Lotus

Last week I went to the Mockingbird in Digbeth to see Lotus as part of the Forward Film Festival. Billed as Birmingham’s first action movie, Lotus is the creation of stuntman/ actor/ independent filmmaker Phillip Ray Tommy, and the first film to be released under his Phrato Cinematic Arts production company. Big Phill came along to introduce the movie, and a lot of people were in the audience who had been involved in the production. I was sat nearby as he greeted many of them warmly by name on the way in – it was clearly important to him to make the most of local talent, and that he’s a huge (figuratively and literally) champion of filmmaking in Birmingham.

Tommy has performed stunts in the likes of Thor: The Dark World, the Witcher, Gladiator II and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and he brought all his action experience into Lotus. As well as writing and directing, he stars as John – an ex Special Forces operative who quits his agency when they betray his trust. Some time later he finds himself drawn into a fight with a gang of criminals and two corrupt police detectives, all hunting him down while he tries to protect an old friend and some other innocents caught in the crossfire.

As an action movie, Lotus ticked all the boxes. The fight scenes were great fun to watch with nice, crunchy sound effects that made each of John’s punches sound like the baddie was being hit with a car. His almost superhuman abilities made some “threats” comically unthreatening, but also made it all the more exciting when he finally meets an opponent who can match him (played by the intimidating Chi Lewis-Parry, best known as Samson from the 28 Years Later films). The bad guys are appropriately hissable, with a few standout characters among the sea of henchmen – Oliver Mayo’s head honcho Dre and Gregg Hobbs’s sinister thug Rob gave particularly memorable performances. The music was surprisingly beautiful and there were a few touching moments dotted in with the violence, particularly those involving Charles O’Neill’s lovable Charles.

But the biggest joy of Lotus was seeing Birmingham on the big screen. The film took in major landmarks like the Council House and the Rotunda, as well as smaller favourites that locals will recognise, like the Mockingbird itself. I’m writing this sat in the Mockingbird’s foyer just a few feet away from where Rob was hired to lure John into the open by messily killing some innocent bystanders. I wouldn’t have to walk far to get to the pub The Ruin, where John and Chi Lewis-Parry’s Kyle had their big showdown. Films are always more exciting when you have an emotional connection to the setting as well as the hero – the fact that the villains wanted to control and defile the places that I know and love made it feel like I had a personal stake in the outcome. 

But it was more than just recognition – the plot was perfectly configured to make the best use of Birmingham’s full range of visual landscape. When the film needed to look slick and shiny, night shots driving past the bright lights of our modern streets and underground tunnels provided a cool backdrop. When it needed to delve into the lives of people struggling in poorer areas, there were plenty of suburban tower blocks to contrast with the affluence of the city centre. High tech secret agency debriefs take place in the grandness of the Council House, while the trendy grunginess of Digbeth provides a more appropriate setting for morally murkier meetings.

Lotus had a very positive reception in the screening I attended, and although a lot of that may have been down to half the audience having helped make the film, I was happy to clap along with them at the end. It left plenty of room open for a sequel and I look forward to seeing how John ties up his loose ends.