Dead Bolt Dead
Synopsis
A dark, character-driven thriller with a sense of humour, Dead Bolt Dead is set in the sharp-suited, brutal world of London's organised crime. The story, which takes place over the course of one night, charts what happens after one gang tries to take out its rivals - and fails.
The result is two separate hostage situations, which become increasingly claustrophobic and desperate as the night wears on. The tension is leavened with dark humour and a splash of country and western music.
The film is the debut feature from a precocious duo: 19-year-old producer Paul de Villiers, who also wrote the screenplay, and director James Rogan, who is just 18. "I think I'm the youngest film director in the country," says Rogan, who learned his craft through the Children's Film Unit, working on four features for television over four years.
Despite their youth, the pair managed to get French distributor Filmsdistribution on board to handle international sales when they took to film to Cannes in May. The cast includes British television regulars James Laurenson and Neil Stuke, who can also be seen in Rob Walker's Circus. Rogan and de Villiers also managed to persuade Neneh Cherry and GUM to contribute two original songs to Edmund Butt's moody soundtrack.
Rogan and de Villiers are not hanging around to see how their first theatrical feature goes down. They already have their next two films in pre-production, Presence Of Mind for Mosca Film and Club 18-30 for Turnwheel Films. The movies are scheduled to shoot back to back starting in October.
Details
- Year
- 2000
- Type of film
- Features
- Director
- James Rogan
- Music
- Edmund Butt.
- Dir
- James Rogan.
- Prod
- Paul de Villiers.
- Co-prod
- Staffan Tollgard.
- Scr
- de Villiers.
- DoP
- Tom Wright.
- Prod des
- Francesco Sonnati.
- Ed
- Colette Hodges.
- Main cast
- Ariyon Bakare, Monique de Villiers, James Laurenson, Ronnie McCann, Neil Stuke.
- Funding
- Private sources.
Genre
Production status
Complete
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Last updated 24th June 2005