Down Terrace

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Down Terrace

R

Released Oct 15, 2010

1h 33m

Crime

Drama

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

62%

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1,000+ Ratings

Bill (Robert Hill) and his son, Karl (Robin Hill), work together in the oldest of family businesses -- organized crime. After spending a few days in jail, they return home and realize they may have a rat in their midst. As they try to pick out the informant from a group that includes a corrupt politician (Mark Kempner) and an unpredictable hit man (Michael Smiley), Karl learns his girlfriend (Kerry Peacock) is pregnant and deals with his wife's anger, as well as his parents' disapproval.

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Chris Chang

Film Comment Magazine

[Julia Deakin's] Ma Barker role (and performance) is essential to the film's grotesque yet enthralling familial fatalism.

Jun 17, 2013

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Kate Taylor

Globe and Mail

The British do kitchen-sink realism extremely well; they also have a nice way with black comedy. It's rare, however, to see the two as wickedly combined as they are in Down Terrace.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 12, 2010

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Jason Anderson

Toronto Star

A low-budget effort by British director Ben Wheatley, Down Terrace is an enjoyably nasty piece of business about a down-market sort of underworld clan.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 11, 2010

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Michael Leader

Den of Geek

That Down Terrace has such a simple, effective framework, with age-old thematics and a killer set-up, is its immediate charm, but it is also executed supremely well.

Rated: 4/5

May 7, 2024

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Tim Stevens

The Spool

Even if you don’t share the writers’ sense of humor, it is easy to sense they’re laughing wildly at each act of bloodshed.

Aug 2, 2023

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

A film that is compelling in its own right, while also functioning meta-referentially - as a commentary on the gangster and kitchen sink genres it so mercilessly distorts.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 8, 2018

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Stephen D

A successful low-budget British film with no pretensions. You need to commit to the first 45 mins before the drama/dark humour takes off. Think suburban homicidal Brighton crime family echoing 'The Godfather' but with more wit. Excellent use of folk music interludes increases the sense of strangeness with the characters.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/05/25

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James H

Wow- just wow. This no-budget gangster movie is insane and insanely funny - in an odd way.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/25/24

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Ravenswood R

This is like watching one episode in the middle of a possibly good TV series, without seeing any of the other episodes. It is shot with very little creativity or any attempt at artful photography or scene set-ups Photographically, there is only ever one level of lighting used (room filling, cool, and bright), and shaky cameras moving from person to person - like a TV show. So, as cinema art, this is low on the spectrum. There are characters here, but far too many, and not enough time to develop any of them. I couldn't follow the story, mostly trying to keep all the people straight and who they all were and what they all might be doing, or for what reason. Violent at times, in a supposedly humorous way, but that does not work. Given a chance to figure it all out in a 10-12 hour series rather than in a 90 minute slice might have worked, but maybe not, because this is also quite boring.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/10/23

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Audience Member

Very much Ben Wheatley. Ordinary reactions to extraordinary circumstances. A good story, kitchen sink in full view, but I didn't see enough of the dark humour that was suggested in the reviews. Loved whatserface from Spaced playing the mum...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

Definitely more low end gangster, it's very watchable in a slightly comedic way with an impending sense of dread and doom present throughout.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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Audience Member

Brilliant, sick, funny, claustrophobic first feature by Ben Wheatley about a crime family searching for a police informer in their midst. More Royale Family than The Godfather.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Ben Wheatley

Director

Robert Hill

Bill

Robin Hill

Karl

Julia Deakin

Maggie

David Schaal

Uncle Eric

Tony Way

Garvey

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Synopsis

Bill (Robert Hill) and his son, Karl (Robin Hill), work together in the oldest of family businesses -- organized crime. After spending a few days in jail, they return home and realize they may have a rat in their midst. As they try to pick out the informant from a group that includes a corrupt politician (Mark Kempner) and an unpredictable hit man (Michael Smiley), Karl learns his girlfriend (Kerry Peacock) is pregnant and deals with his wife's anger, as well as his parents' disapproval.

Director: Ben Wheatley
Producer: Andrew Starke
Screenwriter: Robin Hill, Ben Wheatley
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Baby Cow Productions
Rating: R (Violence|Some Drug Use|Pervasive Language)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Comedy
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 15, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 19, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.6K
Runtime: 1h 33m

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