Featured Audience Ratings

• Universal D

  
  A tight knit English family moves from London to the isolated Devon countryside where the formative young son accidentally discovers that Dad is seriously violating Sis ... about the hardest look at the inner workings of dysfunctional family politics as I've ever seen. Not for… More
  A tight knit English family moves from London to the isolated Devon countryside where the formative young son accidentally discovers that Dad is seriously violating Sis ... about the hardest look at the inner workings of dysfunctional family politics as I've ever seen. Not for everyone by any stretch. Roth's directorial premiere is eyeball scorching, gut churning stuff.

• Aditya G

  
  Prima facie, "The War Zone" comes across as a misnomer for this brutally disturbing drama directed by Tim Roth. This reviewer thought it is set against the backdrop of a war, but when the film unfolded, the underlying meaning of the title became clearer; the only war this… More
  Prima facie, "The War Zone" comes across as a misnomer for this brutally disturbing drama directed by Tim Roth. This reviewer thought it is set against the backdrop of a war, but when the film unfolded, the underlying meaning of the title became clearer; the only war this film deals with is a personal war; a war within! [img]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-YDjGqiWudKQ/T9DayNgt3hI/AAAAAAAACsM/9fNmAN4Uy4U/s489/vlcsnap-2012-06-07-22h01m16s53.jpg[/img] 15-year old Tom (Freddie Cunliffe) is the hero of this sad story. His family, consisting of 18 year old sister Jessie (Lara Belmont), Dad (Ray Winstone), and Mum (A bloated Tilda Swinton) have moved to the Devonshire countryside to live on an isolated property, leaving their London city life behind. Tom is bored and feels lonely, clearly misses London. There hardly are neighbours; the area is mostly desolate. Pregnant mum just delivers a baby amidst difficult circumstances (a car accident!) and yet the baby is born healthy. Everyone is slightly injured, but in the end it's all hunky dory and life goes on. The isolation and modest living conditions have also made these people used to casual nudity around the house. Tom is a curious teen, and he seems to have taken fancy to a neighbouring girl, Lucy (Kate Ashfeld). The seemingly peaceful environment in the family is disrupted one day when Tom comes face to face with a shattering truth about an incestuous relationship between his Dad and sister... [img]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Sf_qYgaqY_Y/T9Damyc2mFI/AAAAAAAACrs/z2Nijejm0IA/s429/vlcsnap-2012-06-07-22h05m57s49.jpg[/img] But haven't we seen so many other films that deal with incest? Maybe so, but what makes "The War Zone" distinct, is in its non-adherence to rendering simplistic treatment to its characters. These characters are complex, they aren't necessarily pigeon-holed to predictable traits. So then, when we witness the dynamics of these characters we are forced to ask ourselves several questions. The dad seems to be a really nice and loving father. Why then, does he develop the sick desire to sexually abuse his own daughter? Is he even aware of what he is doing? Is he aware of the gravity of his heinous act? Or is it rather casual to him; ....perhaps he himself has a history of abuse dating back to his childhood? And then there's Jessie; she is well aware of the implications of the deeds she is involving herself in. Or is she? Maybe she is going along with it, maybe she is enjoying it. Or perhaps suffering (?) silently, because she is too afraid to bring it out in the open; maybe just too ashamed. And the mother is blissfully unaware of what is happening....will she be able to take it once she realizes? [img]https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-E0ldEPbK1IM/T9Damkr7C3I/AAAAAAAACro/VHTXBez6MMU/s526/vlcsnap-2012-06-07-22h04m23s132.jpg[/img] Which brings us to Tom, who is at the epicenter of this explosive situation. It is actually through his eyes that we see the film. You can't help but yield to a hint somewhere in the middle of the film that there's a curious voyeur inside him who wants to videotape the action. And you wish deep within that it is only to expose the sick act. But it can't be ignored that Tom is a 15 year old teen struggling with his own transition into adulthood. And call it a case of bad timing; fate is playing a cruel joke on the boy by invoking the adult inside this vulnerable teen by bringing him face to face with the most aberrant of sexual acts inside his own home! At a point of time the sister almost hits the nail on the head after a confrontation, "This isn't just about me and dad is it?" further insinuating that actually Tom wants to know about sex and himself wants to experience it! Tom is thus, a soul torn apart. Maybe he knows the difference between right and wrong but is finding himself succumbing to a perverse temptation, given his unstable transition phase! Jessie tries to put her assumption about Tom to the test in a bizarre episode at her friend Carol's place in London; then again, perhaps her intentions are different altogether! Her eventual action further clouds any hopes the viewer may have about gaining an insight on Jessie's thought process. It is in this unpredictability of the characters that most of the success of this excellent handling of a fine screenplay by Alexander Stuart lies. Tim Roth, a fine actor of our time, proves that he can handle the director's job with an equal finesse. He clearly understands his characters' complexities and his vision of the characters' personae enables him to deliver their perfect transition to the motion picture. [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-obGxwYs1I0Y/T9DanRQynSI/AAAAAAAACr0/SeoLEUJF2Qc/s473/vlcsnap-2012-06-07-22h10m14s58.jpg[/img] The soul is all there, but what about the body? No complaints there either; Roth captures some of the finest images of the isolated, rain-soaked country side and the rocky seashore. The feeling of desolation is further enhanced by the achingly beautiful score by Simon Boswell. The choice of actors is spot on. Winstone and Swinton are simply great in their respective roles. But special mention must be made of the actors who play the siblings, Lara Belmont and Freddie Cunliffe who had no prior acting experience but emerge winners with their effortless performances. Do not miss Tim Roth's "The War Zone". It is a disturbing look at something as warped as incest but a patient and an open-minded viewing would ensure that instead of turning your head away in shame, you'll end up thanking yourself for subjecting yourself to this mind-numbing yet rewarding film experience. Score: 9/10 [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MTZK9J53Bxc/T9DayjAhH1I/AAAAAAAACsQ/MFJNvRYUVF0/s640/vlcsnap-2012-06-07-21h59m58s252.jpg[/img]

• Jim H

  
  Accusations of incest surface in an isolated family. This is a remarkably dark drama. The pace is slow and the mood is always heavy. While I understand that the story and subject matter fit the dreary atmosphere, I couldn't help but think that I'd rather slit my wrists… More
  Accusations of incest surface in an isolated family. This is a remarkably dark drama. The pace is slow and the mood is always heavy. While I understand that the story and subject matter fit the dreary atmosphere, I couldn't help but think that I'd rather slit my wrists than continue watching. There is little energy behind most of the performances, which often amount to pensive, angry looks in steady shots. This is true save Ray Winstone, whose character has life and a humanity despite his depravity. The one compelling moment is in the third act when Tom finally confronts his father with his suspicions. Winstone gets to show off his talent, but the rest of the cast is left in the miasma of the film's heavy climate.

• Dan S

  
  A grim, searing depiction of incest and an overall unforgettable film which details a loving family of five and how three of them (all except the newborn baby and mother) quietly battle a troubling secret that threatens to rip them asunder. This film is paced to perfection, expertly… More
  A grim, searing depiction of incest and an overall unforgettable film which details a loving family of five and how three of them (all except the newborn baby and mother) quietly battle a troubling secret that threatens to rip them asunder. This film is paced to perfection, expertly acted, and masterfully concluded by director Tim Roth (a fantastic actor in his own right as well), and leaves absolutely nothing out. The atmosphere is appropriately dark, complementing the gray and rainy setting of the story. It does fall under "not a film for everyone" territory, it's definitely an emotionally draining experience that covers an issue only lightly touched on in cinema before. Kudos to Roth for bringing an uncompromisingly brutal and bleak story like this to the screen - it's the stroke of a genius film-maker.

• Luke B

  
  The themes and the film itself can be summed up by one early scene. As a mother is giving birth in a car, it suddenly crashes. This perfectly represents the destruction of something beautiful. Like the love of a father for her daughter being very corrupt and unsettling. Roth shows… More
  The themes and the film itself can be summed up by one early scene. As a mother is giving birth in a car, it suddenly crashes. This perfectly represents the destruction of something beautiful. Like the love of a father for her daughter being very corrupt and unsettling. Roth shows excellent talent as a director. He handles a cruel and disturbing subject with great sensitivity. The film is never too explicit, and leaves many things up to the viewers interpretation. It's all too real, and all too bleak. Winstone gives a fantastic performance, being shown as a decent man and a good father. As the film unravels he shows the sickening glimpses of his uncontrollable lust. He doesn't play the role as a "bad guy" which is paramount in it's success. This is obviously a man in denial and suffering from dissociative disorder. It also shows the impact, psychologically, on the entire family. The son, whom is the closest character we have to a hero, certainly has problems, and the daughter has moments of predatory nature. Are these wounds inflicted by the father or inherent in their own make-up? A great thought provoking film, but never an easy watch.

• _kelly .

  
  Review addendum March 6, 2009: I realized just now what would/could have made this film perfect: more scenes with dialogue between the brother and sister. Just more verbal communication between those two would have altogether changed the dynamic of the film from nihilistic and bleh to… More
  Review addendum March 6, 2009: I realized just now what would/could have made this film perfect: more scenes with dialogue between the brother and sister. Just more verbal communication between those two would have altogether changed the dynamic of the film from nihilistic and bleh to ambiguous and arresting. -- For the most part, I will just bitch because I'd get quickly tired of making a list of all the things that this film does well. I will say the setting is my favorite component. This is quite emotionally loaded for being so slow, uneventful, and unevenly paced; that's because when something does happen, it is gigantically dramatic like (SPOLIERS) a graphic car wreck with the entire family racing an in-labor Mum to the hospital or Dad anally raping Jess while Tom watches . A family has moved from London to a remote seaside area where they are isolated with their immediate familial problems: Mum has just had a baby, Tom is coming of age sexually, and Dad is fucking Tom's older sister who is close in age to Tom. The story is meant by cinematic suggestion to be told from Tom's point of view, but that is a major deficit as I feel his character is so underdeveloped to the extent that he has no uniqueness besides his detached demeanor. Everyone besides the actor for Tom delivers intriguing and multi-layered performances or real people. Perhaps Tom is meant to be stilted and removed, like the camera that simply records. It would mean that we have to do a lot of filling in the blanks for Tom's internal monologue, so in a way, our thoughts could become projected as Tom's. So whether or not the director intended this, it works. There are some detrimental sound mix issues, as some of the dialogue is inaudible even at quiet moments, and then the ocean roars or engine drones over the already near-muted speaking. This is a very bleak film, both in color tones and story theme. I doubt there is much of a traditional market for a work this serious about itself, but those who do see it certainly will not feel any closure about this film. Ultimate in conveying the ambiguity of reality to a point that you will be left in an ambiguity haze after seeing this film. That's what makes this so good and ALMOST earned it an extra half star; it is an art house melodrama that does what it's meant to. Watch to find out.

• Arash X

  
  Bleak & Harrowing, Tim Roth's directorial debut

• Stefanie C

  
  disturbing material

• Stephen E

  
  Tim Roth's debut "The War Zone" is one of the more depressing movie-watching experiences I've had. It offers us a harsh and unflinchingly brutal look at incestual relations between a father and daughter and the effects it has on the son, who witnesses all of it in… More
  Tim Roth's debut "The War Zone" is one of the more depressing movie-watching experiences I've had. It offers us a harsh and unflinchingly brutal look at incestual relations between a father and daughter and the effects it has on the son, who witnesses all of it in action. Never is any of what you see easy to stomach, yet you will find yourself oddly attracted to the screen. This is largely due to the powerhouse performances (especially from Ray Winstone in a gruesome and profane tyrade) and the bold direction from Tim Roth, who shows us what he wants us to see, never holding back and never lacking audacity. "The War Zone" may sag in a few spots, but for the most part, this is a tense and enticing watch.

• Daisy M

  
  <a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i32.tinypic.com/27yrew0.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>for nudity, sexual content, molestation, language and violence. The… More
  <a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i32.tinypic.com/27yrew0.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>for nudity, sexual content, molestation, language and violence. The war zone is quite a powerful movie, dealing with incest. It was a realistic movie and the director did not hide anything of showing a father immorality towards his family.It was a hard to watch movie cause it showed incest ,which is a very disgusting event that happen everywhere in every country.I felt very disgusted by the movie scenes, but glad on the other hand, because they can show these kind of things openly to the viewer, so people can be more aware that these things happen also. The War Zone is a brilliant movie directed by Tim Roth.

• Lauren D

  
  Not much to say about. It was really slow, but it wasn't too bad. I put it off for ages coz I hate Colin Farrell and try to avoid anything he's in (which is everything), but he was only in it for a second, yay. Anyway, it seemed kind of pointless, as dramas usually are.… More
  Not much to say about. It was really slow, but it wasn't too bad. I put it off for ages coz I hate Colin Farrell and try to avoid anything he's in (which is everything), but he was only in it for a second, yay. Anyway, it seemed kind of pointless, as dramas usually are. The rape scene was kind of cool, but then, I like rape scenes (which is why I found the movie in the first place, I have strange interests). Um.. yeah and the brother was really creepy which didn't help the 'believability'. The dad was really good though.

• Wu C

  
  A little unsettling at times because of the material, but it's a good directional debut from Tim Roth.

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