Attrition (2009)
A cocky, arrogant young soldier is threatened with execution after being partly to blame for the death of a comrade. Watching his arrogance begin to disappear his commanding officer Captain Rourke begins to show a sympathetic side towards his private as things begin taking a turn for the worse for the soldier as the pressures of war begin to hit home. Will Rourke be able to carry out his duties or will his emotions get the better of him.
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User Reviews
Cinematography was great!
I loved the cinematography in this film, which is why I gave it four stars. The acting was also very good but I think the characters lacked depth. The storyline was weak and could have been a lot better. Overall, I enjoyed this film but felt it was missing something. If not for the great cinematography, I would have given this film 2.5 stars. Kudos to the Director for picking good shots and to the Director of Photography for shooting them perfectly.
Strong Effort
Beautifully photographed, well-cast & outfitted, this project starts off strong and then somehow fails to bring everything together. Something very, very basic in this story was not adequately treated, and there is no 'pay-off' for the viewer at the end. If this is an exploratory treatment for a longer project, I would encourage the team to continue -- there is obviously a lot of talent here.
Good, but could be better.
From a storytelling standpoint, Attrition seems to be headed in a good direction, however, it fails to get there. The relationship between Rourke and the young officer hints at deeper complexities, however they are never fully conveyed in the film - I am not convinced of their emotional crisis, so Rourke eventually shooting his own officer seems a little over the top.
That being said, the film has its qualities - excellent cinematography, as well as very convincing production design.
The pacing of the film could have been a little better, however, one of the biggest flaws of the film is it's sound design. Often times it is distracting, and it could have been used a little more efficiently to create the war outside the trench. The war effects sound looped, and therefore somewhat unrealistic. It also seems like the entire film was done in ADR, which could have been integrated into the mix a little better.
Technical flaws set aside, the short does a good job of engaging the audience, and interests you enough to see it to the end, however disappointing that end might be.
Full Credits
| Writer | Stephen Neeson |
| Director | Steven Waterfall |
| Producer | Jemma Hodkinson |
| Assistant Director | Andy Mairs |
| Cinematographer | Richard Davis |
| Editor | Dom Stephenson |
| Thanks | Chris Phillips |
| Editor | Jimmy Neeson |
Cast
| Cpt. Rourke | Nigel Peever |
| Chapman | Paul Smith |
| Hamton | David Southern |
| Soldier 1 | Dayve Dean |
| Soldier 2 | Jonathan Scott |
| Soldier 3 | Gareth Shilton |
More Information
| PRE-PRODUCTION: | Unknown - Unknown |
| PRODUCTION: | Unknown - Unknown |
| POST-PRODUCTION: | Unknown - 20/03/2009 |
| RELEASED: | 20/03/2009 |
| RUNTIME: | 09:58 |
| FORMAT: | HD |
| COUNTRY: | United Kingdom |
| BUDGET: | 1,400 GBP |
| ASPECT RATIO: | 2.35:1 |
| AGE RATING: | 12 |