Tony (2009)
Directed by: Gerard Johnson
Written by: Gerard Johnson
Starring: Frank Boyce, Lorenzo Camporese, Peter Ferdinando
TONY
Oh my, a serial killer film with a difference, quite original I must say. Tony focuses totally on Tony, a British serial killer, and it’s based on a real person. When I say focuses on him entirely, I mean just that! The camera NEVER leaves him. You follow this shy, strange little man around for 1 hour and 10 minutes and to be honest, it’s fascinating!
Tony is a man stuck in his own little world. I have never seen a serial killer film that quite bangs home just how dethatched from the modern world these types of people have ended up. Tony lives in a council flat, he doesn’t have any friends or family, and he’s not got the confidence to get a job and has been on job seekers allowance for 20 years! He has no idea how to talk to people. All he has in his flat is a TV, a video player (he doesn’t understand dvd and believes “tape is never gonna stop”), a collection of 80’s action films, a bed, a pathetic kitchen and some furniture, to say this guy lives a basic life is like saying a sandwich without cheese in aint a cheese sandwich. This guy doesn’t have any of the requirements to lead a modern life, like i said, he’s stuck in his own little world and hasn’t had any around to help him catch up with how things have moved on.
He stumbles around, desperate to have a conversation with someone, however, as he hasn’t socialised in so long, he has lost the capability to speak to people and comes across, rightly so, as a freak. The sort of guy who, if you were approached by, you would either make a quick exit, report him to the police, or smack him in the face! He’s creepy, but child like creepy. In the film he gets into a number of uncomfortable situations. While in a phone box trying to book a prostitute, two smack-heads throw him out as they need to use the phone to buy drugs. Tony then pesters them to join in, and even gives them money. He goes along with them, one of the druggies being way too friendly, and the other is clearly not happy. Its a situation you just know is gonna go wrong, and when Tony invites them back to his pathetic flat, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat. It’s handled brilliantly.
The film is basically a few days in Tony’s life, full of situations he gets in by his strange attempts to create friendships. When he does kill, it’s not over the top or glamorised, it’s simple, effective and quite unsettling. The poor guy who tries to take his TV away for never having paid a licence is strangled in a horrifically realistic scene. You also sympathise with Tony, as he clearly has no idea he’s doing anything wrong, however, when a CID officer comes to his house, it’s clear he’s slightly concerned about being caught. He cuts up his bodies, wraps it in newspaper puts the pieces in blue shopping bags and dumps then in a river. But, as I said, you do sympathise with him, you almost feel sorry for him because he just simply cannot deal with modern life. He is also an easy target for bullies as he looks so strange, skinny, glasses, old fashioned moustache. In a pub, Tony can’t help but watch as a local thug argues with his wife, after being shouted at for starring, Tony cannot help but continue to stare, causing the thug to square up before the bar manager asks Tony to leave. The thug’s son goes missing later on, and Tony becomes his target again.
The film is uncomfortable, but extremely honest in its portrayal of a serial killers world. Unsettling and very uncomfortable. It’s not a violent serial killer film; however, it has its moments. This is more of a study on what makes this particular serial killer tick, where his faults are, and why he struggles so hard to be accepted. It hideously shows his desperation to find someone to talk to, and what happens when it goes wrong. It’s shot on a minor budget, so makes the whole thing very basic and more believable. It’s not the greatest serial killer film ever made, but it’s certainly one of the most inventive
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