Cherry Tree Lane

Plot synopsis:
In a house at Cherry Tree Lane, distant couple Christine (Rachael Blake) and Mike (Tom Butcher) are eating dinner while their son, Sebastian, is out at football practice. When the doorbell rings and Christine goes to answer it, the couple is attacked by Rian (Jumayn Hunter), Asad (Ashley Chin), and Teddy (Sonny Muslim), who hold them both hostage and tie them up in their front room. Knowing Sebastian will be returning at 9:00PM, the group waits for his return so that they can get revenge on him for grassing on Rian's cousin and getting him sent to prison; Teddy leaves with Mike's credit cards to find a cash machine.
Rian suddenly drags Christine into another room to presumably rape her, leaving Asad to guard a frustrated Mike. Asad allows Mike to have a drink and explains that he is not as violent as Rian, and tells Mike details about his life. Rian's school friends, Beth (Jennie Jacques) and Charman (Corinne Douglas), and Beth's younger brother Oscar, then arrive with an axe for Rian to use on Sebastian. Oscar gets sent into the kitchen, while Teddy returns with Mike's money for Rian to send to his cousin.
Sebastian returns home and is dragged upstairs to his room by the teenagers who begin to torture and beat him. Hearing his son's screams, Mike desperately struggles to free himself, and is able to knock a knife off the dinner table so that he can cut his wrists free. He goes into the next room to find a traumatised Christine tied up and naked underneath a blanket. Arming himself with a candlestick, he attempts to sneak upstairs, but his presence is alerted by Charman who was exiting the bathroom. Asad, Teddy, Charman, and Beth flee from the house, while Mike grapples with Rian, before finally beating him down with the candlestick and then his fists. Christine comes upstairs to comfort a bloodied Sebastian who slowly loses consciousness in her arms, while she hysterically screams for Mike to do something. Mike goes downstairs to call 999, then goes into the kitchen to drink from the tap, when he senses someone behind him and turns around to see Oscar standing there. The film ends with Mike, knife in hand, and Oscar both staring at each other, unsure of what to do next.

Tags: revenge, sadist

Review:
I was tricked into watching this film by a review, so I feel obligated to give my own so there will be no more casualties..!This movie can not really be called a thriller: there is no real suspense and nothing is surprising;you can tell how things will evolve from the first minute that the actual "plot" starts.I actually fast forward it many times and compelled to rerun it, only to find that nothing had happened in between.All in all, this was a wooden, disturbing presentation of a lower class youth, with a completely unsuccessful attempt to portray a dysfunctional family, lacking all definitions of any meaning of film..
Leaving the second screening the audience were shocked at how bad the film was and for the second half, people were laughing at moments of apparent tension due to the complete lack of any substance or idea.
Cherry Tree Lane is an urban thriller about a couple whose home is invaded one night by a gang of youths who wish to harm their absent son.
Like all house-invasion movies this is a very disturbing film.
Nevertheless, the introduction of these characters does allow for the set-up in the final scene in the movie, in which things are left hanging on an unanswered question that leaves the viewer wondering if the horror of the night has in fact ended at all.Overall this is not an easy film.
In fact the only redemption of this movie was the feeling that this film could be used as a perfect example of how not to do crime.The only horror in this film was the acting, script and randomly thrown in spurts of unnecessary crude violence.
Plot finds middle-class couple Christine (Blake) & Mike (Butcher) suffering the ultimate home invasion hell when one night three youths force their way into the house looking for their informant son.It's the sort of plot that could have been gleaned from The News Of The World on a Sunday morning.
Told in real time, Cherry Tree Lane's story never leaves the house, claustrophobia reins as our couple are trussed up and subjected to a terrifying ordeal.
Where Cherry Tree Lane differs from other film's of its ilk is that the violence is mostly done off camera, mercifully so during one extreme passage.
Williams also faces the problem of trying to avoid comparisons with the afore mentioned other film's, the likes of Funny Games and The Strangers.
Cherry Tree Lane is a 70 minute Funny Games/Eden lake-esque 'horror' that sees a bunch of teens terrorising a not-very-happily married couple in North London.
Overall, it's not the worst film in the world, but it's definitely not the best of it's type; Eden Lake and Funny Games are a lot better..and the teenagers seem too stupid in Cherry Tree Lane to carry out anything too horrific..
It seems that British horror fans and perhaps horror fans in general simply DON'T like realistic horror films, as this director's first feature, which was absolutely ridiculous, received a great rating, whereas this film apparently left a lot of people bored.
It's frankly understandable why, since it's basically a film for people who like real life mundanity brought to extreme and desperate situations "pain, horror, and torture mixed with mundane and lengthy dialogue.", and I suppose if you just want to see blood and gore, you don't necessarily care if it's realistic or not.
If however you like close knit tension, accept that people say more than 2 sentences in a scene to each other before leaving, and like seeing extreme situations on film, you will like this film.There is no question that it is nowhere near as ambitious as a similarly themed film such as "Sequestrados" or "Eden Lake", which have multiple locations and much more impressive camera work, but in the end, they fall short in terms of believability, because they make more mistakes, and in it's simplicity with "Cherry Tree Lane", you get a solid plot line that doesn't devolve into idiocy like a lot of horror that bothers me in trying TOO hard to be creative.
It's quite comical because I find the one aspect that so many directors have a problem with is picturing how sound travels in the CONCEPTUALIZED location, and rather think only within the bounds of their actual present shooting location.In the end, I was never bored during this film, and I was relieved that there WEREN'T tonnes of early futile escape attempts crammed in just to please all the morons out there who get bored of people talking, or simply to needlessly increase the running time.
In addition, the ending, at least to me, was completely worth it, mildly shocking, nothing over the top, but enough to really make you think about how something like this, despite all the questioning of the character's actions, really could go down this way in real life; a frightening aspect which many more ambitious films simply cannot get across because they go too far.
Was not impressed with this film , the majority of the acting was poor although Ashley Chin who plays 'Asad' in this film was very good and played a very convincing character and he should receive a great deal of credit for this film, as he was the only person in the film that didn't look like a 'first timer'.The film had a slight impact on me and has a good story line for the majority of the film which did keep me on edge and eager to find out what is next, but then ends bluntly which made me feel like I'd wasted my time watching it as there's no summary to the story line and in my opinion is a complete fail.
You know that feeling when the film suddenly stops short, you're left with no closure or satisfaction, and as the credits start to roll you begin to wonder why you watched this movie in the first place?
Out of all the horror/thriller/realistic films that I have seen I have never ever thought that there would be a movie that would bring me to skip most scenes and still know what will be happening within the film.
A middle-class couple Christine and Mike is abused by a trio of hoodies who use a supposed betrayal by their son.The father is savagely beaten and the mother is raped by knife-wielding black youth named Rian."Cherry Tree Lane" is not as intense and brutal as similarly themed "Kidnapped".I enjoyed it due to its remarkable acting and gritty social realism.The violence is mostly off-screen but the atmosphere is quite unsettling.The climax is abrupt and there are some implausible moments,but if you like terror cinema you can't go wrong with "Cherry Tree Lanes".It's a chilling little thriller in the vein of "Eden Lake" that will disturb you.Better think twice the next time you go to answer the door.8 hoodies out of 10..
A middle class couple's dinner is interrupted when three young men, looking for their son, take them hostage in their suburb home.Recently, many gritty thrillers mixing elements of horror have originated from the UK portraying the tension and clashes between the middle class and young criminals referred to as "chavs".
Eden Lake was a stellar example of this, mixing element of a youth crime thriller and survival.Cherry Tree Lane is the latest offering of this sub genre, playing on fears of these so-called "chavs", a term that spread like wildfire throughout Britain around 2005 and has been the cause of many debates since then.
The whole film takes place inside the house, most scenes involving action of some kind are implied and take place off camera and the actors were unknown to me, which suggests a relatively small budget.Cherry Tree Lane feels terribly clinical as far as the writing and direction is concerned.
Where other films exploring similar themes (Clockwork Orange, Funny Games, Eden Lake, Straw Dogs) are percussive and expansive, this one seems like a bit of a waste despite good intentions.
Like hoodie-horror Eden Lake before it, Cherry Tree Lane attempts to scare the viewer by tapping into their innate fear of the yob generation, depicting a law-abiding, middle-class, suburban couple at the mercy of a vicious gang of 'yoofs' (before the tables are eventually turned for a brief but satisfying slice of retribution).Writer/director Paul Andrew Williams handles the material confidently enough (certainly better than the dreadful black comedy of his previous film The Cottage) and commands solid performances from his cast, young and old, but while I cannot deny that the film packs a powerful emotional wallop, largely thanks to its unsettling sense of realism, I do feel that the extremely thin plot isn't quite strong enough to sustain an entire feature film.
STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Christine (Rachael Blake) and Michael (Tom Butcher) are a suburban middle class couple who are settling down to have dinner, when Rian (Jumyan Hunter) and his gang of thugs force their way into their home and hold them hostage until their son arrives home.
This is the latest addition to the 'real time' thriller genre (basically where events are playing out as they are happening), of the sort done in films like John Badham's 1995 flop Nick of Time.
It's blissfully short, though, and if you can manage it through to the end, the denouement pays off and you are left with a pretty satisfying revenge film that leaves the viewer pondering over an ethical and practical problem that makes you wonder if the judgement has been affected by the circumstances.
This is a typical home invasion type movie but the screenplay stuff was not so strong enough to hold the story.The whole story happens inside a house.
So the main revenge reference was just missing.Acting was just OK.The whole film seems like one scene just developed in a not so interesting manner.I would say last house on the left and the strangers were good compared to this.Just don't watch this with some expectations .I would give 4 on 10.
You can say what you want about Haneke's effort (I didn't really like Funny Games, but that was the point!), but it made any other movie that tried to do anything in that direction look really ridiculous.It tries really hard to do good, but if you have seen Funny Games you might feel the same way as me and think that you would have never have to watch something like that again.
The film is such a nail biter because the viewer for most of the time doesn't know what's going to happen next and when it does it's off screen, but you hear the horror and that is even more disturbing.
Everything flowed in a tense, natural, gripping matter that made the viewing experience a mostly effective one.Director and writer, Paul Andrew Williams has already established a pretty promising career so far in this genre, with films like London to Brighton, which I really want to see now, and his other works such as the pretty decent but not great The Cottage and the very solid and chilling, killer kids flick The Children, which he wrote the story for.
Overall, the film treads on a tired formula and doesn't have as much action, chaos or scares as some other more superior home invasion movies.
Cherry Tree lane tries to make a horror about strangers invading a house but this time it's more about some hoodlums who are after the son of the house who has been clicking to the police.
Just watch Inside (À l'intérieur (2007) instead if you want a gory disturbing house-invasion movie.Mixed feelings about Cherry Tree Lane and I can understand why.
CHERRY TREE LANE is a British addition to the over-crowded sub-genre of the 'home invasion' thriller.
The film itself isn't really the best 'home invasion' flick out there, but there was some suspense to be had mostly later in the movie (which truth be told is rather short)The acting was merely passable by most of all involved.
This is basically a movie about a home invasion caused by the couple's teenage son and his involvement with drug dealers.
I guess a lot of people will be disappointed by the movie expecting either a funny games rip off or a modern day torture-porn movie by the straight plot of "Cherry Tree Lane".
At first I thought the idea of introducing 2 girls and their little brother in the mid of the movie was a bit off reality but it made total sense in taking hints (like the constant tossing of things) in how they all are as ignorant towards each other as they are to the couple and the situation itself to a more direct level.Its quite a different approach for this subject and many will focus on the violence itself or complain about a lack of on screen violence.
And although I wouldn't put Funny Games and Cherry Tree Lane in one drawer this is a movie that serves many Haneke elements up until an end that does not resolve anything.
"Cherry Tree Lane" explores the horrors of a home invasion.
"Cherry Tree Lane" gives us a "glass house" view of what many people would consider one of the most frightening horrors they could experience: the home invasion.An ordinary middle-class couple named Christine (Rachel Blake) and Mike (Tom Butcher) arrive at home and settle in for an evening together.
It seems Sebastian is running with a rough crowd and turned in one of the young delinquent's brothers."Cherry Tree Lane" is a slow-burning and tense movie that does its best to explore every aspect of a home invasion.
"Cherry Tree Lane" shows audiences that it doesn't take too much time for lives to be destroyed and bad decisions to change the course of one's future forever.Williams does a great job showing how messed up these thugs are throughout the film.
It's also not something you probably want your teenager or young children watching."Cherry Tree Lane" only comes in a regular format DVD edition.
It would've been nice to see a "Making of" featurette and get a little background on the project from director / writer Paul Andrew Williams.At first, I felt "Cherry Tree Lane" was a bit slow-moving for my taste.
I found the whole thing rather revolting and it taught me nothing new, no new or original insights, no unexpected twists, no meaningful character analysis.What is more important is that many people watching this movie will feel uneasy and threatened at the thought of young criminals breaking into their homes and causing similar suffering to innocent victims.
The cast is made up of a stereotype youth gang that break in to the house and stereotype middle class couple, I would say family but you don't see the son until the very last few scenes when he has been beaten to a pulp.
Prosperous professional couple Mike and Christine are settling in for a standard evening of wine, TV and low-level marital hostility when a ring on their doorbell changes everything.Their son Sebastian is in a little trouble with some local boys, who are quite prepared to camp out and wait for him to get home.The resulting culture-clash is raw, revealing and nerve-split-tingly tense......Be warned viewers, this is a grim and depressing movie, one not to be viewed with someone you have not known long.The claustrophobic setting only mounts to the tension, and the feeling of dread right from the moment we see the boiling broccoli, stays with you right until the last reel.There are some predictable moments in the film, The two main gang members are like good cop, bad cop.
One having complex/complexion issues, the other being apologetic when the other isn't there.The acting is good, and the camera-work and set is haunting and sometimes quite visceral.There is no way out for anyone in this movie, and even the innocent are doubted in this, many will ask about the final frame 'did he have the knife/axe' or 'was he scared'.The film doesn't let up for the duration, and there were many times i had to heavy sigh, as it was very uncomfortable to watch.But coming from the director of 'from London to Brighton' and 'The cottage', I had a good idea it wasn't going to be a happy experience.Be warned though, if you do want to see this piece, it is good, but you won't feel very good after watching it..
In my opinion Cherry Lane Tree is not a movie worth watching and has been overrated.
After watching Funny Games (US Version) and reading Cherry Lane Tree plot I was willing to give it a go.
A group of youths hold a couple of parents under siege while they wait for their son to return so they can "teach him a lesson".I can see from other reviews that people found the film boring and waste of time.
British, the acting was okay by each "thug" and the parents of course.I don't know I just found it quite disturbing to be honest, first these thugs rush into the house, attack the parents looking for their son, beat the dad to a pulp, rape the mum and then have the cheek to sit there watch their TV, drink their squash and go to the cash machine to get some of their money?Like I said it was a good film, a little over the top and shocking but British movies do have that reputation.Would I recommend this film, not sure, if your into that raw British thing then yes, if not don't bother, definitely not one of the best British made films.I was also left at the end feel kind of numb and thinking what the hell just happened and what the hell is going to go on now?