Dirty Weekend (1993 film)
Dirty Weekend | |
---|---|
Universal Studios | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | £517,750 (UK)[1] |
Dirty Weekend is a British film directed by Michael Winner, based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Helen Zahavi. It was banned from video release for two years by the BBFC for its violent and sexual content.
Dirty Weekend is a film set in Brighton, England, where Bella, a secretary, becomes a victim of Tim, a voyeur who harasses her. After the police provide no assistance, Bella consults an Iranian clairvoyant, Nimrod, who encourages her to take matters into her own hands. She kills Tim and goes on a murder spree, ultimately evading capture. Filming took place in London and Brighton, facing some equipment theft during production. Critical reception was largely negative, with reviewers criticizing the acting, direction, and screenplay, and comparing it unfavorably to other female revenge films. The cast includes Lia Williams as Bella, Rufus Sewell as Tim, and Ian Richardson as Nimrod.
Synopsis
Set in the coastal town of
That night, Bella breaks into Tim's flat while he is sleeping and batters him to death with a claw hammer. Empowered, Bella embarks on a spree in which she slaughters six more men by a variety of methods. Ultimately, she evades capture by the authorities and prepares to carry on her murderous rampage in the large, faceless city of London.
Production
Filming took place in the
Theft of equipment was a problem during filming.[2] While filming in Brighton, all the catering equipment was stolen and in Notting Hill Gate, a mobile kitchen with generator was stolen.
Critical reception
Halliwell's Film Guide described Dirty Weekend as "a sleazy little tale of a female vigilante, directed and acted in a perfunctory, over-emphatic manner".
Cast
- Lia Williams: Bella
- Rufus Sewell: Tim
- Michael Cule: Norman
- David McCallum: Reggie
- Christopher Ryan: Small One
- Sean Pertwee: The Quiet One
- Nicholas Hewetson: Bitter One
- Christopher Adamson: Serial Killer
- Jack Galloway: David
- Matthew Marsh: Bascombe
- Ian Richardson: Nimrod
- Shaughan Seymour: Charles
- Mark Burns: Mr Brown
- David Schaal: Stan
- Matthew Long: Gun Shop Assistant
- Norman Mitchell: Repair Man
- R.J. Bell: Man on Train
- Andrew Neil: Newsreader
- Neil Norman: Party Man
- Miriam Kelly: Marion
- Sylvia Syms: Mrs Crosby
- Lorraine Doyle: Secretary
- Simone Hyams: Party Girl
- Ruby Milton: Mary
References
- ^ "UK films and co-productions". Screen International. 14 January 1994. p. 50.
- ^ Winner Takes All: A Life of Sorts by Michael Winner, p.269.
- ^ Leslie Halliwell and John Walker Halliwell's Film Guide. HarperPerennial, 1996 (p.316).
- ^ a b c Johnston, Sheila (29 October 1993). "It was a Dirty Job". The Independent. p. 26.
- ^ "Dirty Weekend". The Observer. 31 October 1993. p. 4.
- ISBN 1846702089(p. 274).