The Hole (2001)

Director:

Nick Hamm

Writers:

Guy Burt (novel)
Ben Court (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 April 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Desperate To Get In. Dying To Get Out.

Plot:

Four teenagers at a British private school secretly uncover and explore the depths of a sealed underground hole created decades ago as a possible bomb shelter.

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | School | Lifestyle | Private School | Flashback Sequence

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Thora Birch	...	Liz Dunn
Desmond Harrington	...	Mike Steel
Daniel Brocklebank	...	Martyn Taylor
Laurence Fox	...	Geoff Bingham
Keira Knightley	...	Frances 'Frankie' Almond Smith
Embeth Davidtz	...	Dr. Philippa Horwood
Steven Waddington	...	DCS Tom Howard
Emma Griffiths Malin	...	Daisy
Jemma Powell	...	Minnie (as Gemma Powell)
Gemma Craven	...	Mrs. Dunn
Anastasia Hille	...	Gillian
Kelly Hunter	...	DI Chapman
Maria Pastel	...	Policewoman
Celia Montague	...	Solicitor
Kevin Trainor	...	Boy in school

Also Known As:

After the Hole (USA)
Secluded Empty Space (South Africa: English title) (trailer title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, sexuality/nudity and drug use.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | UK:18 (DVD rating) | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Spain:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Benenden Girls' School, Cranbrook, Kent, England, UK

Company:

Canal+

Goofs:

Factual errors: Liz calls '911' to contact the emergency services at the beginning of the film after escaping from the hole. In Britain, the number for the emergency services is in fact '999'.

Quotes:

Martyn: No, no, no, no, no - you love me! It's a Martyn Taylor fact. Has there been a day in the last five years that we haven't talked?
Elizabeth Dunn: But you're more like a gay friend than a boyfriend.
Martyn: But I'm not gay!
Jogging Rugby Players: Yeah, right!

Movie Connections:

References Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Soundtrack:

Show Me The Money

Promises much, delivers little.

If you have seen the trailers (or read some of the reviews), you would be forgiven of thinking of this film as a dark and disturbing thriller, unfortunately, this is not the case.

The acting is first rate from the leading five, though Embeth Davidtz, an experienced actress, is confined to a character with little scope for the talents she has displayed in previous films, and I find it disappointing that her acting skills were curtailed by such a restrictive screenplay.

And herein lies the main problem for this film. The characterisations are excellent, but the limited experience of the writers shines through. This film has none of the twists and turns you would expect from a thriller, an ending that is at once unconvincing, predictable, and weak, and plot holes you could drive a bus through.

Director, Nick Hamm, shows great promise as this film is very well put together, and he certainly gets the best from the main four actors. However he seems to have neglected the talents of everyone else in the film (bar Daniel Brocklebank as Martin).

In my opinion, this film was well acted and directed, if only the plot could have been better, we might have seen another classic British film. However I fear that this film will sink into obscurity. It seems a shame that such talent was not used on a film with better writers.

I await with anticipation Nick Hamm's next offering, and hope that he finds a screenplay to stretch both himself and the whole cast.