‘Fyre Rises’ digital review

In an age where the industry has predominantly become monopolised with franchises and genre features, British cinema appears worryingly frail and delicate. With purse strings being tightened across the board and an art form still recovering from the pandemic, the beauty of independent productions is far harder to come by. Fortunately, the gods of film have given us an early Christmas present in the form of Fyre Rises. The latest Brit-flick from acclaimed indie director Paul Knight. Check out our Fyre Rises digital review below.

The film follows Richard Fyre (Paul Marlon) a former mercenary forced back into his violent former life when he refuses an offer for one final job in exchange for a clean slate. After his family is threatened, Fyre must reluctantly plunge himself back into the depths of the criminal underworld to save his family, solve his financial hardships and possibly clean his conscience in the process.

Despite what may appear to be a cliched and derivative narrative upon first inspection, the film boasts some incredible performances and strong direction. These help steer things in a direction that feels both unique and compelling for the viewer. What’s also interesting is that it somehow manages to embody the gritty aesthetic of typical British independent cinema, but also feels grand and large scale at times. Seemingly jumping effortlessly between hard hitting character drama and globe-trotting action thriller, Knight has crafted something quite unique here.

Striking visuals and interesting cinematography only help to complement an ambitious plot that remains grounded simultaneously. This could be because it carries thematic and timely resonance to the social economics of the world right now. Particularly the current financial climate of a struggling post-pandemic world that should be easily relatable for many audience members.

While Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight) has a disappointingly small role to play, the clear scene-stealer comes in the form of an old Eastenders alum. Echoing Heath Ledger’s Joker, Aaron Sidwell is a delight to behold as Priest. Chewing scenery while also maintaining menace and captivating energy, Sidwell’s wonderful eccentricity is a clear standout. Marlon carries the film solidly as our haunted and tortured lead with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Easily conveying his trauma and inner anger through excellent facial expression and believability.

The film features plenty of action and well choreographed fight sequences, but with a runtime just shy of 2 hours it’s clear that things could have been tightened up a little bit. Some conversations and dialogue scenes would have benefitted from being trimmed slightly to maintain a faster pace. But, this ultimately doesn’t detract from the overall film.

Fyre Rises is a fantastic crime thriller that demonstrates exactly how much talent, both in front and behind the camera, British cinema has to offer. While the film will certainly not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s a unique production with plenty of great performances and seamless genre-bending that creates an incredibly interesting final product.

Fyre Rises is available on digital and DVD now.