Midlands Review of Martyr
midlandsmovies • July 28, 2020
Martyr
Directed by A R Ugas
2020
“You do get to choose how people remember you”.
Whether that is in a good or a bad way is the subject explored in A R Ugas’s new film Martyr which looks at the background of terrorist extremism in the UK.
We open with a man in a park (Tevz Anderson) who is on his phone arranging a deal to supply an illegal firearm, whilst our protagonist (Dominic Thompson) is on a nearby bench is engrossed in footage from the Middle East of terror group ISIS.
After a quick exchange, our lead appears distant and walks away before arriving at a cemetery but is upset before he can lay his flowers and heads off to sell his weapons on the street.
But his curiosity in terrorist news footage sparks a thought that his most recent sale to “Ahmed” could perhaps lead to more sinister and dangerous intentions.
Director Ugas uses Birmingham city to great effect in this film. Hopping between locations we get open parks, rough streets and ominous archways, which reflect how these criminal characters can go about their business unnoticed.
But the morals are not clear cut as the gun dealers’ consciences are awoken by their speculation and they begin an attempt to get the weapon back. Our “hero” tracks down Ahmed to the busy Birmingham Train Station and the film tests the audience’s nerves with an edge-of-you-seat sequence which could play out one way or another.
The acting is across-the-board excellent throughout. Thompson throws himself into the lead role of a man under pressure, displaying a full range of unhinged emotions at times as he walks a line of paranoia and self-assurance.
Anderson delivers a superb turn as the criminal who is more blasé about his friend’s concerns and Jay Sandhar emotes a lot with just a few exceptional looks in a role with minimal dialogue until the end.
The excellent sound mix by Shaiek Ahmed Rana raises the tension when needed and the varied locations keep the film visually arresting. It has hints of the best espionage thrillers like the Bourne series played out with tremendous technical skill by Ugas and his crew.
A final tense standoff leads to some strained revelations which signify the implications between saving lives and facilitating death and so the film isn’t shy in tackling big issues.
Playing on radicalisation, gun crime, community mistrust and angry passions, Martyr throws a lot of multifaceted themes into its 18-minutes, yet rather than confusion they all are worked skilfully into the story.
A local short about global issues, Martyr ends as a really impressive work – assured, exciting, well-acted and proficiently constructed – it’s a film as good as anyone in the region is producing right now and a high point in Ugas’ career.
Michael Sales
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