Following (1998)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writer:

Christopher Nolan (written by)

Release Date:

6 May 1999 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

You're Never Alone.

Plot:

A young writer who follows strangers for material meets a thief who takes him under his wing.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Burglar | Hammer | Photograph | Burglary

Awards:

4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jeremy Theobald	...	The Young Man
Alex Haw	...	Cobb
Lucy Russell	...	The Blonde
John Nolan	...	The Policeman
Dick Bradsell	...	The Bald Guy
Gillian El-Kadi	...	Home Owner
Jennifer Angel	...	Waitress
Nicolas Carlotti	...	Barman
Darren Ormandy	...	Accountant
Guy Greenway	...	Heavy #1
Tassos Stevens	...	Heavy #2
Tristan Martin	...	Man at Bar
Rebecca James	...	Woman at Bar
Paul Mason	...	Home Owner's Friend
David Bovill	...	Home Owner's Husband

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violence.

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Certification:

Netherlands:12 (re-rating) (2004) | Canada:14A (video rating) | France:U | Netherlands:16 (original rating) (video rating) | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Next Wave Films

Trivia:

One of the things Bill has stolen is the soundtrack to the movie Trainspotting (1996)

Quotes:

Cobb: You're developing a taste for it - the violating, the voyeurism... it's definitely you.

Movie Connections:

References Casablanca (1942)

Low budget masterpiece!!

Christopher Nolan's first feature film wowed critics who saw it when it first came out. Shot on a micro budget of $6,000 this is a student film with real class. The film is shot in black and white, and features people who you assume are friends of Nolan's appearing in the movie. This is not to say they are bad actors because they are quite good. You could see Jeremy Theobald and Alex Haw appearing in other projects but unfortunately they haven't since this was made 6 years ago.

Nolan's thriller, much like Memento, does not play chronologically, it shifts the scenes around much like Pulp Fiction. The writing is fantastic. It is a great twisting thriller but because the temporal order of the film is shifted around it makes it even more interesting. I thought the last ten minutes in particular when everything starts to become clear were excellent.

For a film of such a small budget and with no recognizable names at all, this is so good. It is superior to most that Hollywood studios offer and Nolan after three films (this, the superior Memento and the not quite as good but still excellent Insomnia) has cemented himself as the most exciting new talent of recent times. I can't wait for Batman.

This film is short and sweet and certainly a great watch. It is very professional and the twists are fantastic and completely surprising. I also thought that the score from David Julyan was also excellent, very atmospheric and had a chilly quality to it. He has gone on to compose Nolan's other films.

Overall I would recommend this, I intend to get all of Nolan's films. This is a low budget gem. *****