SummaryJoseph is an unemployed widower with a drinking problem, a man crippled by his own volatile temperament and furious anger. Hannah is a Christian worker at a charity shop, a respectable woman who seems wholesome and happy. When circumstance brings the pair together, Hannah appears as Joseph’s guardian angel, tempering his fury and offering him war... Read More
Directed By:Paddy Considine
Written By:Paddy Considine
Tyrannosaur
Metascore
Generally Favorable
65
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
65
61% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
33% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Nov 16, 2011
91
Considine directs with the confidence of a veteran, giving his actors room to work while letting an ominous, overcast mood hang over almost every scene.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
84% Positive
46 Ratings
46 Ratings
13% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
4% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Feb 17, 2013
10
I first have to say that the performances are all quite stunning; particularly Olivia Colman. She takes a very measured approach to the role and it comes off perfectly. Peter Mullan was also excellent as Joseph; a great piece of casting as I felt he was ideal for the role. Eddie Marsan plays the abusive and somewhat creepy husband just right and I have to also give a mention to the young actor Samuel Bottomley, who plays a local boy who Joseph looks out for. I’m sure this young man will have a great future. This is a film that is all about the performances; there are no special effects or fancy camera trickery; it lives or dies on the performances and I have to say (for me at least) it worked to a tee! One of the criteria I use when deciding whether I like a film or not, is the emotional response it generates. And I can honestly say with this one it was all positive. Don’t get me wrong, you are taken all around the houses on the way there, but to end it they way they did I though was just perfect! SteelMonster’s verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED My score: 9.6/10
Jul 1, 2012
10
Not a light, happy film to say the least, but one of only a few I've watched recently which has stayed with me for more than a couple of minutes after the credits. The acting was superb, well worth a watch!
Mar 1, 2012
75
The movie is cruelly frank about the ways damage cascades down to the powerless, but while it's not for the fainthearted (or for animal lovers), rewards are there.
Nov 14, 2011
75
No walk in the park, Tyrannosaur is a character study steeped in the British (and Irish) tradition of social realism, and the experience of watching this skillfully made film is, well, exhausting.
Nov 17, 2011
60
Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman give such hard-as-nails, lived-in performances in this stark drama directed by Irish actor Paddy Considine ("In America," "Cinderella Man") that it's impossible not to be pulled in.
Dec 1, 2011
50
The leads are the whole show, and the understated visuals give them room to make the material their own. But none of the other characters is all that fleshed out (Eddie Marsan, as the woman's cruel husband, hasn't got much to do), and despite having shot the entire film on location, Considine never establishes much sense of place.
Apr 7, 2012
9
Emotional parabolic arcs from start to finish. Genuinely brimming with sadness, fear and pity while being subtly underlined all along with a sense of impending redemption. Characters whom you can easily identify with and even if you they are not to your liking you will find much of yourself in them. As a directorial dÃbut it is exceptional in the conveyance of stark reality combined with the constant buzz of anticipation. If you like human tragedy in a slow motion train-wreck then you will most likely love Tyrannosaurus, I did.
Dec 7, 2012
6
A good film, slow, dark, and depressing, but well-done. Not much happens in this film, but it features two great performances from Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman.
Apr 10, 2026
5
Tyrannosaur explores emotional dysregulation and the resulting violence, including gender-based abuse, occasionally **** in a cloying sense of religiosity. While it has its moments of lyrical intensity, that’s essentially where it ends for me. I definitely picked up on the British atmosphere and Olivia Colman’s performance was standout. Peter Mullan was solid enough, but his character isn’t one that will stay with me.
Jun 10, 2012
0
No dinosaurs. I hadn't seen any previews and I thought a movie named Tyrannosaur would be awesome, this is some crappy chick flick. THERE IS NO TYRANNOSAUR IN THE FILM.
Production Company:
- Warp X
- Inflammable Films
- Film4
- UK Film Council
- Screen Yorkshire
- EM Media
- Optimum Releasing
Release Date:Nov 18, 2011
Duration:1 h 31 m
Awards
British Independent Film Awards
• 3 Wins & 7 Nominations
Evening Standard British Film Awards
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
Festival 2 Valenciennes
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
