Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Tom Meeton, Katherine Parkinson, Kris Marshall, Kevin Bishop, Johnny Vegas, Mandeep Dhillon, Craig Parkinson, Pippa Heywood, Alice Lowe, June Watson, Steve Oram, Jarred Christmas, Lloyd Griffith, Steve Brody, Norma Cohen, Tina Gray, Chris Willoughby.
The character of the British psyche is such that one of the often-repeated observations of them is that they suffer under the almost back-breaking and chronic apprehension, that they are, until overwhelmingly pushed, passive, practising the art of not wanting to cause a scene, almost aloof, arrogant in their perpetual standoffishness, and generally, cripplingly reserved.
When it is finally breached, when the dam breaks and the rusty wire snaps, then the British start to show the absurdity of their situation, an almost apologetic scream in the light of day which takes almost everyone by surprise; much like the quiet child in the corner of the classroom who after years of torment finally stands up to the bully and gently decapitates their victim whilst playing a gentle game of croquet.
Directed by Nick Gillespie, and written by Matthew White, Brook Driver, and Nick Gillespie, sees Paul Dood lose more than just his inner peace and security during a moment of angry release where his natural calm is taken for granted and the payback of those who have slighted him is assured.
All Paul wants to do is make his Mum proud of him and appear on a talent show which, if he wins, would allow him the funds to give his mother the comfort in her old age that she deserves, but a series of unprovoked occurrences, driven by the officious, the selfish, and the arrogantly swaggering egos of others mean that he is finally served notice that he is going to go berserk, in a very British way.
Not so much Michael Douglas in the classic film Falling Down, but perhaps more suitable to the way that the British lose their minds, Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break is a very British comedy drama about a very British peculiarity.
As with the majority of British cinema, the film’s elegance is hidden by its apparent simplicity, and it is to the character and personal observations that make it a surprise joy. In a film that understands the typical value of stereotypes, it does well to steer past the sense of dread that may be associated with them, and indeed acts accordingly to downplay even the most accentuated of labels.
Even with the film being centred on Tom Meeton’s Paul Dood, the subtle eccentricity is rife, and with glorious performances from Katherine Parkinson, Kris Marshall, Pippa Heywood, and Steve Oram, with great camera effects that are a huge nod to the timeless A Fish Called Wanda, Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break sits comfortably in the pantheon of home-made cinema.
Enjoyable, fascinating to observe, offering a slice of British madness to the fore, this is what happens when you push the British too far, they snap in a most extraordinary way.
Ian D. Hall