Very clever film with good twists keeps you guessing right to the end of the movie and afterwards.Good english film!!!Worth watching!!!

I can't believe it- a low budget Brit thriller made with tax breaks and it's actually good!, 9 December 2007


I saw this director's first film (The Late Twentieth) in a cinema in London about four years ago. I wasn't very impressed, though I did ... (read more) I can't believe it- a low budget Brit thriller made with tax breaks and it's actually good!, 9 December 2007


I saw this director's first film (The Late Twentieth) in a cinema in London about four years ago. I wasn't very impressed, though I did think the film had something about it. I have been checking back every now and then on IMDb regarding him since, and finally got around to seeing Puritan yesterday (stumbled across it in Blockbusters in Stepney, where the film is set....) Puritan has hallmarks of film noir. Most obviously, this is in its dark lighting, probably intended to cover up the low production values, which was one of the main reasons film noir was invented back in the 1930's in the first place. But Puritan synthesises film noir with supernatural horror, making it seem a little like a Cronenberg film, and referencing East London's spectral history, such as Hawskmoor, a nod to the great Alan Moore. It is about a washed up writer on the paranormal, Simon Puritan, whose life fell apart after his wife died, hitting the bottle big time, and now survives by being a medium giving spiritual readings.

But one day a mysterious, bandaged man in a hat turns up and pushes Puritan off in a radical new direction, involving a beautiful woman, and her rich, shady husband. If this sounds conventional thriller territory, then it is, but Puritan is genuinely involving and unexpectedly twisty in novel ways. More importantly, the film, unlike so many other modern, low budget films, both horror and film noir, has a real, tender heart in its love story, which drives the film. This is aided by an unexpectedly good performance by Nick Moran, who displays a vulnerability and neediness that is at times crushing. He is helped by excellent, unnerving performances from David Soul, Georgina Rylance and Ralph Brown. Perhaps best of all was the assured direction and editing, which give a real professional feeling to the film, making it punch far above its weight. The script integrates film noir and horror surprisingly well.

An interesting homage to Film Noir with a supernatural vibe that adds a breathe of fresh air to the proceedings, though the narrative itself is still pure noirish pulp. Despite an obvious low budget, the director has a strong visual sense that adds a... (read more) An interesting homage to Film Noir with a supernatural vibe that adds a breathe of fresh air to the proceedings, though the narrative itself is still pure noirish pulp. Despite an obvious low budget, the director has a strong visual sense that adds a stylish flair, with the music enhancing the atmosphere and performances drawing you in. Oh, and the end twist is a doozey! Not a modern classic by any means, but it is certainly a solid entry within the Noir canon.

I want to say I liked this film, but to do that I'd have to have understood what the Hell was going on half the time! I figured out who the mystery man was quite early on, but why he was warning about the woman I don't understand.

A quite good Noir'ish mystique film, not to hard to figure out thou for a clever fella like myself. Worth watching.

Never thought I'd enjoy a movie that has 'starring Nick Moran' on the poster. But this was not too shabby. The plot gets a little messy but there's something quite good and old fashioned about the film.

I really enjoyed Puritan. Understated and menacing, with an authentic Victorian gothic feel to it... it involves Alesteir Crowley too. Worth a watch.

I kept watching... hoping that it would pick up speed... even the ending didn't build any steam... not worth a watch!

"Victorian inspired modern day supernatural film noir, set against the backdrop of Whitechapel, mediums and the work of supposed pagan architect Nicholas Hawksmoore."

This is an average movie, although it did keep me interested from start to finish.... (read more) "Victorian inspired modern day supernatural film noir, set against the backdrop of Whitechapel, mediums and the work of supposed pagan architect Nicholas Hawksmoore."

This is an average movie, although it did keep me interested from start to finish. The plot is original to some extent and it's not entirely predictable like so many productions these days. Also, the movie is somewhat "artsy" with the color usage, lighting and so forth.

The parts before and after the explosion seemed to have nothing to do with each other. The whole movie didn't make a terrible lot of sense.