The Harsh Light of Day Review

I’m struggling on how to start this particular review. I’ve seen far worse films than The Harsh Light of Day, but the lack of strong comments is pretty damning.

First time director Milburn introduces us to author Daniel Shergold, who is finally releasing a long worked on book. Things are on the up until he and his wife are attacked, leaving his wife dead Daniel paralysed. We move forward to find a depressed Daniel, who is offered a means to get revenge.

The film has several main issues, starting with the script. Some of the dialogue is extremely on the nose and doesn’t sound very natural. This immediately stifles the cast, though they do try to make something of it. The second act could have trimmed down significantly, or tried to explain the bad guys motivations. The final twenty minutes is frantic, but the lead up is dull.

The attacker’s use of a camera to record their crimes is interesting, as is their reason for committing the acts. This also comes into play nicely later when Daniel is hunting them down. It’s the only interesting choice the director really makes, as many others felt very odd. Sometimes it’s gory, with very Hellraiser-esque images, and other times it weirdly goes the other way. It’s also quite choppy, which whilst I’m sure there were good intentions, just left me confused as to what was going on. There are several scenes involving vehicles, and some of them seem sped up which doesn’t make sense.

So the film isn’t great from a technical point of view, but what about the cast? Everyone is trying to imbue their character with a little something; they just aren’t generally good enough. Richardson does get across the pain and anguish his character feels, with one scene involving his despair as he wets himself particularly effective. Although his delivery is often flat, you can tell that he is struggling to balance his thirst for retribution against his new-found life. Alderson, as the mysterious Infurnari is quite frankly terrible and trying way too hard to appear mysterious. The rest of the cast is of a similar quality, though I did find myself hoping the attacking trio got their comeuppance (this might have been due to their chavviness though).

Overall The Harsh Light of Day is a painfully mediocre debut. With a story that sags badly in its second act, through to odd editing choices and an obvious ending, it never really grabs hold of you. Though the cast gives it their best, it doesn’t make the most of its short running time and doesn’t leave a lasting impression.