Belief Films are a small UK based independent production company, headed by brothers Dean and Ben Jagger and Alistair Audsley. Such is the quality of their offering, A NIGHT AT ROBERT MCALISTERS, one could be forgiven for thinking it's the latest production from a long established stable. Yet it's their debut into the film market.
A taut, gripping piece of work, it presents what appears to be a typical night in for the Paddy Lincoln Band. Playing cards, drinking beer, jamming and 'guy talk', all painting a portrait of 4 close friends enjoying each others' company and generally 'shooting the breeze'. However right from the start there is a sinister undercurrent of tension, and this gradually builds throughout the film, racking up the suspense until a highly charged climax.
The actors all do justice to an roller-coaster of a screenplay, which demonstrates the multi-skilled talents of Belief's founders. In one of his first leading roles, Dean proves a strong range of skills in the leading role of Robert McAlister, whose 'tough guy' exterior masks an emotionally conflicted and indeed vulnerable man, who is forced to question everything he believes in. There are strong performances from Joseph Di-Masso, Richard Wagner and Demetri Watkins as his band members, and Jada Ford as his girlfriend, and the story is well woven together with some excellent direction from Ben, again making his debut.
James Rayner's excellent photography perfectly captures the nuances of style and mood that MCALISTER'S sets out to achieve. The film is complimented by a soundtrack from Colin McGuinness and Paul Smith that really supports the twists and turns of the narrative, mixing between high, lively energy to sinister and tense, and the editing skills of Karl Williams neatly dovetail in and out of Robert's dark world.
This all combines to ensure A NIGHT AT ROBERT MCALISTERS is a piece of cinema that deserves repeated viewing. It has already won much critical acclaim at international film festivals, and it is easy to see why. For an first product from a new independent production company, they show that, although it is early days for them all, they have an assured handle on their craft. Belief Films is one to keep watching.
