The Level (2008) Reviews

• I made this film.

  flixfan4042010-08-16

  First of all let me thank everyone who has said good things about this movie (on this site and others). My brother and I made this movie on a shoestring budget so that we could do what we wanted. We shot it on short ends and cut the negative in my bedroom with nothing but take-up reels and a frame counter. I know this film is not for everyone but we're really proud of it. The US distribution deal went into limbo and it seems most people are seeing the pirated version through bit-torrent sites. Whatever. Believe it or not, we made this film because we wanted people to watch it. It has been amazing that it has been seen by people all over the world. That's what it's all about anyway. Some of the criticism is justified. No film is perfect (especially The Level). But for those who have complained about the low-budget feel or the level of violence I would just like to say, "kiss my ass!" Low budget means someone sweated blood to make it and if you were offended by the violence, then you were not the intended audience. Again, thank you for all the support. The response we've gotten from around the world has been amazing. It's the life-blood of independent film.

• This is not below average

  bexandbarn2010-05-05

  I'm writing this because as it stands it has been given a rating of 4.9 after less than 200 votes. This is absolutely unfair, as this is definitely above average, especially as there are no big names in it and the whole film has a very low budget feel to it. Film makers who clearly have a low budget should be applauded for making films of this quality when there is so much dross around which have millions of dollars spent on it. Of course, this won't be for everybody. For a start, it is very, very, very violent. The opening five minutes packs a rather nasty punch but should be enough for the viewer to know whether this film is for them or not. If you are put off by the violence, you will hate this movie. If you say 'wow' then you will not be disappointed by the rest of this movie. The two heavies this story revolves around play their roles superbly and at times, too convincingly. The viewer never knows what actually occurred with different versions of the truth being played out. It culminates in a fairly grizzly finale, but one which is plausible and pleasing (especially for the sick among us). It's funny, but all the reviews on IMDb are positive. So who are these people downgrading it? And for the record - I'm in no way affiliated with this film, as a lot of reviewers are on IMDb. Check out my other reviews to prove it. This is a tour de force of realistic violence with a good story and excellent acting. A must for gangster film buffs who like their violence grittily displayed.

• Pretty Decent Flick

  fallguy_jack2009-07-06

  I was surprised at how enjoyable this movie was. Clearly not a big budget film, it ended up being quality entertainment. The story keeps you interested and guessing, so that in itself makes for better than a lot of movies of any budget. The acting is actually pretty good, especially considering there are no high priced actors, I think we'll be seeing more from a lot of them with this on their reels. There's definitely some brutal stuff, and some funny stuff. All in all I don't see anyone who is not expecting an Oscar worthy film being disappointed with watching this.

• Really good crime drama. Its the sort of film that is real treasure in a wasteland of low budget independent films that are all fake gems. This is the real deal

  dbborroughs2009-08-02

  The chance of finding a film like this is the reason I wade into the odd independent films that I seem to suffer through again and again. This is one of those films that makes the pain of films like Garrison and many others worth enduring. This is one of my finds of the year. Its not really the best of the year but a great surprise that really made me sit up and take notice. The film concerns Eddie. Eddie is a mid-level gangster who's tied to a chair and is being worked over by some unseen people. The people working him over want to know what the story was with the meth lab that blew up in the woods and why there is a trail of dead bodies every which way to Sunday. Eddie decides that the easiest thing to do is to "level" with his torturers and tell them exactly what happened. He begins telling it one way and then is stopped and told to tell it again from the beginning. What he tells is the bulk of the movie. Bloody, violent and wickedly funny this is one of the best independent films I've seen in a while. The characters come alive and the dialog is the right sort of smart and funny and scary. Its a small scale film that very alive and breathing. I think the film doubly works because the cast is so good. Everyone sells their part and then some. This is important because as is quickly seen no one is ever on the level and everyone is seen to be trying to twist things their own way even as things get more and more out of control. If you don't believe the characters you won't buy what they are doing and accepting what happens is what this film is all about. Paris Campbell as Eddie is amazing as a man stuck in the middle of simple job that suddenly is going horribly wrong. I honestly had no idea where this was going at times. Okay yes I kind of knew generally how things might go, but at the same time I had no idea about the details. I didn't know what was going to happen minute to minute because things changed so much. Best of all none of it feels forced. Nothing feels arty. Nothing feels unreal. I've seen this compared to Reservoir Dogs, which I'm guessing is because of how the story is told, but I don't think thats completely fair since both films work wonderfully on their own. (I could also compare this to another film, which I won't reveal because it might by implication, reveal something that need not be known until the movie reveals it. And yes even that is an unfair comparison) If you can find this film see it. This is the sort of film that I really want to talk about but I can't because I really want people to see and discover for themselves. As I said its not the best film of the year but its a real find. Its the sort of film that will fit nicely into the genre of pulp crime films. I can't recommend this film enough.

• Definitely worth a watch - may contain spoilers

  Jaarus2009-07-05

  MAY CONTAINS SPOILERS I suspect 'The Level' will get compared a lot to 'Reservoir Dogs' in reviews for three main reasons - I couldn't help making comparisons either... First reason is around the style of story telling. We join the story around three quarters of the way through and it uses character testimony to inform us, the viewer, how things got to that point. Eventually the story passes where we joined it, tying up all the loose ends as it does so. Second reason is its all about criminals not knowing who they can actually trust (they are all criminals after all) and backstabbing each other when put on the line.. no-one knows who to trust and you as the viewer aren't at all sure which story is the truth. And finally.... its violent. We aren't talking a non-stop gory bloodfest here... we are instead talking about realistic violence. Which is far more gut wrenching if you ask me (if anyone has watched a little known film called 'Savage Dad', starring Patrick Stewart...just think about the 'wrist' scene) This is definitely NOT one for the kids!! Final scene is a real 'muscles tightening as you watch it' scene. I wont go into the plot as the plot IS the film... but if you like Mob style thrillers then you will enjoy it - even if it is a bit slow at times. 7 out of 10.