The Low Down [2001] | ![The Low Down [2001]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ASNHDMN1L._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Jamie Thraves
Actors: Aidan Gillen, Kate Ashfield, Dean Lennox Kelly, Tobias Menzies, Rupert Procter
Studio: Cinema Club
Category: DVD
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £2.99
You Save: £7.00 (70%)
New (5) Used (5) from £2.99
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 44678
Format: Anamorphic, Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region: 2
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 96 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5014138038786
ASIN: B00005AFM6
Theatrical Release Date: 2000
Release Date: June 12, 2002
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: We are a UK based company shipping brand new goods to UK ADDRESSES ONLY within two working days of the order being received.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
The territory explored by Jamie Thraves in his feature film debut The Low Down is hardly new: late-20-something faces crisis over settling down/growing up/moving on. But it's the laid-back, improvisational way he deals with the subject that makes it compelling. Frank (Aidan Gillen, in altogether more introspective mode than Queer as Folk) is beginning to realise he's outgrown the bohemian fantasy of his art-student days, tiring of the squalor of his surroundings, the drug dealers next door. It's only with the appearance of the more optimistic Ruby (Kate Ashfield), whom he meets when she shows him round various flats, that he actually gets the impetus to change his life. The tentativeness with which Frank and Ruby get together, hovering between insecurity and desire, is acutely observed, while his relationships with friends and fellow workers (he's a TV prop designer, which makes for some good visual gags), by turns laconic, pissed-off and hilarious, are disconcertingly true to life. Gillen and Ashfield are terrific, but so are the supporting cast--particularly Dean Lennox Kelly and Tobias Menzies as friends Mike and John. The Low Down is a thoroughly absorbing film, its emotional edginess highlighted by the hand-held camera and by the freeze-framing to distort time. The effect is quirky and inviting rather than annoyingly arty, and Thraves is clearly one to watch. On the DVD: The Low Down on disc has a featurette with just under eight minutes of excerpts. There's a commentary on the film, plus a brief sample of fly-on-the-wall footage in "On Location". Don't get overexcited about the promise of Cast and Crew Interviews, though, since they are very soundbitey and not very profound (for example, Jamie Thraves on making his first feature film: "I've felt more relaxed than I've ever done"). And of course there's the usual theatrical trailer. --Harriet Smith
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| Customer Reviews:
 a realistic and interesting slice of young life August 28, 2006
Dr. C. D. Connaughton (London, London United Kingdom)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is for me a film that is honest, genuine in that it has been created rather that just put together, and interesting in the development of the story. Frank is, for me, quite a sympathetic guy, and likeable, but he does suffer from one fatal flaw in his character, a flaw which is hinted at earlier in the film but which only shows itself fully in the final stages.
It is a poingnant film, and all the characters are likeable, which helps the film a lot. And, yes, I think it is like real life. A very good piece of work all round.
I think the Amazon review is spot on.
 Boring & Pointless!!! June 6, 2006
book worm (england)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
After having read the reviews of this, i rented it from amazon. I was looking forward to watching a good british film. Thank god i watched it on my own, as my husband would have complained about wasting one of two rental films a month. It was awful, very boring, like watching paint dry. Yes, I suppose it was honest, we all go through our various stages of life, which is what this film is about, changing from the student, care free 20 something to the independant 30 something. But there was no feeling and very little dialogue, I also found it confusing as to whether he stayed with his girlfriend or even wanted to stay with her. Perhaps it is just me, but I would give this film a very wide berth.
realistic poignant mediation on young adult life October 3, 2003
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a suprisingly affecting, and understatedly powerful portrayal of growing up. Its a about the need for answers, finding our way and some role in life, as we begin to explore ourselves making the transition from young adulthood to the next unknown. Personally, to me, its about finding our place in the world and being contented with that. The film doesn't provide any answers though, just a breathtakingly poignant, some might say pointless examination into that stage in our lives. The film is stylistically directed. Certainly there are similarities to the work of the 50-60s by the french new wave of Truffaut, Godard and co, in its simple yet effective (and seemingly) improvised use of creative camera technique i.e. freeze frame, slo mo etc. The performances (apparently improvised - well some of it) are absolutley astonishing in their realism. All the characters have an amazing rapport and chemistry with each other - you really do believe they have been friends for a lifetime. Thraves is marvellous but no more so than the other cast. So realistic are they, that no doubt you will have met similar individuals at some point in your life.A mini masterpiece of a debut from a promising director. The DVD is adequate with a few mini features and so forth.
Astonishingly truthful, beautifully observed August 24, 2001
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
OK, cards on the table time. You're either going to love this desperately, feel protective towards it, and sing its praises with evangelical zeal at every opportunity, or be profoundly unmoved. The difference, I suspect, is one of identification with the characters' semi-slacker existence and the nuances of twentysomething friendships. Aidan Gillen, best known as Stuart from Queer As Folk, stars as Frank, a props maker approaching a crossroads in his life. He has all but outgrown his student-flavoured life with its squalid accommodation, juvenile jokes, and dysfunctional mates but has yet to admit the fact to himself. Director Jamie Thraves opts for a naturalistic, new wave style, and the dialogue is largely improvised. Thanks to his universally excellent young cast, the gamble pays off handsomely. There is precious little in the way of plot but, then again, The Low Down isn't about the telling of a story - it's a wonderfully observed, achingly bittersweet requiem for young adulthood.
Must be seen May 15, 2001
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
Excellent film a must for any aidan gillen fan.
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