-Written by Kyle Bain.
When full-time caregiver Sadie Baxter (Shian Denovan) decides to break into the House of Parliament and steal a little book full of blackmail on the most powerful people in the land, she gathers trustworthy confidants in order to pull off the most risky move of her life. The Whip follows Sadie and her new team as they look to bring down one of the most powerful governments in the world.
In the same vein as National Treasure, The Whip looks to appeal to a new group of viewers, traveling to a different part of the world and analyzing a government that differs significantly from the one depicted in that aforementioned hit film. The Whip analyzes government like many films that have come before it, and I think the way in which it approaches this analysis is quite interesting.
The Whip is, in a lot of ways, a satire of government–but it’s also interestingly earnest in its description of the state of politics as well. The film constantly expresses a need for change, hoping it allows viewers to see that the state of government is not at its best. The film’s purpose is just, and it’s warranted in a lot of ways. It says and does the things that so many people around the world want to–and in some ways that makes it accessible to many.
While that is all fine and good, The Whip ultimately lacks gusto, unable to ever really get off the ground. It’s slow to develop, with pieces of a larger puzzle playing a role in the film, but feel completely unnecessary. Additionally, the film wants to incorporate humor into it, but the humor just doesn’t work, and constantly falls flat. I attribute this, in part, to the fact that The Whip uses comedy specific to the English people, specifically to their form of government. While their way of life isn’t wildly different from ours, the fact of the matter is that it’s different enough to warrant some confusion on my part and cause me to struggle to appreciate the attempted comedy throughout. I can’t necessarily blame Director Christopher Presswell for this, but he has to understand that many of his jokes, many of the references made in The Whip, will ultimately fall flat as a result of what I’ve just expressed.
Furthermore, what creates something of a separation between viewers and the film is the use of color and the filming style of this team. The Whip comes through crisply, where every color pops, and each and every character becomes a prominent focus when on screen. This creates something of an issue, however, as the film’s aesthetic often feels unnatural. I’m not sure that this ever forced me to question the validity of the film or its content (that came from elsewhere), but there are moments when things appear hyperreal, simply out of the ordinary.
As previously mentioned, National Treasure is a beloved film, predominantly by my generation. I, however, have only seen the film once, and can’t understand what the hullabaloo is all about. Similarly, The Whip’s plot just seems entirely too far-fetched for me. I couldn’t get on board with the story from the start, and that made the rest of the film challenging to appreciate.
For me, The Whip was doomed from the start, as the narrative isn’t one that I was able to get on board with, or even fully understand as a result of the barrier created via the film’s location. From there I only struggled more with the film as it looks hyperreal and the comedy didn’t land as intended. In all honesty, I think The Whip will work for a lot of viewers, that it will be effective and tell a story that many find compelling–but this film isn’t for me.
Directed by Christopher Presswell.
Written by Forgcs W. Andes & Christopher Presswell.
Starring Shian Denovan, Gala Wesson, Tom Knight, Daniel Davids, Ray Bullock Jnr., etc.
5/10 = WORTH WATCHING, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
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