Analysis of Faster

Faster Dir. George Tillman Jr (2010)

Faster is an American Action film directed by George Tillman Junior that was made in 2010. The film had a budget of $24 million and grossed $35.6 million globally. The films production companies include Castle Rock Entertainment and State Street Pictures. 

George Tillman Junior has directed, produced and written several films that have been successful globally such as Soul Food, Men of Honour

, Barbershop and Notorious. He has also directed episodes of Marvel's Luke Cage and Power.


In Faster, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson plays the role of a convict who is released from prison and goes out into the city seeking vengeance. In the movie, we see him referred to as 'Driver'and never find out what his name is. Billy Bob Thornton plays the role of a Police Officer, who is later revealed to have a secret that he has hidden from his task force partner.

Tillman uses the lighting in the movie to help portray the characters, their backgrounds and their emotions. For example in the first scenes, we see Johnson in his prison cell pacing around,waiting for the guards to come and get him. We get an over the shoulder shot from behind him while he is looking at a photo of him and someone else on the wall then it quickly switches to a closeup of his face. In this scene, we see light split across his face, some of his face is in the light and some is in the dark, this connotes to the audience that he is a partially reformed man, but part of him is still in touch with the side that got him incarcerated in the first place. Another scene in which lighting is used to help the audience get a feel of the character is when he is sitting in the wardens office and the warden is talking to him about him time in prison and about help that available when he is out. We see Johnson's character almost completely sat in darkness in the chair, we only see a bit of light shed on to his face. The use of him sitting in almost complete darkness shows to us that in fact he might not be reformed and that he might he getting ready to become enveloped back into his old ways.

Lighting is also used to help emphasise the actions of characters in the film. For example, in the picture to the left, we see Johnson's character sitting in the drivers seat of his car sitting, thinking. The use of the conflicting light and darkness shows he is contemplating his next actions. The use of the dark lighting shows he wants to carry on down the dark road he is headed, whereas the light shows he is contemplating leading a more reformed, improved way of life.

Tillman also uses camera angles and sizes to help immerse the audience and allow them to see and feel what and how the characters are feeling. Tillman uses Close ups, over the shoulder shots and mid/long shots to help the audience get an understanding of the characters emotions and actions within the film. The use of the close up camera shots in this movie helps the audience get a feel for the reasoning behind the characters actions and enables them to feel the raw emotion of them.

This close up of Johnson, shows his sheer determination to shoot the person or object he is aiming at. Tillman uses this camera shot to emphasise to the audience how Johnson's character is feeling and helps us to imagine we are in his shoes and can imagine what he is feeling and thinking at the time.


In this picture, we see a low angle camera shot which connotes power to the audience as the camera is looking up to Johnson giving him a position of authority. The use of this shot by Tillman goes on to foreshadow the power and dominance he has throughout the film as he embarks on his personal mission.

This long shot of Johnson pulling the cover off the car shows us what he is doing and helps us to see his body language as he does it. The use of the long shot helps us to see everything involved in the shot and can also be used to help us put meanings to them. For example, the use of the car. The car used in this movie for the protagonist is a Camaro SS 1969. People usually associate this car with being a muscle car, with a lot of power and strength behind it, this could be used to describe our protagonist Dwayne Johnson. Within the first few minutes, we find put he is strong and has power through the conversation he has with the prison warden in his office.

The Bad Education Movie Analysis

Bad Education Movie (2015) Dir. Elliot Hegarty

The Bad Education Movie is an English comedy directed by Elliot Hegarty and produced by Cave Bear productions and Tiger Aspect productions. The film made over £3 million in the box office. 

Hegarty uses the lighting in the film to immerse the audience and invite them to be apart of all the antics taking place throughout. The film is almost entirely shot in daylight other than a few scenes shot at night. The scenes shot in the light are used to connote the fun being had by the schoolkids on the trip they have to Cornwall. In the opening scene of the movie, we see Alfie (the teacher) sat on a chair with students spread out behind him, while one of them draws something on his back. From this opening scene we can tell that the movie is going to be about or based around a failing or badly behaved school. The use of having a student draw something on the back of a teacher shows to the audience that the film is going to be filled with people playing pranks or doing things that they themselves wouldn't do.

The use of the bright lighting in the scenes is used to show the bright side and funny side of all the events taking place and the hope behind the teacher fully taking charge of the schoolkids like a teacher would usually do and turn them from delinquents into proper well educated schoolkids.

The use of the fairly dim lighting shows the down and dark side of having a teacher that lets you do whatever you want and not having any repercussions. For instance in the picture on the right, we can see Alfie is blindfolded and surrounded by a group of people, and is sat at a table with an old, possibly drunk man, the use of the dimly lit setting is used to foreshadow a bad event that is about to unfold, however the use of the light in the scene is also used to connote the funny side of what is about to happen. 

In this picture, we see several of the teens in the back of a truck with Alfie, the darkness behind them is also used to foreshadow them being in the dark about something that they are about to be dragged into.

The use of camera angles in the film also immerses the audience and captivates them, bringing their attention back to the movies events. The close-ups and extreme close ups in the movie are used to show us how the characters are feeling at the time. 

In the picture on the right, we can see that Alfie looks terrified of the ride he is on and about to go down. Hegarty does this to show the audience how he really feels about what is happening to him. Behind Alfie, we can see one of his students behind him with a big grin on his face. This connotes to us that he is having fun pushing Alfie and making him scared of the ride.

The picture to the left shows an almost euphoric look on Alfie's face whilst his student has a concerned and confused look on her face. Hegarty uses these shots so we can see the characters true thoughts and so we can almost empathise with them throughout what is happening in the film. 

Contraband Analysis

Contraband Dir. Baltasar Kormakur (2012)

Contraband is an American Crime/Thriller film filmed in America and Panama. The movie was made on a budget of almost $25 million and grossed nearly $96.3 million. The film is a remake of Reykjavik - Rotterdam (2008) in which the director Baltasar Kormakur, played the role of the protagonist Kristofer. The films production companies include Universal pictures, Relativity Media, StudioCanal, Closest to the hole productions and several others.

In the movie, Mark Wahlberg plays the role of Chris Faraday, the movie is set around a former smuggler having to start smuggling products in order to protect his brother-in-law from a drug lord.

The opening credits, music and scene helps set the mood and tone of the film. The music sounds ominous at the start, but then starts to get louder and as it progresses it turns from almost dark and ominous to lighter and almost hopeful.
The opening credits give us a hint as to where the film is set or one of the locations that will be used in the film. As we see the productions companies names and the director and actors names, in the background we can see an aerial shot of a shipping port, a wide shot of the port and a wide shot of a ship and several cranes behind it. This gives us hints that the port shown could be a key element of the film and where it is set. The first thing we see from the opening scene is a long shot with a large bridge with lights on, with some of the city behind it and a large ship with containers on it. The next shot is a establishing shot in which we can see the city from a high angle and then a helicopter enters the shot. Kormakur uses these shots to show the locations where the film is set and to let the audience place themselves in the city.
Kormakur shoots the opening scenes at night to provide the audience with a sense of what the tone of the movie could be like. The opening music and scenes suggests to the audience that the film could include dark themes such as murder and drugs.

Baltasar uses lighting and several different types of camera shots throughout the film to provide the audience with different views on the characters. He uses close-ups to provide the audience with an insight into the characters feelings and uses their facial expressions and nuances to help us get an idea of what sort of person they are. Baltasar shows different sides of the characters by using different camera angles, for example in the top picture on the right, we see Sebastian (the man on the left) with Chris and Kate looking like they are all close and like family almost, but then we see another scene in which Sebastian looks like he could pose a danger to Chris. Baltasar does this to show how quick things can change in the underworld that the audience is being immersed in.

Baltasar also uses the lighting to show vulnerability within the characters in the movie. We see this in the scene where Chris goes to see Briggs (the Drug Lord) at his apartment. In this picture we see Briggs placed in the middle of the doorway of his apartment, this has connotations of him being in the middle of the smuggling ring. The positioning of him shows him standing in a dark doorway and some of his face being placed within the sunlight. The light on his face shows his vulnerability as he standing in the dark showing that is his natural place almost, kind of behind the scenes of everything that is happening and the light is shown to connote his barely steps out of it as he wouldn't have as much power or control over things. We see this vulnerability when Chris beats up Briggs taking his gun and pulls out his own and put it up against Briggs' face. This scene is used to show the audience how quickly things can change in their world.

Analysis of 71

'71 Dir. Yann Demange

71 is an Action/Thriller movie based around the conflict between the Catholic and Protestant communities in Ireland and a member of the British army getting separated form his squadron amongst all the trouble.

The film was set in Ireland and was primarily filmed there other than the few scenes shot in England. Many of the actors had strong Irish accents to add to the feeling of the film being shot in Ireland. The accents made the characters feel more believable and not feel like a random actor trying to fake an Irish accent.  

The role of Gary Hook played by Jack O’Connell was relatable n some scenes as he had a strong relationship with his younger brother. The bond between them was very strong and this was made apparent when they went out for the day to spend time before he got sent over to Ireland. They went out and were playing football, messing around and didn’t get back to the place where his little brother was staying until 7 even though they are meant to be back at 5.  This made us warm up to O’Connell’s character as he was being sent into the middle of all the turmoil in Ireland to help sort everything out not knowing what he would face, but wanting to get back to his little brother after he told his little brother not to worry about him and that he would be fine and back soon. Also the events that he faces when serving out in Ireland makes us wonder about what hi relationship would be with his brother when he gets back. He see's his squadron friend get shot at point blank range, he was standing outside a pub that blew up right in front of him where there was a boy who was around the age of his little brother and who helped him find a safe haven where he was taken in with fairly open arms.  The audience would think that this would make him cherish his little brother more, or after everything he has witnessed he might return home with possible post-traumatic stress.

The tone and severity of the situation are shown by Demange in the way he shoots the scenes. Some scenes when Hook is with his brother, the camera shots are clear and are close-ups but when he is shooting the scenes in Ireland of all the fighting, the shots vary between close-ups and long shots, and turn from clear to almost dusty. This is done by Demange to help the audience get in touch with the mood of the film as it transitions from calm to hectic, with cars on fire, missiles being hurdled at the squadron and people confronting them causing trouble. This is to make the audience feel immersed in the film and feel as though they are alongside Hook in all the trouble unfolding in front of him.

The use of the close-ups in the film are used to show the feelings and facial expressions of the characters. We can see how they really feel as crowds gather in front of them and as they are assaulted with bricks, we see that really they are petrified because they didn't realise how severe the situation is. The use of the long shots in the movie help show the audience what is happening as it all unfolds. We get a full view of crowds gathering and walking towards the squadron and the aftermath of all the events that occur.

US Film Comparison

US Film Comparison: Miracle at St Anna and Inglorious Basterds

Both films, Miracle at St Anna and Inglorious Bastards is both war based stories. They have many similarities such as the themes of war, unrequited love, crime, religion, and violence. They also both share the underlining meaning of how the Nazi treated these people in war. The key theme in both films would be revenge. Miracle at St Anna was an American-Italian war film and was made in 2008 and directed by Spike Lee. Inglorious Bastards is an American-German film made in 2009 and the genre of this film is War. The film was directed and written by Quentin Tarantino.

Both films share the theme of war. This is shown in Miracle at St Anna through the performance of the soldiers, the black American soldiers fighting for their country. This is also revealed through the Italian family, making the audience aware that the war wasn’t just targeting Jews or the non-Aryan race; it was also affecting the Italians. Furthermore, this is shown through Black Americans and how racism was still existent as their leading Sergeant acted as if he was superior to them and looked down upon the black soldiers as though they were inferior.  This is also shown in Inglorious Basterds with the harsh realities of eradicating the Jews, this was highlighted in the beginning scene when the Colonel asked whether the man was hiding Jewish people, he then shoots the floorboards where they were hiding. Also, this is shown through the ‘Basterds’ themselves, creating a group to attack the Nazi soldiers, which shows their desire for their revenge. This further indicates from the Jewish perspective that they’re fighting back, wanting revenge, and fighting to preserve and enforce their rights.  Furthermore, the theme of war is presented when the French were hiding the Jews, this shows a sense of defence and how they’re protecting the Jews; indicating that there was people out there trying to save the Jewish people wanting to look out for them, including the ‘Basterds’.

Furthermore, both films share the similarity of having multi protagonist, making the audience see the film from the perspective of several characters. In Miracle at St Anna, the protagonists were the black American soldiers trying to fight for their country and protecting the Italians. Furthermore, the little boy Angelo wanted freedom, he was Jewish and his family was killed in a massacre at St Anna by Nazi troops, where he escaped and was protected by the soldiers who took him in as their own.  Additionally, the Italians were also the protagonists in the film as they also wanted freedom and supported the American soldiers by hiding them in their own home. In Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino presents his protagonists through the ‘Basterds’ as their goal is to seek revenge in defence for the Jewish people being persecuted. This shows that there were groups that sacrificed their lives to save the Jews in World War Two.  Furthermore, another protagonist would be Shosanna, who survived the attack when Colonel (the Jew hunter) visited the house hiding Shosanna and her family. Later in the film, we see that Shosanna owns her own movie theatre where the Nazi’s wanted to visit the premiere, including Hitler, and her motive was to kill the Nazis, and the Bastards. We also uncover that the antagonist in both films is Hitler as his only goal was to take over parts of Europe and eradicate as many races as he could including the black Americans, Italians and Jews to make way for his ‘perfect’ Aryan race.

UK film Case Study comparison

UK film case study comparison:

Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold), My Brother The Devil (Sally El Housaini) and The Selfish Giant (Clio Barnard)

All three directors use the living standards of families living in poverty and with crime in working class areas around the UK to show the audience what it is like to continuously live that kind of lifestyle. The directors do this in several various ways. For example, in Fish Tank and The Selfish Giant, the protagonist doesn't overcome the poverty and crime they were living with, however, in My Brother the Devil, the protagonist overcomes the life of crime and gets out of the ongoing circle of it that many others are still apart of.

In the three films, the protagonists all differ from one another. They are used to represent how people deal with poverty and crime that occurs on their doorstep everyday. Anyone can be apart of crime or poverty, no matter what race, sex or age they are. In Fish Tank, Andrea Arnold uses a female protagonist which is a common feature in her movies. She does this to show the audience the different problems that females go through when living with crime. Mia, the protagonist, has to deal with different problems than that of those in the selfish giant and my brother the devil, for example the statutory rape of Connor and the verbal disputes with her mother. Arnold wants to get the point across that women can live in poverty and with crime and can deal with it just as much as men can. The use of a female protagonist can be used to shed light on, financial struggles and gender struggles. Mia can be seen as almost breaking the stereotype of a woman. Surrounded by dancing girls trying to impress boys, and boys only looking for one thing, she is not only a symbol of escaping from the estate she lives in and the social class she is set in. Arnold gave the character of Mia, certain traits that set her apart from other girls. One clear example of this, is her violence, she hesitate to use violence.

In The Selfish Giant, the protagonist is a young boy, which is different from My Brother the Devil and Fish Tank as the protagonists are both teenagers. Clio Barnard is trying to express how living with crime and in poverty can happen at all ages. This effects the audience as they understand that poverty and crime should be dealt with by someone older such as an adult, and in the selfish giant the young boy is right in the middle of everything, which lets the audience sympathise for the young boy and it highlights the problems that he must face alone.Barnard uses a child protagonist because this makes the film a lot more emotional for the audience. This is because of how Barnard puts a young child through events similar to that of someone of an older age, but gives the young child the same strength as someone older, can really put into perspective, how poverty can control someone from an extremely young age.

In My Brother the Devil, the protagonist is of Egyptian descent. Sally El Housaini is flipping the script to show that it is possible for anyone to be apart of crime and poverty. As the familay is Egyptian, religion is a very important factor in the movie. Even though morale is low because of the situation they are in, the family look to their religion to give them hope and belief of a better life coming their way. Mo, the protagonist, is the baby brother in the family. His older brother and parents are trying to keep him away from dealing drugs and going down the path of his older brother, but this doesn’t work and he ends up dealing drugs anyway. Housaini is highlighting how hard it is to keep away from crime as it is in their lifestyle.