FEAR X

FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER AT 7PM UGC SHAFTESBURY AVE SCREEN 1

Country Denmark/UK Running Time 91 mins Format 35mm Dir Nicolas Winding Refn Prod Henrik Danstrup S'play Nicolas Winding Refn, Hubert Selby Jr DoP Larry Smith Cast John Turturro, Deborah Unger, James Remar, Amanda Ooms Print Source Matrix Film Finance E rp@matrix-film-finance.co.uk

In the heart of the American Midwest, Harry Cain (Turturro) is an everyday working guy - a security guard at a sprawling suburban shopping mall. When his wife is gunned down in a botched hit attempt at the mall Harry patrols, he takes the case into his own hands. Addled with guilt, he scrutinizes the security tapes, obsessing over the logistics of the scene and tracking every fuzzy phantom on his TV screen. The trail of clues leads Harry out to desolate Montana as well as into his own tormented mind. No matter how close Harry gets to solving the mystery, the truth keeps slipping away. Becoming increasingly suspenseful and abstract, the film follows Harry as he is consumed by his zeal for the search.

Refn has surrounded himself with virtuosos every step of the filmmaking process. Hubert Selby Jr (Last Exit to Brooklyn, Requiem for a Dream), master of urban horror tales co-writes, while revolutionary musician/producer Brian Eno enchants the film with a haunting score. John Turturro offers one of his most intense performances and Kubrick collaborator Larry Smith's photography infects the film with jilting surrealism. With nods to Lynch, Polanski, Copola and Kubrick, the resulting symphony is Refn's own riveting and uncompromising take on the murder mystery. DS

Nicolas Winding Refn made his directorial debut the violent and atypical Pusher (1996) followed by equally grisly Bleeder (1999). Unorthodox and oft controversial working methods and challenging subject matter has earned Refn the respect of his audiences and peers alike.