Boiling Point (2021) — Read Along
Incredible one-shot panic attack
Originally penned and published on 26th March 2023, this is a favourite spoiler free review of mine from recent times, a brief and succinct ramble around a film I can’t possibly recommend highly enough to you, and nor can the strange man who appears in the Youtube (or Rumble) channel recordings linked immediately below this introductory paragraph. You can read along with him if you desire, this strange man sitting cross-legged like some kind of twisted Matrix Buddha and all while he sits beneath the “Metamorphosis of Narcissus”, a framed Salvador Dali print that has kept him company for over three decades now in this surreal game we call life.
Peace.
"Boiling Point" (2021) - Youtube
"Boiling Point" (2021) - Rumble
"The Essential Film Reviews Collection Vol.1" - available via Amazon
As is so often the case, I watched this film without any prior knowledge, trailers, reviews, preconceived ideas as to what the film may be about and centrally on the basis of the marquee headliner. At the time of release two years ago, this was the 42nd feature length acting credit for Liverpool born Stephen Graham and a continuation of a career that has seen the incredibly talented Liverpudlian become a called upon stalwart for Martin Scorsese as well as working with the calibre of directors such as Guy Ritchie (Snatch), Shane Meadows (This is England), Tom Hooper (The Damned United), Michael Mann (Public Enemies), Tomas Alfredson (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and all whilst becoming arguably even more famous and recognisable on the smaller screen in the fantastic television series Taboo as well as portraying Al Capone in the phenomenon that was Boardwalk Empire.
In short, I’m a big fan.
After watching Boiling Point, my admiration has grown immeasurably.
“Andy Jones” (Stephen Graham) Head chef at an upmarket London restaurant that carries his family name, Andy Jones arrives for a busy pre Christmas night of fine dining at the end of his tether and at the end of two months that has seemingly seen his world turned upside down and constantly “living out of a suitcase”. Chaos abounds within the small team of youthful cooks, service waiters and waitresses, as well as an under pressure restaurant manager as this is both a pre festive period in their well regarded if declining restaurant and the end of a working week for an array of obnoxious customers, lively fun loving parties, a restaurant critic, “bullshit influencers” and Andy’s worst nightmare, an ex partner who seemingly wants everything from him, and someone who believes he’s “needed to push him to greatness”. Never stopping to catch his breath, Andy turns in an instant from barking orders to continually saying “sorry”, over and over again to everyone, as he requests every member in the team around him to “give me a minute” or “I’ll call you back” to a telephone that refuses to stop ringing as everyone, be it his team or the customers, busily talk and shout over each other at a million miles an hour as he’s caught in the middle of a maddening maelstrom, and a life spinning desperately out of control.
Directed by Philip Barantini and based upon his own short film of the same name from 2019 and starring Stephen Graham, Boiling Point has a real documentary feel to it and a borderline masterpiece that appears to be shot in one continuous take ala 2014’s incredible Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Like Birdman, the film never, ever relents and constantly follows either Graham or the rest of his under pressure team everywhere and the tension building anxiety drips from every frame. Far from a one-man show, incredible kudos should be lavished upon Vinette Robinson, Alice Feetham, Ray Panthaki, Hannah Walters, Lourdes Faberes and the entire cast and crew all the way through to Jason Flemyng who yet again provides a star turn in yet another unlikeable and despicably duplicitous, underhanded role.
Nominated for four BAFTA’s in 2022 with numerous nominations and wins all throughout the independent film industry in the same year, there is currently a spin-off television series for the BBC in the offing at the time of writing for a film I cannot recommend highly enough.
Boiling Point is an anxiety filled one-shot panic attack.
Thanks for reading. I hope this message in a bottle in The Matrix finds you well, prospering, and the right way up in an upside down world.