Dir: Craig Viveiros, UK, 2011, 102 minutes
Stars: John Lynch, Martin Compston, Craig Parkinson
Review by Paul Murphy
If you want to know a city, an old expression goes, visit its prisons and hospitals. One could extend that to films of the same, as it can be argued that prison movies are akin to one’s opinion of prisons themselves; are they institutions of redemption or revenge? From Alan Clarke’s gritty Scum to Frank Darabont’s more rose coloured nostalgia of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, prison movies seem to situate themselves largely in an either-or camp. Is the purpose of depriving a person of their liberty that they will come out of the experience a responsible and re-integrated member of society or is it just straight eye for an eye punishment, with no regard to the consequences or effects that a life behind bars can bring?
Jack (John Lynch) is a dutiful prisoner, keeping his head down and biding his time until his eventual release. Too busy trying to solve his problems on the outside, he is a passive yet savvy witness to life on the inside. Time hasn’t been kind to Jack and, as his cellmate Ahmed (Art Malik) observes, he has the air of a man defeated. Enter Paul, (Martin Compston) a new prisoner, whose youth and naivety mark him out to Clay (Craig Parkinson), the prison’s self-appointed alpha male. Clay and his gang control the wing with fear and violence and, as Clay takes the young impressionable Paul under his wing, Jack looks on with increased suspicion and concern for the boy’s future.
When a violent incident causes Paul to stand up for himself, making an enemy of Clay, Jack senses an opportunity to do right and help, uncharacteristically putting his head above the parapet to save the lad. But in a world where every day is a struggle to survive, will this act be one which saves or damns them both?
Ghosted then is a film that sits in both camps. Our central protagonists are certainly capable of redemption, the choice is theirs to take, but they live in a world where punishment rules, a world where a wrong word or look can have dire consequences. In addressing this notion of a good man in a bad place, Ghosted is admirable and well executed, if a little conventional. Intense, tight close ups and a roving handheld camera help achieve a palpable sense of unease and claustrophobia, while the muted colours – pallid greys, blues, and greens – in the production design and costume all effectively add to the drabness and suffocating unnaturalness of being incarcerated in such a dead and lifeless place. The set pieces are well directed, relying on confident blocking and matched by strong, effective editing.
For all its technical flourishes however, it’s a pity that Ghosted doesn’t really have anything new to say or add to the prison movie genre. Prisoners trapped, as much by themselves and their pasts as by the cells they are in, is nothing we haven’t seen before. Prison as a metaphor for fear, impotence and the limitations we put on ourselves, is a tried and tested staple of the genre, and as such we aren’t offered much more here. There’s also an over reliance on generic conventions and characters; the bent prison warden, the caring yet ineffective prison officer, the wise old prisoner who’s possibly turned to God inside, the weasely drug addict – all are present and correct and unfortunately not developed enough to make them into flesh and blood characters or make us care about them.
However what saves the film from such shortcomings is the sheer strength of its principle cast. The mighty John Lynch is excellent as Jack, giving a subtle and nuanced performance as a man desperately seeking salvation, while Craig Parkinson is suitably menacing as the psychotic Clay, always looking for a way to control and expressing strength and violence in a series of looks and gestures. It is these two actors who really hold the film together; the best scenes in the film feature both, giving a satisfying interplay between their wildly differing motivations and as such they imbue their characters with life and a grounded sense of reality.
As a debut low budget feature, ‘Ghosted’ should be praised for its ambition and scope. Whilst it’s a pity that sometimes it doesn’t quite hit home, its technical prowess, impressive set pieces and strong, confident central performances make it a drama to be proud of, and mark the up and coming Viveiros as an undoubted talent to watch.
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