Heartless ***½ (2009, Jim Sturgess, Timothy Spall, Luke Treadaway, Clémence Poésy, Eddie Marsan) – Classic Movie Review 3441

Jim Sturgess impresses again as Jamie Morgan, a young misfit photographer with a heart-shaped birthmark on his face, who finds the gangs terrorising his East London neighbourhood are murderous demons.

In writer-director Philip Ridley’s first film in ages (nothing since 1995’s The Passion of Darkly Noon), Sturgess sets out for revenge when tragedy strikes but is tricked into giving up his soul by an evil spirit.

Maybe too dreamy and poetic to do the business for horror fans, this nightmarishly strange psychological chiller won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But it is imaginative, haunting and compelling – and of course beautifully crafted.

Luke Treadaway, Timothy Spall, Clémence Poésy, Joseph Mawle, Noel Clarke, Ruth Sheen and Eddie Marsan add acting class. Matt Gray’s photography and David Julyan’s music impress lots too.

It cost £5million but was little seen, apparently grossing only £1,309 in the UK cinemas on Friday 21 May 2010 and $2,033 in the US at just one screen. But it was available in the UK immediately on 25 May 2010 on DVD, Blu-ray and download. You can see it now on Amazon Video.

Ridley spent the intervening years writing plays and children’s books. It’s his first film set in his home ground of the East End of London where he still lives and works. He studied painting at St Martin’s School of Art and has exhibited in Europe. His novels include Crocodilia (1988), In The Eyes of Mr Fury (Penguin, 1989), Flamingoes in Orbit (Hamish Hamilton, 1990) and three for children.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3441

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