Attack The Block Case Study

Nicole Ponsford | Thursday May 03, 2012

Synopsis and Character

Lambeth in South London, Bonfire Ni ht ! "ifth of No#ember$ Present %ay$ & youn nurse called Sam '(layed by )odie *hitta+er, is mu ed by a an of mas+ed hoodies- Moses, the .uiet but serious leader '(layed by )ohn Boye a,, Pest by name and nature'(layed by &le/ 0smail,, %ennis '(layed by "ran1 %rameh,, )erome 'Leeon )ones, and Bi 1 'Simon 2o3ard,$ 4n the middle of this, a meteorite (lummets from the s+y into a nearby car in the street as the boys steal Sam5s #aluables$ Moses, 6allo3s5 '7&llo3 4t8, Sam to esca(e, and 3hen he tries to ransac+ the car, he is attac+ed by a creature$ 9nce 3ounded, he chases the creature and +ills it, 3ith the hel( of his friends$ They realise the 3hite alien5s cor(se mi ht be 3orth somethin and o to :on 'a dru dealer, (layed by Nic+

"rost, for hel($ :on li#es at the to( of their To3er Bloc+, in 2i;2at15 flat$ :on5s boss 'the head an ster 2i;2at1, (layed by )umayn 2unter, lets them +ee( the 73eed room8, the safest and most secure (lace in the entire bloc+ of flats$ 4n return, Moses has to u( rade from sellin 3eed to cocaine$ Seein this as oin a run u( the ladder, and a3are of the financial im(lications of their find, he a rees$ 2o3e#er, this is not the end$ More meteorites ! creatures come from outer s(ace to the area$ 9n seein this, the teena ers confidently et 3ea(ons 'or 6tool u(5, to defend their 6Bloc+5$ *e are introduced to other characters 'Probs and Mayhem, 3ho are youn er boys 3ho as(ire to be (art of the an , and Bre3is '(layed by Lu+e Treada3ay, a youn 1oolo ist and mari<uana smo+er, modeled on a youn )oe =ornish,$ The ne3 aliens are a lot bi er, <et blac+ 3ith hu e cla3s and teeth 3hich shine neon;blue in the dar+$ Nothin ets in their 3ay$ Sam re(orts the mu in '3hilst 3ith a nei hbour, and oes 3ith the (olice to s(ot the teens$ She ends u( loc+ed inside the (olice #an, s3o((in (laces 3ith the arrested Moses, after the aliens attac+$ The aliens +ill the (olice and the boys dri#e off in the (olice #an ; in order to esca(e from more aliens$ They end u( dri#in strai ht into 2i;2at1, 3ho 'once he sees the aliens himself, then s(ends most of the film bein chased by the creatures, ha#in his three of his henchmen +illed, and comin after the teen an himself$ The boys are chased to the safety of the bloc+ by aliens ; a(art from Bi 1, 3ho s(ends most of the film in a rubbish bin$ Pest ets sa#a ely bitten on the le $ &t this (oint, Sam is returnin to her flat$ They see her, then force their 3ay in$

She 3ants them out, but they need her e/(erience as a nurse to hel( Pest and decide they are no3 a team ; a team a ainst the aliens, much to her des(air$

The aliens continue to chase them$ They meet some of the irls from the bloc+, and try to hide in their flat$ The irls are, at first, also s+e(tical out the aliens, but e#entually end u( +illin the creatures too '3ith a lam( and ice s+ate boot,$ Sam mana es to sa#e Moses from an attac+ too, usin a +itchen +nife$ The irls ri htly reco nise that the aliens are after the boys, +ic+ them out ; alon 3ith Sam$ The an ; no3 3ith Bre3is ; ma+e their 3ay to :on5s a(artment$ )erome is +illed, <ust before they et there$ 9nce safely inside, unfortunately 2i;2at1 is 3aitin for them$ Mean3hile the aliens are ro3in in number and climbin u( the outside of the Bloc+$ They crash throu h the 3indo3, +illin 2i;2at1$ This allo3s Moses, Sam, Pest and Bre3is time to esca(e to the 3eed room$ 4n here, Bre3is sees that the >? li ht dis(lays the alien (heromone that is on Moses5 <ac+et, and concludes that the bi er, sa#a e and blind males must be attracted to the smell$ Moses and Sam, 3ho no3 trust and res(ect one another, create a (lan and the boys return her stolen items to her$ Sam '3ith no traces on her, is then able to hel( Moses 3ith his (lan, and lea#es the to3er bloc+, after turnin on all the as in his flat$ Moses,

stra(s the dead 'female, alien to his bac+, ets the beast; li+e creatures to chase him, before thro3in the dead alien into the as filled room, 3hich he i nites and <um(s out of the 3indo3 ; bein sa#ed by a >@ fla han in from the flat abo#e$ The boys are all arrested, but Sam comes to their defense$ The final shot is of Moses, smilin , as the cro3ds shout out his name ; finally, he did the ri ht thin $ Attack The Block is a British hybrid film of science fiction, action comedy horror eneric con#entions and codes$ The ta line of Inner City vs. Outer Space refers to the urban London housin estate bein turned into a science fiction settin ; 3ith t3o sides bein created, the 6hoodies5 ' ood uys,#ersus the aliens '#illains,$ The mu ers ! an members become the action heroes of the film$ This is a film about action in terms of bein res(onsible for 3hat you do, as much as it is about the enre of the film$ 4t does ma+e interte/tual references A0s lo3 bud et, )ohn =ar(enter cult ! horror film classics li+e The Gremlins and The Thing, but also feels #ery contem(orary$ This is also #ery similar to the (ost;modern 3or+ of *ri ht, Pe and "rost$ The film 3or+s at slashin stereoty(es and .uestions the teens 'and audience, on effect and conse.uences, res(ect and morality$ 4t is ar uable that the film is not dialo ue dri#en, li+e many British films, but more about the action and fast (ace of the film$ 4t also su ests that the boys ha#e to fi ht e#ery day 'be it to be seen as ro3n u(, li+e Probs and Mayhem, or to co(e 3ith e#eryday life 3ithout su((ort, li+e Moses and his uncle, that there are scarier thin s out there 'not <ust aliens, and that dynamics bet3een (eo(le can shift .uic+ly$ This is 3hat ma+es the film feel realistic ; the characters ha#e time to de#elo(, bet3een the attac+s, and you understand ho3

much ener y they ha#e as youn (eo(le$ The film ca(tures this youthful ener y 3ith confidence$ The boys ha#e trans(ort ; they fly around the estate on mo(eds, bi+es and mini;mo(eds 'as 3ell as the stolen (olice #an,$ The boys fi ht and they use #ery cinematic 3ea(onsB these include fire3or+s, samurai s3ords, and baseball bats$ The lan ua e is fast and the decisions are made .uic+ly$ The hierarchy of the (ersonalities, themes of (ersonal res(onsibility and friendshi( are .uic+ly established, allo3in you to esca(e into the action 3ithin minutes of the film startin $

Joe Cornish: Writer and Director

Attack The Block is )oe =ornish5s directorial debut$ )oe =ornish is (robably best +no3n for bein half of the Adam and Joe comedy duo, 3ho ha#e had both T? and radio success ; Adam and Joe is currently broadcast on BBC :adio C 'and has been since 200D,$ &s a director he has made a fe3 #ideo diaries and documentaries, includin Little Britain Series , #ideo diaries for !ot "u## '"u##$all %ally 3hich 3as a behind;the;scenes loo+ at the >S Press Tour ; this included a 2A minute and a D1 minute cut, and Shaun o& the 'ead$ =ornish has contributed to the 3or+ of 0d ar *ri ht, Nic+ "rost and Simon Pe ; and is also friends 3ith them$ 0d ar *ri ht 3as an e/ecuti#e (roducer for Attack The Block and to ether they re3rote the scri(t for The Adventures o& Tintin( The Secret o& the )nicorn '3hich co;starred Simon Pe and Nic+ "rost,$ >(comin 3or+ includes films on a more international scale$ =ornish and *ri ht ha#e co;3ritten The Astonishing Ant *an for Marvel Studios and The Adventures o& Tinin( The Secret )nicorn for Dreamworks '3ith Ste#en S(ielber and Peter )ac+son,$

Production Development
The film 3as shot in London on the 2ey ate 0state in 0le(hant and =astle$ The title is homa e to Attack The Gas Station, a South @orean sci;fi film$ The idea behind the film is less e/otic$ 4n 2001 )oe =ornish 3as mu ed by a an of teena ers$ 2e recalled the force in numbers, and he a#e them e#erythin he had$ They a#e him an idea$ 2e 3as struc+ by ho3 youn they 3ere and thou ht ho3 he (robably sa3 them e#eryday in his nei hborhood$ Shortly after that, =ornish 3atched M$ Ni ht Shyamalan5s horror sci;fi, Signs, and it reminded him of a scri(t by )ohn Sayles called +ight Skies$ This became ,.T. and Gremlins ; based on the conce(t that human 3ere under sie e by aliens$ 2e then a((lied the idea of a sie e on his nei hborhood ; South London$ 2e 3ondered 3hat 3ould ha#e ha((ened if aliens had landed durin his mu in $ 4n the Attack The Block Production Notes 'see "ilmE site,, =ornish says, 7Those +ids, 3ho some (eo(le are fri htened of, 3ould suddenly become .uite im(ortant ; suddenly all their stren ths 3ould be usable for a ood reason$ 4t 3ent from there really8$ =ornish secured fundin from Film4 to 3rite the screen(lay$ Film4 de#elo(s and hel(s to finance films, for ne3 or e/(erienced 3riters ! directors$ :ecent successes include - . !ours, Slumdog *illionaire, "our Lions, +o/here Boy, The In$et/eeners *ovie and The Iron Lady$ 2e then (resented the idea '3ith others, to t3o (roducer collaborators he had +no3n for a lon time, )im

*ilson and Nira Par+ 'of (roduction com(any, Big Talk,$ Big Talk 3ere behind Shaun o& the 'ead and !ot "u##, and immediately li+ed Attack The Block$ Bi Tal+ Pictures 3ho ha#e been behind many of =hannel E5s best T? comedy, as Big Talk Productions 'for e/am(le, the recent "riday +ight 'inner,, but as Bi Tal+ Pictures their films include "rost and Pe 5s Paul and 0d ar *ri ht5s Scott 0ilgrim vs. the 1orld$ Big Talk had already a reed to 3or+ 3ith the U Film Council and Film4 to fund the de#elo(ment of some >@;based comedies$ This idea slotted into this deal ; the fact that a enre film 3as based around a London council estate an 3or+ed 3ell$ U F!"M Council 3as established in 2000$ 4t bac+ed <ust under a thousand films, features and shorts$

9ther films funded by the >@ "ilm =ouncil include The 2ing3s Speech, The Last 2ing o& Scotland, This is ,ngland 'see "ilm0du case study,, Touching the 4oid, 1uthering !eights and 1e +eed to Talk a$out 2evin$ 9n the 1st &(ril 2011, the British Film !nstitute #BF!$ become the Lottery distributor for film fundin , 3hen the DCMS '%e(artment for =ulture, Media and S(ort, a/ed the council as (art of cost cuttin dri#es$ Studio Canal and Big Talk are not conglomerates$ They only release films 3ithin a limited eo ra(hical reach, and cannot ta+e the financial losses that the bi fi#e studios can$

The lan ua e used in the film is a ma<or to(ic$ =ornish 3anted the science fiction film to be as realistic as (ossible, and hea#ily researched all the elements for his film$ This included s(eech from his nei hborhood$ "or e/am(le, 7&llo3 4t8 and 7Belie#e, Bru#8$ =ornish 3as ins(ired by the 3or+s of The Colour 0urple, Butcher Boy and A Clock/ork Orange 3here the characters ha#e their o3n lan ua e$ 2e felt that the boys also had their o3n culture and lan ua e, 3hich 3as con#entional in a science fiction film 'for e/am(le @lin on in Star Trek,$ To secure this, Lucy Pardee '&ssociate Producer, and =ornish s(ent a year #isitin London youth clubs and inter#ie3in the youn adults$ =ornish 3anted to understand the lin o and attitudes of the characters he had created, but needed the youths to ma+e it more real$ 2e as+ed the teena ers 3hat they 3ould do, and 3hat they 3ould say$ Pleasin to =ornish 3as the fact that they a reed 3ith the many of the narrati#e and scri(t details$ =ornish decided to create a le/icon of about ten 3ords$ These are re(eated in the film, so the audience could understand the conte/t and the 3ords, if they ha#e ne#er heard them before 'this became e#en more im(ortant 3ith the film5s international distribution,$

*hen it came to castin the un+no3n ensemble, =ornish and his team searched throu h the youth clubs they had #isited and local drama 3or+sho(s$ )ohn Boye a 'Moses, had been in se#eral (lays, &le/ 0smail 'Pest, had only acted in his drama class, and "ran1 %rameh '%ennis, had been in#ol#ed in a film before, =lint 0ast3ood5s !erea&ter$ =ornish 3or+ed hea#ily 3ith the ine/(erienced rou(, and allo3ed them to ha#e a say in their characters ; (articularly their costumes and body lan ua e$ The scri(t also chan edB one area 3as in terms of the relationshi( 3ith Sam$ "or e/am(le, the boys felt they 3ould ha#e been more an ry to3ards Sam ; and for lon er than the ori inal scri(t dictated ; mainly as she oes to the (olice$ The other actors 3ere chosen ')odie *hitta+er and Lu+e Treada3ay, to 3or+ 3ell besides the more ine/(erienced actors$ Nic+ "rost is not only one of =ornish5s old friends, but an e/(erienced British actor of both cult T? 'Spaced, and more recently film '!ot "u##, Shaun o& the 'ead and 0aul,$ 2e 3as able to hel( 3ith his e/(erience and his mar+etability$

Production
The (rinci(al (hoto ra(hy too+ (lace bet3een 1st March 2010 and 1Fth May 2010$ 9f the ele#en 3ee+s, si/ 3ere on location ; at ni ht$

The location in the film 3as the fictional *yndham 2ouse in South London, but in reality it 3as a mi/ture of the 2ey ate 0state in 0le(hant and =astle, and 4slin ton$ 2ey ate 0state is a deserted estate, and had been used for other films, !arry Bro/n and !erea&ter$ =ornish com(ared this to the D0s science fiction locations for A Clock/ork Orange and Logan3s %un, 3here the architecture is futuristic rather than stereoty(ically de(ressin $ The London housin estates, 3hen they 3ere first built, 3ere seen as futuristicB =ornish sa3 the estate as bein the (erfect location for his modern, sci;fi tale$ To em(hasis this, the bloc+ 3as made to loo+ li+e a s(aceshi( in its o3n ri ht, as (art of the (roduction desi nB tube li htin , dar+ corridors and stair3ells, as 3ell as distorted sounds, all add to the effect$ 9ther lo3 bud et ! hi h #isual effects included (resentin a ma( of the bloc+, so the audience could understand and

connect 3ith the narrati#e 'li+e readin Lord o& the %ings, and the bud et did 3ithout an e/(ensi#e aerial shot, as 3ell as 3ettin o3n the streets to em(hasise the li htin $ The %irector of Photo ra(hy, Tom To3nend, 3as selected by =ornish after he sa3 a %irgin Mo&ile ad#ert by him$ To3nend had also 3or+ed on The )nloved, !arry Bro/n, %atcatcher and 5 'ays Later$ 2e also as+ed Ste#e Price of Basement )a//, another ne3comer to film, to com(ose the score$ The result is a minimalist electronic based soundtrac+, althou h there are (ercussion and orchestral elements$ The decision 3as made for no source music so the action edit led the music, not the other 3ay around$ The creatures 3ere not =G4, as =ornish 3anted somethin that you could really 6see5 in front of the camera$ The aliens 3ere therefore (erformed by .uadru(eds$ The mo#ement coach 3as Terry Notary, famous 3ithin the industry 'Tim Burton5s 0lanet o& the Apes, Tintin and Avatar,$ =ornish 3as +een to ta+e the animalistic ima ery stereoty(ically used in the British (ress for teena ers and (ersonify it 3ith these sa#a es beasts$ 2e 3anted the humanity of the youths to shine a ainst the 6aliens5 3ho 3ere interested in attac+in all in their (ath to et 3hat they 3anted$

Distribution
Target Media ran the media cam(ai n$ 4ts 'rimar( audience is aimed at the teen ! youth mar+et and secondary tar et mar+et are those 3ith cultural ca(ital ; fans of Nic+ "rost, S(aced, the 3or+ of *ri ht ! Pe and Adam and Joe$ &ll mar+etin tried to direct the audience to the social net3or+ sites and there 3as a lar e T? and (rint cam(ai n$ Standout media included an 0E (romotion for the youn audience, the social media 'T3itter and "aceboo+, and a national C (a e outdoor cam(ai n$ The estimated bud et costs is HI million 'J13 million,$ The film 3as distributed by )'timum *eleasing for the >@$ 9(timum ha#e released films includin Tyrannosaur, Brighton %ock, Su$marine and BB= film, The A/akening$ 4t 3as released on the 13th May 2011$ There 3ere no initial (lans for >S distribution$ 9ne of the reasons for this 3as the use of London accents and the slan used by the teens$ There 3as e#en tal+ of subtitles bein needed$ 2o3e#er due to the (ress and audience reaction '=ornish as+ed the audience if they had understood the accents and they said yesK, at South &( Southwest Film Con+erence and Festival, Screen ,ems 'o3ned by Sony Pictures, (urchased the >S ri hts$

E hibition

The release date 3as 13th May 2011 in the >@$ The o(enin 3ee+end fi ures are H1,133,AFI for the >@$ This 3as on 3F2 screens and it 3as third in the bo/ office results$ This amount of screens 3ould constitute as a wide release$ This is .uite unusual for a British film 3ithout a ma<or studio distributor, but is common for 0uro(ean co; (roduction$ The >@ %?% and Blu;ray %isc release 3as on the 1Ith Se(tember 2011$ 9n (lay$com a limited edition lo3;in;the; dar+ bo/ set is on offer$ Lou can see that a creature is on the slee#e, instead of the case$ 4n the >S&, it had a limited release to A screens and too+ J13D,FA0$ 4t 3as e#entually released to CC screen across the >S&$ The >S theatrical release 3as on )uly 2Ith 2011$

The >S& %?% ! Blue;ray %isc 3as released on 2Fth 9ctober 2011$ The >S& release of the %?% and Blu;ray %isc actually traded on the accents as a sellin (ointIts an alien invasion, bruv - believe it and its coming to you from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Trust, fam The Blu;ray and %?% bonus material included fi#e featurettes and three filmma+er M cast commentaries$ 4t ained critical acclaim 3ith DF!100 on Metacritic and I0N ratin on :otten Tomatoes$ 4t 3as >@ film critic Mar+ @ermode 3ho a#e it a mi/ed re#ie3, 3antin it to be scarier and funnier$ Attack The Block both 3on, and 3as nominated for, many a3ards$ 4ncluded in this

2011 Nominated for 1riters3 Guild o& Great Britain, Best "ilm Screen(lay 2011 *on Toronto "ilm Critics Association A/ards, Best "irst "eature

2011 *on Los Angeles "ilm "estival, &udience &3ard for Best Narrati#e "eature 2011 Nominated for British Independent "ilm A/ards, Most Promisin Ne3comer ')ohn Boye a, and Best %ebut %irector 2012 Nominated Black %eel A/ards for Best &ctor and Best Brea+throu h Performance')ohn Boye a,, Best 0nsemble, Best "ilm, Best 9ri inal Score and 9utstandin "orei n "ilm

&s the film has had a return of JF,A2E,1DF 'H3,A03,IE3,, the film is not seen as a commercial success$ 4t does ho3e#er loo+ li+e ancillar( markets 'not theatrical, 3ill raise this return considerably o#er time$ This is seen as the %?% 6dri(5 #enue that many British films rely on (ost;cinema release$

Attack the Block and !ace

The ethnicity of the ensemble cast and the re(resentation of blac+ youths is a (oint of note$ There is the ar ument that the race of 'most of, the cast i#e it an air of realism and there is cultural stereoty(in for the (ur(ose of entertainment 'for e/am(le, use of slan , reference to the 6blac+5 6monsters5 O see belo3,$ 9n the (ositi#e side, )ohn Boye a 'Moses, 3as nominated as Outstanding Actor and Outstanding Breakthrough Actor for the Black *eel Awards$ These com(rise of F0P #oters 'based in *ashin ton %=, >S&, 3ho select (erformances featurin &frican;&merican as 3ell as (eo(le 6of colour throu hout the &frican %ias(ora5$ Attack The Block 3as also i#en a s(ecial mention at the -.// Black Film Critics Awards as it had a (rimarily blac+ cast 7(ortrayin each character each character 3ith a di nity seldom seen on screen and e#en more rarely in a science fiction film8$

)u/ta(osed to this, there ha#e been ne ati#e comments about (otential racism in the film$ Sam5s nei hbour calls them 7monsters8 ; the boys not the aliens$ The aliens themsel#es are 7blac+er than blac+8$ The blac+ youn men are (ortrayed as mu ers, dru dealers, seemin ly to be able to et their hands on dan erous 3ea(ons .uic+ly, as 3ell as an in u( on a sin le 3hite female$ '4t is 3orth statin that there is a 3hite boy 3ho also does these thin s, and se#eral of the criminal adults are 3hite too$, Some critics felt that usin blac+ teena ers on a housin estate added to the re(resentation of crime and fear bein used in the >@ (ress, (articularly after the Summer 2011 riots in London$ 9thers felt that the fact that )oe =ornish 3as 3hite allo3ed him to et fundin for this film in the first (lace$

Attack the Block as a "i#h Concept$ Post%&odern &ovie

&nother interestin fact is that althou h )oe =ornish had ne#er directed a film before, he had a hu e amount of film +no3led e and 3as #ery film literate O cultural ca(ital$ Adam and Joe are +no3n for their film (arodies, mainly 3ith a collection of teddy bears$ :ather li+e their friends, Simon Pe and 0d ar *ri ht, )oe =ornish is #ery cine; literate$ 4nfluences for the film include 'iva 'mo(ed chase, and Su$/ay 'foot chases,$ The film 'li+e Avatar, can be seen as a 0igh Conce't mo#ie$ This is 3hen the narrati#e ets a((eal from the main conce(t$ The idea is the sellin (oint '!"at if aliens attac#ed a council estate in Sout" $ondon%,, 3hich can be (itched to a (roducer in about a do1en 3ords or the title says it all 'Co/$oys and Aliens, Snakes on a 0lane, Scott 0ilgrim versus The 1orld,$ The hi h conce(t mo#ie5s a((eal is easy to define and see ; the main (remise is clear for the audience so ratification is easy$ This became (o(ular in the late 1ID0s and more so in the 1IA0s 'An American 1ere/ol& in London and !"at if an alien befriended a boy & !"at if a s"ar# started to attac# 'eo'le% ,.T. and Ja/s,$ "ilms 3ere no3 a((ealin to teena ers li+e ne#er before, and fantastical story;lines could actually be hu e financial success stories ; a ain a ne3 idea$

0igh Conce't films tend to be action, horror and science fiction '3hat ifQ films, and althou h 3e are no3 used to summer bloc+busters, Attack The Block has sho3n that a summer film can be lo3 bud et instead of flashy, ha#e substance rather than a (oor ! 3ea+ scri(t and a director can be an auteur brin in in a fan base$ 4n terms of British film, Attack The Block and this ne3 3a#e of films by *ri ht ! Pe ! "rost ! =ornish illustrate a fe3 thin s about British cinema and its audience today$ These directors deli ht in referrin not to hea#y 3ei ht classic films '3hich film students may be tau ht about at >ni#ersity le#el,, but more (ost;modern, (o(corn fa#ourites li+e the films of Ste#en S(ielber and )ohn =ar(enter$ These youn directors 'in their thirties, are ins(ired by the films of the 1IA0s ; the films they 3atched 3hen they 3ere youn $ Attack The Block 3as released a ainst the com(uter enerated S"R hea#y, 2olly3ood Bloc+buster Co/$oys and Aliens starrin 2arrison "ord '>S& &;list star, 4ndiana )ones, and %aniel =rai 'from the )ames Bond franchise,$ 4n a time 3here actors and films are commandin hu e amounts of money 'Co/$oys and Aliens had a re(orted bud et of J1C3 million and ained JIE million,, there is also a demand for more lo3 bud et 'loo+in , comic boo+ style films ; *ri ht and Pe 5s films illustrate this 3ith Scott 0ilgrim vs. The 1orld and Shaun o& the 'ead$ Their films also embrace interte1tualit( 3ith (o(;culture references and film (arodies scattered across the narrati#es$ The film is AA minutes lon , 3hich ma+es it com(arati#ely short a ainst many cinema films of the moment$ This hel(s to em(hasise and maintain the fast (ace of the film, that starts 3ith a mu in and athers s(eed throu hout$ The

lac+ of dialo ue adds to this, as the an chases and esca(es its attac+ers$ There is also a real sense of the un+no3n ; you do not +no3 3hat is oin to ha((en ne/t$ 4t is refreshin to see no romance, althou h 3e ha#e a youn male and female as the (rota onists, and 3e are unsure 3ho 3ill be +illed ne/t$ The audience is not allo3ed to rela/, as somethin could be lur+in around the ne/t corner$ British enre cinema has been associated 3ith herita e drama and ritty social realism$ 9ne reason for this is due to the mar inalism of >@ films, on an international le#el for the more commercial &merican hits and the increased demand for e/(ensi#e "R films$ &nother matter is that the archety(al &merican action film ; the *estern ; does not really sit 3ell on a British sta e$ Attack The Block does challen e this ; it is a story of a an under sie e '*estern,, it had S"R 'effecti#e, but not e/(ensi#e,, and it is a definite British film 'location and le/icon,, 3ithout bein de(ressin nor in (eriod dress$ &t a time 3here franchise films are e#ery3here, British films are hittin bac+B %uncan )ones5 Source Code and *oon, and Gareth 0d3ards5 *onsters are all e/am(les of 6cle#er5 films 3hich are not 6ty(ical5 of the British enre, they are all science fiction films$ Attack The Block not only illustrates that British films are 6attac+in 5 the stereoty(ical summer films, but the notion of films today need hi h;(rofile actors, e/(erienced directors and hu e bud ets behind them to achie#e cult status$