Cert 15
119 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, sex, very strong language
"I'm giving that nought out of ten", said one of the quartet of middle-aged women as they departed Derby Quad's box screen.
I knew what they meant but I also understood why the boundary-pushing Ben Wheatley's High Rise had been critically acclaimed.
This is a film for movie intelligentsia - those who bathe in the art of cinema and don't worry about whether it appeals to the wider public.
Its imagery is so dazzling that I could imagine it playing in the Tate. However, I am a common fella and I have to confess it lulled me to nod off a couple of times.
High Rise is an adaptation of J.G. Ballard's 1975 novel in which tribal warfare breaks out in a block of flats.
It is an allegory of the battle between the classes who live on different levels of the building, depending on their social status and chucked in are plenty of eye-catching 1970s references, a dollop of free love and some extreme violence.
Oh, and some quality acting.
Tom Hiddleston plays Robert Laing who has newly moved into the block designed by a renown architect (Jeremy Irons) who is among those who live at the top of the building.
Irons becomes a central character because the initial friction among the residents surrounds the technical faults which begin to emerge in the block.
And Laing's relationship with him becomes complex because he beds his flirtatious aide (Sienna Miller).
This description makes High Rise seem very straightforward. It isn't. It is what most people would consider to be weird.
And for that reason I struggled with it despite recognising why it would have its fans.
Reasons to watch: very attractive on the eye and superbly acted
Reasons to avoid: so off-the-wall it sent me to sleep
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 4/10
Star tweet
Tom Hiddleston .@_fearistheenemy @HighRise_movie #AskTom Human nature is too diverse and chaotic to be contained and controlled from above.
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