Attack the Block

Attack the Block
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joe Cornish
Produced by	Nira Park James Wilson
Written by	Joe Cornish
Starring	Jodie Whittaker John Boyega Alex Esmail Franz Drameh Leeon Jones Simon Howard Luke Treadaway Jumayn Hunter Nick Frost
Music by	Basement Jaxx
Cinematography	Tom Townend
Editing by	Jonathan Amos
Studio	Big Talk Pictures Film4 Productions StudioCanal UK Film Council
Distributed by	Optimum Releasing (United Kingdom) Screen Gems (United States)
Release date(s)	11 May 2011 (2011-05-11)
Running time	88 minutes[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£9 million ($13 million)[2]
Box office	£3,772,127 ($5,824,175)[2]

Attack the Block is a 2011 British science fiction comedy horror film written and directed by Joe Cornish. The film stars Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, and Simon Howard. Set on a council estate in South London on Bonfire night, the film follows members of a street gang who have to defend themselves from hostile alien invaders. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2011. Attack the Block is the directorial debut of Cornish.

Plot

While returning home on Bonfire Night, nurse Sam (Jodie Whittaker) is mugged in Kennington by a gang of teenagers: Pest (Alex Esmail), Dennis (Franz Drameh), Jerome (Leeon Jones), Biggz (Simon Howard), and leader Moses (John Boyega). The attack is interrupted when an object falls from the sky into a nearby car, giving Sam the chance to escape. Moses takes advantage of the situation to search the car for valuables but is attacked by a small creature; the object which fell from the sky. Together, the gang manages to kill the creature. Hoping to gain fame and profit they take it to drug dealer Ron (Nick Frost) to gain advice.

Moses asks Ron's boss, Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter), for permission to keep the creature in their fortified "weed room" while he decides how to proceed. More objects begin to fall from the sky. Eager to fight more of the creatures, the gang arm themselves and go to the nearest crash site. They find the new aliens to be much larger, bearing huge claws and multiple rows of luminescent fangs. While running from the aliens, the gang are intercepted by the police and Moses is arrested, identified as a mugger by Sam who is accompanying the police. The aliens kill the police and attack the van, leaving Sam and Moses trapped inside. Dennis manages to reach the vehicle and drive the van away. While fleeing, Dennis crashes the van into Hi-Hatz's car. Sam runs away while the rest of Moses' gang catch up and they confront Hi-Hatz. Enraged about his car, Hi-Hatz threatens them with a gun, refusing to believe their story of aliens. However, his henchman is suddenly attacked by one, distracting Hi-Hatz and allowing the gang to escape.

The gang attempts to flee to the Block, their flat, but are attacked by the aliens, forcing Biggz to hide in a rubbish container and resulting in Pest's leg being mauled. While carrying Pest into the building they see Sam and discover she lives there. They force their way into her home and convince her to treat Pest's leg. An alien bursts into her home and Moses manages to kill it. Sam reasons it is safer to stay with the gang than on her own and joins them. The gang move to the flat of neighbourhood girls believing their security gate will keep them safe. There, the aliens instead attack from outside, smashing through the window and killing Dennis. As one alien is about to kill Moses, Sam manages to stab it through the head, saving him.

The girls note that the aliens were coming straight for Moses and kick the gang out, believing them to be the focus of the creatures. Outside the flat they are attacked by Hi-Hatz and more henchmen. The gang manages to escape while an alien pursues Hi-Hatz and his henchmen into a lift. Hi-Hatz manages to kill the alien, though his henchmen perish, and continues his search for Moses. Attempting to make their way to Ron's weed room, the gang again encounter aliens. They use fireworks as distractions to get by but Jerome becomes lost in the smoke and is killed by an alien. Entering Ron's flat they find that Hi-Hatz is already there. Hi-Hatz prepares to shoot Moses but hordes of aliens smash through the window and kill him. Moses, Pest and Sam, joined by Ron's weed customer Brewis (Luke Treadaway), retreat into the weed room while Ron hides in the flat.

Biggz, still trapped in the bin by an awaiting alien, is saved by Probs and Mayhem, two children, using a water-gun filled with petrol and a flame to torch the creature. In the weed room, Brewis notices a luminescent liquid on Moses' jacket under the ultraviolet light. Brewis theorises that the alien which Moses killed was a female, and left a pheromone on him that the aliens have been tracking. The gang form a plan for Sam, who has not been stained with the pheromone, to go to Moses' flat and turn on the gas oven. Before she leaves, Moses forces Pest to return the ring they stole from her, feeling guilty for having mugged her. Sam successfully avoids the aliens, turns on the gas and leaves the Block. Moses, with the dead female alien strapped to his back, rushes out of the weed room and into his flat. There he throws the female into the kitchen and the males follow. Using a firework, Moses ignites the gas-filled room and leaps out of the window. The explosion destroys the aliens.

Moses is shown to have survived, clinging to a Union Jack flag hanging from the side of the building. In the aftermath, Moses, Pest, Brewis and Ron are arrested, considered responsible for the deaths around the Block including the two policemen who had earlier arrested Moses; Sam, however, comes to their defense. In the back of the police van, Moses and Pest hear the residents of the Block cheering for Moses, causing Moses to smile.

Cast

Production

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The film was shot on the Heygate Estate, in Elephant and Castle, London. Big Talk Productions, known for films including Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, produced the film with Film4, The UK Film Council and StudioCanal.

Release

Theatrical

StudioCanal's British distribution company Optimum Releasing released the film in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2011. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired this film's United States distribution rights,^[3] and the group opened this film in limited theatrical release in the United States on 29 July 2011 through Screen Gems.^[4] US distributors were concerned that American audiences might not understand the strong South London accents, and may have even used subtitles if it were to be released in the United States.^[5] Cornish acknowledged this during the SXSW Q and A. When he asked the audience, "Can I ask you guys something? American distributors are nervous about language, the slang: could you understand it?" the audience "shot back a resounding yes."^[6]

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the UK on 19 September 2011,^[7] and in the US on 25 October 2011.

Play.com have an exclusive edition, with a Glow-in-the-dark sleeve, featuring one of the creatures rather than the cast.

Reception

Attack the Block has received widespread critical acclaim. It currently holds a 90% 'Certified Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has a score of 75 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating 'generally favorable reviews'.^[8][9] Scott Wampler of The Examiner rated it A+ and said it was officially the best film of the festival and likened it to other debuts such as Neil Blomkamp's District 9 and Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs.^{[citation needed]} Matt Patches writing for Cinemablend said "Attack the Block, even on its small scale, may wind up as one of the best action movies of the year".^[10] IGN gave it four stars saying "Cornish directs with the confidence of a seasoned pro" and calling the film "a blast from start-to-finish."^[11] Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy awarded the movie four stars, saying that it is "exactly the kind of distinctly homegrown product that the British film industry should be making".^[12] Mark Kermode gave a mixed review saying he did not dislike the film, but "wanted it to be funnier" and "needed it to be scarier".^[13] Upon its release in the United States, Attack the Block also received critical praise. In his positive review, Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert praised the film's use of character development and the performance given by John Boyega.^[14]

On its opening weekend in the UK, the film came 3rd in the box office garnering £1,133,859.^[15] In North American limited release, the film has grossed $1,012,223 (£659,040).^[16]

Accolades

• Audience Award for Best Film (Midnights) at SXSW 2011^[17]
• Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival^[18]
• Audience Award for Best European or American Feature at the 2011 Fantasia Festival^[19]
• Melies d'Argent for Best European Fantastic Feature Film 2011 at the Lund International Fantastic Film Festival^[20]
• Muut Award for Best Visual Concept at the 2011 Miskolc International Film Festival^[21]
• Bassan Arts and Crafts Award for Best Production Design at the Torino Film Festival 2011^[22]
• Golden Mouse Online Critics Award for Best Film at the Torino Film Festival 2011^[23]
• Best Debut Director at the 2011 New York Film Critics Online Awards ^[24]
• Best First Feature at the 2011 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards^[25]
• Best Original Soundtrack at the 2011 Sitges Film Festival^[26]
• Special Jury Award at the 2011 Sitges Film Festival^[26]
• Audience Award for Best Motion Picture at the 2011 Sitges Film Festival^[26]
• Jose Luis Guarner Critic Award at the 2011 Sitges Film Festival^[26]
• Special Mention at the 2011 Black Film Critics Circle Awards: "Attack The Block is a genre film that defies a number of conventions, not only by having a primarily black cast but portraying each character with a dignity seldom seen on screen and even more rarely in a Science-Fiction film."^[27]
• Best First Film at the 2011 Austin Film Critics Association Awards^[28]
• Best Original Score at the 2011 Austin Film Critics Association Awards^[28]
• Best Actor to John Boyega at the 2011 Black Reel Awards^[29]
• Outstanding Foreign Film at the 2011 Black Reel Awards^[30]
• Best International Film at the 2012 Saturn Awards.^[31]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for the film was an original score composed by Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton of the popular electronic dance music group Basement Jaxx, and Steven Price except for the song played during the end credits. It is 50:57 length

1. "The Block"
2. "Sam is Mugged"
3. "Round Two Bruv"
4. "It’s Raining Gollums"
5. "Tooling Up"
6. "Moses is Arrested"
7. "Tell Me I’m Dreaming"
8. "Throat Ripper"
9. "Rooftops"
10. "Moses - Ninja"
11. "Just Another Day"
12. "They Want Moses"
13. "Actions Have Consequences"
14. "Eat My Hat"
15. "They Fell Out of the Sky"
16. "I Need to Finish What I Started"
17. "Turn the Gas Up"
18. "Moses vs. The Monsters"
19. "Moses the Hero"
20. "The Ends" - Basement Jaxx

References

External links

• Official website
• Attack the Block at the Internet Movie Database
• Attack the Block at AllRovi
• Attack the Block at Box Office Mojo
• Attack the Block at Rotten Tomatoes
• Attack the Block at Metacritic