British crime movies focused on revenge are frankly a dime a dozen. So when one comes along that separates itself from the crowd, that’s a film worthy of excitement. BULL, the new film from writer/director Paul Andrew Williams (LONDON TO BRIGHTON) is definitely that. It tells the story of a low-level enforcer, the titular Bull (Neil Maskell, PEAKY BLINDERS), who returns to town to look for his missing son and take revenge on the people, including his wife and her mob boss father (David Haskins, SID AND NANCY), who viciously double-crossed him ten years prior.
Based on that synopsis, BULL may sound like a very straightforward experience however it is anything but typical. The world of the film feels akin to a waking nightmare full of dingy dwellings and dark back alleys haunted by Maskell’s ferocious, yet unassuming, boogeyman. A sense of dread hangs over every moment and when that tension is broken with Bull’s carnage, it’s not the catharsis one might expect based on the film’s familiar genre trappings. The violence on-screen is unnerving in its bluntness and the nuanced, thoughtful performances of all the actors involved only heighten the unease of witnessing Bull work his way through the people that wronged him in the search for his son.
BULL is as much a horror story as it is a tale of vengeful gangsters. This unusual blending of genres coupled with Neil Maskell’s tour de force performance as Bull and Paul Andrew Williams’ knack for finding the gritty, human reality even in the most outlandish of scenarios, makes the film a “can’t miss” for anyone with a taste for darker fare.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down and have a brief chat with Paul Andrew Williams about the origins of BULL and his creative process.
___________________
Neil Maskell as “Bull”
Where did the idea for BULL come from?
True story, man. It’s a true story. [laughs] Where did the idea come from? I think it was always just about what someone would do in order to protect their child, basically. How it then came into what it was, God, I don’t know. The script started off as one scene, probably did start off with the opening scene in the field, actually and then just built from there.
Your shooting style on this is very naturalistic. You brought a very grounded approach to a story that could easily have been broader and more fantastical. The subject matter is anything but grounded, after all. I find that contrast very interesting. What-
Cheap. It’s cheap, dude. It’s called cheap.
[Laughs]
Basically, when you don’t have loads of stuff, so you make it cheap. Yeah, I mean natural.
[Laughs]
I think, when you’re coming up with something like this, …and not wanting to go too deep into what happens, but I’m always interested in real people and people I’ve come across in my life and then imagining what they would be doing in extraordinary circumstances. I guess you try and write something that’s real and basically let the actions be the drama rather than trying to create drama that they can have action in, that kind of vibe. Does that make sense?
It does.
I also like realism, I think, when you’re doing something like this, hopefully, that makes it more believable. It depends what type of film you’re making, and my idea was to make this so that people were like, “Well, I can believe these people exist.”
The film definitely has a real “lived-in” quality to it. As you approach writing and creating stories that feel very authentic, what are some of the things you do to capture that authenticity?
If I’m absolutely honest, I don’t think too much. I try not to be clever. I try not to think about what clever dialogue is, and I try and think about what would naturally be said, which often isn’t very clever. I think if you look at all the dialogue in BULL, there’s nothing really in it that’s actually thought through. It’s all very immediate, which is sort of how we all speak. A lot of the time, in scripts, the dialogue can be very good and witty and assured and all that sort of stuff, and I think that my approach to people is that they just aren’t that assured. Most people aren’t that clever, man.
Neil Maskell as “Bull”
Very true. Do you approach directing and working with actors in a similar way?
It depends on, obviously, what you are making or what kind of style or what show or what film or whatever, I think, for me, it’s always about, first of all, making an actor to feel like it’s okay to screw up and to not get it right, and it being okay to try again and all that sort of stuff. I definitely think it’s always worthwhile making people feel very, very comfortable and relaxed in the presence of everyone so they can do their best work. I also think, “Don’t act.” A lot of the time, you just don’t really need to do very much at all. I think that’s sometimes quite liberating because I think a lot of people think they have to put loads of meaning behind stuff. Like I was saying earlier, when we actually interact with people normally, there’s often very-little-to-no meaning in most things that we say. That’s why I think it’s wise to sort of be low-key, which I think works in this setting and in the style of the film.
One last thing I want to touch on is the violence in BULL. You have got some great stunt and practical effects work here: chopped limbs and full-body burn stunts, for example. Tell me about making those things happen on a smaller budget and with such a short schedule?
Because we shot it in 18 days and it was quite low budget; well under a million dollars- well, well, well under a million dollars. In terms of the effects-prosthetics and stuff like that, most of it is glimpses. You know what I mean? They’re very quick, often because if you show prosthetics for too long, then you spot the fake. You spot what’s wrong with it. I think, for me, it was always like, “Look, I don’t want to see…” I’m not about a gore fest. I’m not into gore. It’s the action that’s the horrible bit, not necessarily the aftermath. You know what I mean? People can only wince once.
Sure. It’s the power of imagination and suggestion.
Basically, you see something horrific, and you wince. I, personally, am not somebody who wants to go back and look and just carry-on wincing. I like the instant, “Whoa, shit.” For me, that’s good. I don’t want to torture an audience and make them feel crap by showing loads of nastiness and blood splurting. I think some of my favorite movies, and some of the great bits, which are actually just a few frames, but you feel like you’ve watched something that’s eternal. Like, remember in THE THING when the stomach opens up and Doc is thrust into the air. I don’t know if you know this, but they found an amputee who they managed to make up like Doc, look a bit like Doc, who’s in it for like two frames but you get something so quick. I just think things like that are great.
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang in “While Dragon”
As we wrap up, I wanted to ask you about something unrelated. You worked on a television series a few years ago titled WHITE DRAGON (aka STRANGERS in the U.K.), where you directed several episodes that starred cult movie icon Anthony Wong Chau-Sang. I was wondering if you had any stories from your time working with him?
[He’s a] lovely guy… just was absolutely lovely, man. Very deadpan. I remember once some of the people on set were practicing martial arts together. Everyone was saying that he was a master and so good at it, and I was like, “This guy doesn’t say anything, man. What are you talking about?” I hadn’t seen any of his movies at that point. So, I remember going up to him and saying, “Dude, can you really do all this stuff?” and he was like, “Yeah.” He just was very humble about it. Didn’t want to talk about it.
[Laughs] I remember just going, “So, if you can do all this, you’d be able to block this.” I didn’t even do anything, really. I just was pretending as if I was going to do some stupid move, and before I’d even moved an inch he had got me in this weird lock. I was like, “Dude, you really are a martial art warrior.” It was real… but he was so lovely, man, and I really got on with him. I really liked him a lot.
That’s very cool. Thank you so much for you time today, Paul. I appreciate it.
Aw, the thing is, always remember, man, there will be a time in people’s careers where no one wants to ask them anything. There have been times in my career when no one’s gave a shit, so that someone does care, that’s really great.
Well, I think you made a great film and I’m happy to get the word out about it.
Thanks, man. I’m very grateful to you and your readers, sir.
Matthew Essary has been a professional film critic since 2017 and a film fanatic for much longer.
Currently residing in Nashville, TN, he also co-hosts the film podcast "Video Culture" (available on all podcast platforms). He can be reached at "WheelsCritic@gmail.com" and on Twitter: @WheelsCritic
A Look At BULL With Writer/Director Paul Andrew Williams
April 13, 2022
British crime movies focused on revenge are frankly a dime a dozen. So when one comes along that separates itself from the crowd, that’s a film worthy of excitement. BULL, the new film from writer/director Paul Andrew Williams (LONDON TO BRIGHTON) is definitely that. It tells the story of a low-level enforcer, the titular Bull (Neil Maskell, PEAKY BLINDERS), who returns to town to look for his missing son and take revenge on the people, including his wife and her mob boss father (David Haskins, SID AND NANCY), who viciously double-crossed him ten years prior.
Based on that synopsis, BULL may sound like a very straightforward experience however it is anything but typical. The world of the film feels akin to a waking nightmare full of dingy dwellings and dark back alleys haunted by Maskell’s ferocious, yet unassuming, boogeyman. A sense of dread hangs over every moment and when that tension is broken with Bull’s carnage, it’s not the catharsis one might expect based on the film’s familiar genre trappings. The violence on-screen is unnerving in its bluntness and the nuanced, thoughtful performances of all the actors involved only heighten the unease of witnessing Bull work his way through the people that wronged him in the search for his son.
BULL is as much a horror story as it is a tale of vengeful gangsters. This unusual blending of genres coupled with Neil Maskell’s tour de force performance as Bull and Paul Andrew Williams’ knack for finding the gritty, human reality even in the most outlandish of scenarios, makes the film a “can’t miss” for anyone with a taste for darker fare.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down and have a brief chat with Paul Andrew Williams about the origins of BULL and his creative process.
___________________
Where did the idea for BULL come from?
True story, man. It’s a true story. [laughs] Where did the idea come from? I think it was always just about what someone would do in order to protect their child, basically. How it then came into what it was, God, I don’t know. The script started off as one scene, probably did start off with the opening scene in the field, actually and then just built from there.
Your shooting style on this is very naturalistic. You brought a very grounded approach to a story that could easily have been broader and more fantastical. The subject matter is anything but grounded, after all. I find that contrast very interesting. What-
Cheap. It’s cheap, dude. It’s called cheap.
[Laughs]
Basically, when you don’t have loads of stuff, so you make it cheap. Yeah, I mean natural.
[Laughs]
I think, when you’re coming up with something like this, …and not wanting to go too deep into what happens, but I’m always interested in real people and people I’ve come across in my life and then imagining what they would be doing in extraordinary circumstances. I guess you try and write something that’s real and basically let the actions be the drama rather than trying to create drama that they can have action in, that kind of vibe. Does that make sense?
It does.
I also like realism, I think, when you’re doing something like this, hopefully, that makes it more believable. It depends what type of film you’re making, and my idea was to make this so that people were like, “Well, I can believe these people exist.”
The film definitely has a real “lived-in” quality to it. As you approach writing and creating stories that feel very authentic, what are some of the things you do to capture that authenticity?
If I’m absolutely honest, I don’t think too much. I try not to be clever. I try not to think about what clever dialogue is, and I try and think about what would naturally be said, which often isn’t very clever. I think if you look at all the dialogue in BULL, there’s nothing really in it that’s actually thought through. It’s all very immediate, which is sort of how we all speak. A lot of the time, in scripts, the dialogue can be very good and witty and assured and all that sort of stuff, and I think that my approach to people is that they just aren’t that assured. Most people aren’t that clever, man.
Very true. Do you approach directing and working with actors in a similar way?
It depends on, obviously, what you are making or what kind of style or what show or what film or whatever, I think, for me, it’s always about, first of all, making an actor to feel like it’s okay to screw up and to not get it right, and it being okay to try again and all that sort of stuff. I definitely think it’s always worthwhile making people feel very, very comfortable and relaxed in the presence of everyone so they can do their best work. I also think, “Don’t act.” A lot of the time, you just don’t really need to do very much at all. I think that’s sometimes quite liberating because I think a lot of people think they have to put loads of meaning behind stuff. Like I was saying earlier, when we actually interact with people normally, there’s often very-little-to-no meaning in most things that we say. That’s why I think it’s wise to sort of be low-key, which I think works in this setting and in the style of the film.
One last thing I want to touch on is the violence in BULL. You have got some great stunt and practical effects work here: chopped limbs and full-body burn stunts, for example. Tell me about making those things happen on a smaller budget and with such a short schedule?
Sure. It’s the power of imagination and suggestion.
Basically, you see something horrific, and you wince. I, personally, am not somebody who wants to go back and look and just carry-on wincing. I like the instant, “Whoa, shit.” For me, that’s good. I don’t want to torture an audience and make them feel crap by showing loads of nastiness and blood splurting. I think some of my favorite movies, and some of the great bits, which are actually just a few frames, but you feel like you’ve watched something that’s eternal. Like, remember in THE THING when the stomach opens up and Doc is thrust into the air. I don’t know if you know this, but they found an amputee who they managed to make up like Doc, look a bit like Doc, who’s in it for like two frames but you get something so quick. I just think things like that are great.
As we wrap up, I wanted to ask you about something unrelated. You worked on a television series a few years ago titled WHITE DRAGON (aka STRANGERS in the U.K.), where you directed several episodes that starred cult movie icon Anthony Wong Chau-Sang. I was wondering if you had any stories from your time working with him?
[He’s a] lovely guy… just was absolutely lovely, man. Very deadpan. I remember once some of the people on set were practicing martial arts together. Everyone was saying that he was a master and so good at it, and I was like, “This guy doesn’t say anything, man. What are you talking about?” I hadn’t seen any of his movies at that point. So, I remember going up to him and saying, “Dude, can you really do all this stuff?” and he was like, “Yeah.” He just was very humble about it. Didn’t want to talk about it.
[Laughs] I remember just going, “So, if you can do all this, you’d be able to block this.” I didn’t even do anything, really. I just was pretending as if I was going to do some stupid move, and before I’d even moved an inch he had got me in this weird lock. I was like, “Dude, you really are a martial art warrior.” It was real… but he was so lovely, man, and I really got on with him. I really liked him a lot.
That’s very cool. Thank you so much for you time today, Paul. I appreciate it.
Aw, the thing is, always remember, man, there will be a time in people’s careers where no one wants to ask them anything. There have been times in my career when no one’s gave a shit, so that someone does care, that’s really great.
Well, I think you made a great film and I’m happy to get the word out about it.
Thanks, man. I’m very grateful to you and your readers, sir.
___________________
BULL is available now on-demand and digital.
Matthew Essary
Currently residing in Nashville, TN, he also co-hosts the film podcast "Video Culture" (available on all podcast platforms). He can be reached at "WheelsCritic@gmail.com" and on Twitter: @WheelsCritic
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