would today be considered a shoestring budget, you need to watch "Harrigan"

The film Harrigan is set in the difficult times of the early 1970's, and in the midst of a struggling economy and the industrial decline that hit the North East with devastating effects. The dark, intense, gritty and violent scenes within the film are representative of the pressures and issues - providing a dramatic yet truthful account of criminal activity and general unrest in the region during this time.Written by an ex policeman, Harrigan addresses stories based on real crimes and real situations. The credibility of the script is further supported by the work of the actors, especially lead actor Stephen Tompkinson.The film certainly doesn't disappoint,it has a good pace, is gripping and creates fantastic characters for you to like - or loathe. The creators have done a fantastic job considering it was done on a low budget (which you would never expect). Fantastic direction, a film I would recommend and regard as a classic.

Based around Detective Sergeant Barry Harrigan and his mission for justice amongst the desperation and fear growing in a crime ridden estate in northern England. This film is grim, dark, intense, gritty and violent, set in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the 1970's. The cast deliver solid and believable performances, especially Stephen Tomkinson, Bill Fellows and Craig Conway. There is definitely a feel of suspense throughout and the film also has the right amount of relief by humour in places. Many will be leaving the cinema wondering how many of Mr McKenzie's stories within the film are true! I was one of them! Great film. Definitely worth a watch. Especially if you are from Northern England.

This film is one of the best films I have seen this year. The lead actor Stephen Tompkinson plays the role of Harrigan superbly, with some really gritty, dark scenes that convey the deprivation in the north east during the industrial decline of the early 1970's. Overall the storyline captured the withdrawal of the upper police ranks from the crime hot-spots to their comfy desk jobs leaving the old hands to sort the underworld and petty criminals out. The direction and cinema-topography portray Newcastle honestly, the production is in many ways more befitting of a Hollywood blockbuster that a low budget British independent film. The director, Vince Woods, is definitely one to watch for the future and I look forward to hopefully seeing more output from him. Congratulations should also go to the screenplay writer, who's experiences I can imagine have been drawn upon in this film.