I remember seeing the poster for this British film, I guessed it might be something similar to The Raid, but I read more about it, it sounded really good and I was glad when I got the opportunity to watch. Basically tower blocks were built during the Second World War, they were originally welcomed, especially for great views, making them popular living spaces, but they deteriorated, grew a bad reputation for low cost living and due to rising crime levels, increasing their unpopularity. Tower Block 31 in East London is condemned to be demolished, the only residents remaining are all left on the top floor, these are the most difficult to move out and rehouse. One night, fifteen-year-old Jimmy (Ralph Laurila) runs up and through the tower block begging for help, he is ignored, two masked men chase him, the only person who tries to help is office worker Becky (Sheridan Smith), but she ends up beaten to the ground, while Jimmy is murdered and dragged away. The next day, Detective Constable Devlin (Steven Cree) is carrying out enquiries, going from door to door on the top floor asking for information about the murder, nobody will speak to him, not even Becky who claims her injuries are from a mugging. Three months later, Becky is in her flat with her colleague Ryan (Jamie Thomas King), they are having a talk, when all the sudden Ryan is shot in the head through the window, Becky runs out, the other top floor residents find themselves targeted by the unknown sniper as well. The other Tower Block 31 residents are: young couple Amy (Loui Batley) and Jeff (Michael Legge), Carol (Julie Graham) and her teenage son Daniel (Harry McEntire), chavvy single mother Jenny (Montserrat Lombard), middle- aged former soldier Neville (Cape Wrath's Ralph Brown) and his wife Violet (Jill Baker), small-time drug dealers Gary (EastEnders' Nabil Elouahabi) and Mark (Kane Robinson), lonely alcoholic Paul (Russell Tovey), and petty criminal Kurtis (Jack O'Connell). The residents cannot go near the windows for fear of being shot and killed, they cannot go down the fire escape stairs for the same reason, there is no phone reception, the elevators have been shut down, many doors have been booby-trapped, and they find the ground floor escape door has been blocked by a skip container. Their desperation to escape or get help causes friction between the surviving residents, but Becky becomes the unintentional leader, reminding them to stick together and suggesting many of the ideas to help them get out alive. This includes going down the elevator shaft and finding a way out at the bottom, using the fire hose as a makeshift rope to climb down the side of the building to the ground, and finally the idea to start a fire so that people outside will see the smoke and send for help. After setting fire to the top floor, Becky, Kurtis and Neville climb down to the bottom to wait for the emergency services, the gunman shoots arriving property developer Kevin (Christopher Fulford) and his assistant Eddie (Tony Jayawardena) and enters the building, throwing a smoke grenade in. Becky runs out, finds a nail gun in the pickup truck and runs back in, the three survivors manage to subdue the gunman and remove his mask, only to discover it is DC Devlin, he has cracked due to lack of assistance in the murder case, after a struggle Becky finally kills him with the nail gun, the survivors walk out as sirens are heard approaching. Smith as the Sigourney Weaver-like accidental heroine is great, and there is great support from the likes of O'Connell, Brown and Tovey, it is a very simple concept, a crazed sniper who has thought of everything trapping innocent but equally guilty people in their high rise and they try whatever they can to escape, the derelict East End tower block makes for a good eerie location, and there are plenty of gory moments and well-timed shocks to keep nerves jangling, it is a a fantastically tense thriller. Very good!

This film was added to my DVD collection some time ago on the strength of actor Jack O'Connell being in it but sat there with a load of other films unwatched for some time with life getting in the way.One night when I had a load of friends over I suggested we watched it and this turned out to be a good decision. Set predominately in a Tower Block as the title suggests, a group of neighbours who wouldn't normally socialise find themselves under siege by a sniper with unnerving accuracy. It's only a question of time before they're all picked off unless they can find a way to escape.Put your realism aside for this one, as there's a few plot holes, but this is escapist drama and is clearly here to entertain and keep you on edge and this film does just that. It's well paced, with clear cut characters some who do border on the stereotype but never the less never fail to engage you. All of the actors do well here, but the stand outs are O'Connell and Sheridan Smith who slip in to their roles as the main protagonists quite comfortably. Nunn's direction is sharp and effective and keeps you entertained through out and while the ending is a little bit expected it still not the let down that others would have you believe.A well made fun film that you can watch happily with popcorn for 90 minutes, all four us liked it.

When I saw the trailer for Tower Block it looked rough and brutal. Sadly it never became brutal but still it's an excellent flick. Everyone knows those tower blocks were you never wants to resident. This is one of them. When there is screaming in the streets below you turn on your television or close your doors, got nothing to do with you. Exactly what is going on here.We see someone running from some hoodies toward Tower Block 31. After being killed no-one wants to be involved although Becky (Sheridan Smith) witnessed the beating and has been hit also by the hoodies. The police isn't wanted in such areas. Life goes on until the tower block is under the eye of a sniper and is killing everyone.It's the first attempt of UK co-directors James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson and they succeeded in their mission. Not only you wanted to know what is going on and who's the sniper it's also the acting of Sheridan and Jack O'Connell (Kurtis) that takes this flick to a higher level. It has an overall brutal look but you hear bullets fly and hit but it's almost never shown. The first hit is the goriest one and you just can't see it coming. Enjoyable flick were scum needs each other to survive and where they also become friends to survive. Gore 1,5/5 Nudity 0,5/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

OK, it wasn't great and it wasn't bad, it was what you make of it. Leave all your "buts" at the door and just accept the silliness of what's ahead. If you want a short, shoot em up, barracking for the Disadvantaged people movie, then maybe see this movie. I applauded film makers having a go, coming up with new story lines, new concepts, however we have had this concept of "escaping the unknown" plenty of times, but not so many times have we seen it in this environment, especially in U.K films.. Give it a go and like I said, leave your "buts" at the door.... because you never know what's lurking behind it..