Review: Dropkick

9th May 2017

Set in Cold War America, after a retaliatory action, President Keates and the First Lady are secured deep below ground. Truths will be revealed, but whose truths are they?

Set within a single room, Dropkick’s entire runtime is focussed on a President’s explanation of his actions to the First Lady. While at times a little stilted, the dialogue between the three players ever-so-slightly shifts, turning a dreadful scenario into a more horrific one as the confession unfolds.

The performances of Nigel Barber, Pippa Winslow and Max Cavenham are mostly understated and absorbing, with an intensity which brews in the execution of their dialogue. Tonally, the grey-walled setting of the Presidential bunker makes for a claustrophobic and imposing environment which is made even more-so by the way each shot is framed.

As a ten-minute tale, Dropkick revels in its bleak, Cold War intensity. There is an air of political intrigue that permeates the moral core of the narrative, which left me ponderous and wanting more. Feeling more like a scene within a larger construct, writer/director *Luke Shelley has fashioned an engrossing short film that is worth your time and attention.

*Luke Shelley is a London based Director and Writer, known for work on a variety of films and projects. Luke has recently graduated with a degree in Digital Film Production from Ravensbourne University. In 2015, Luke directed ‘Storey’ starring Nigel Barber & Michael Kennedy, which he co-wrote and ‘Inquest of Desire’, a film noir, which he co-wrote and co-directed. Luke has directed, 2016, a short Cold War drama called ‘Dropkick’ starring Nigel Barber and Pippa Winslow and also finished work on a western short ‘Fear The Unknown Men’. Luke has also begun development on a music based drama feature ‘Moroni: A Life in Full Swing’, which is set to direct.

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