Little Favour is possibly one of the most hotly anticipated shorts this year, mainly due to the weight of the main star, Benedict Cumberbatch. Produced by Sunny March Productions and funded by crowdfunding sites, Little Favour has become the highest selling short film on iTunes.
Written and directed by Patrick Victor Monroe, the film follows Wallace, a secret forces type agent who is called upon by his friend James (played by Arrow’s Colin Salmon) to return a favour. James, unfortunately, has got himself at the wrong end of a deal, and sure enough he has some unruly types on his tail. It is, however, Wallace who finds himself as pawn and soon he is plunged further into a murky underworld.
The first thing notable about Monroe’s film is how fantastically shot it is. Drenched in the gritty underbelly of London, Little Favour is a feast of imaginative camera angles and stunning cinematography. It is heavy on the visual impact, where techniques are used to enhance the movie.
Monroe’s script is adeptly done, not over-saturating the affair with dialogue and utilising Cumberbatch’s chameleon talent to convey Wallace’s journey; all the while allowing him to puff and punch his profile away from his more iconic period roles. Monroe impressively sets up a short tale that pokes much deeper into mentality and the relationship between Wallace and James (Salmon is toweringly good here,) as well as setting up well thought out twists. It is a stylish independent short that is every bit as creative as it is gripping.
There is a shaky middle and those who aren’t a fan of action thrillers may scoff at Nick Moran’s Russian Villain; he is just a little too over the top to sit comfortably in this espionage movie. But Monroe’s script and final product is impressive, hitting the right points of suspense to happily fill the time allowance. With strong leads, a wicked script and great direction, the movie hits all the right notes any slick actioner should.
What are you waiting for? Little Favour is ready and waiting for you to download it now on iTunes.
