The Toll (2021 film)

Last updated
The Toll
Directed byRyan Andrew Hooper
Written byMatt Redd
Produced byMark Hopkins
Starring Michael Smiley
Annes Elwy
Iwan Rheon
Paul Kaye
CinematographyAdrian Peckitt
Edited byJohn Richards
Ben Unwin
Music by Rael Jones
Production
company
Western Edge Pictures
Distributed bySignature Entertainment (UK)
Samuel Goldwyn Films (US)
Release date
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguagesEnglish
Welsh

The Toll, released in the US with the title Tollbooth, is a 2021 Welsh black comedy crime film directed by Ryan Andrew Hooper and written by Matt Redd. The film stars Michael Smiley, Annes Elwy, Iwan Rheon and Paul Kaye. It premiered at the Official Selection of the 2021 Glasgow Film Festival. [1]

Contents

Plot

In Pembrokeshire, a man working solo shifts in the quietest toll booth in Wales hides from a criminal past where nobody would ever look. As his past actions catch up with him and his peace is shattered, he enlists the help of local ne’er-do-wells and oddballs (including a female Elvis impersonator, rampaging triplets and disgruntled sheep farmers) when local police officer Catrin grows increasingly suspicious.

Cast

Production

On 6 December 2016, it was announced that Ffilm Cymru Wales were developing ten feature film projects in partnership with the BFI, including The Toll and projects by Prano Bailey-Bond and Lee Haven-Jones, three of which would then be green lit for production. [2] On 11 June 2017, The Times newspaper reported that Olivier award-winning actor Simon Russell Beale had appeared in a short film after being "charmed" by director Ryan Andrew Hooper. [3] The short film had been funded by Ffilm Cymru Wales and the BFI, and was used by Hooper as a proof of concept for the feature film. [4] It was announced on 10 December 2018 by Screen Daily that shooting of The Toll had been completed in Wales and that the film would star Michael Smiley, Annes Elwy, Iwan Rheon, Paul Kaye and Steve Oram. [5]

Release

On 9 July 2021, Empire magazine exclusively launched a trailer for The Toll, announcing that the film would be released in UK cinemas on 27 August 2021. [6] Prior to its release in the UK, the film would be released theatrically in Australia and New Zealand on 29 July 2021. [7]

On 11 July 2021, it was announced that Great Point Media had sold rights for the film's release in the UK, US, Australia/New Zealand and France. [8]

On 25 August 2021, while promoting the UK release of the film, Iwan Rheon appeared in a "car crash" interview on ITV's flagship morning show Good Morning Britain where the presenters repeatedly got a number of facts about the actor wrong live on air, including a claim that he had ambitions to enter the Eurovision Song Contest.

On 25 January 2022, Comingsoon.net launched a new US trailer and poster for the film with the title Tollbooth, announcing that the film would be released digitally in the US on 18 March 2022. [9]

Reception

On 20 October 2021, The Hollywood Reporter announced that screenwriter Matt Redd had been long-listed for Best Debut Screenwriter by the British Independent Film Awards for his script. [10] The film was also long-listed for the Discovery award (for independent UK titles with a budget under £500,000) by BIFA. [11]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 86% approval rating based on 22 reviews. [12]

Writing in The Guardian , critic Cath Clarke awarded the film three stars and described it as "an entertaining black comedy. [13]

Tom Shone of Sunday Times also awarded the film three out of five, saying "it has the right sort of wit and mordancy, along with a core of seriousness." [14]

There was another three star review from Matt Glasby in the Radio Times , who said the film "plays like a stylishly shot sitcom, with good gags about thorny UK relationships and a strong supporting cast including Paul "Dennis Pennis" Kaye." [15]

Owen Richards of The Arts Desk gave the film a four star review, saying "Ryan Andrew Hooper's debut feature is perfect for film aficionados looking for a light bite of entertainment. Eighty-three minutes of swearing, gore and just enough twists to keep you on your toes." [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Marsan</span> British actor

Edward Maurice Charles Marsan is an English actor. He won the London Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Happy-Go-Lucky (2008).

Kimberley Nixon is a Welsh actress. Nixon is known for her role as Sophy Hutton in the BBC One period drama Cranford, and appearances in various films such as Wild Child and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. She also starred as Josie Jones in the Channel 4 comedy-drama Fresh Meat and as Sarah Pearson in the BBC Two comedy Hebburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Smiley</span> Northern Irish comedian and actor (born 1963)

Michael Smiley is a Northern Irish comedian and actor. He is well known for his roles in the films Kill List (2011) and The Lobster (2015). He has also made appearances in British television series such as Spaced, Luther, Utopia, Black Mirror and Doctor Who.

<span title="Welsh-language text"><span lang="cy" style="font-style: normal;">Yma o Hyd</span></span> 1983 single by Dafydd Iwan and Ar Log

"Yma o Hyd" is a Welsh language folk song by Dafydd Iwan. The song was released during Iwan and Ar Log's "Taith Macsen" tour in 1983. Since then it has continued to gain popularity at cultural and sporting events.

Sally El-Hosaini is a Welsh-Egyptian BAFTA nominated film director and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iwan Rheon</span> Welsh actor and musician

Iwan Rheon is a Welsh actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Bellamy in the E4 series Misfits (2009-11), Ramsay Bolton in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2013–16), and Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars in the film The Dirt (2019). He has also appeared in the series Vicious, Riviera, Inhumans, and Those About to Die.

<i>The Passing</i> (2015 film) 2015 British film

The Passing is a 2015 Welsh drama film directed by Gareth Bryn and written by Ed Talfan. It had its UK premiere on 10 March 2016 at the Wales One World (WOW) Film Festival in Aberystwyth, with a general release date of 8 April 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hefin David</span> Welsh politician (born 1977)

Hefin Wyn David is a Welsh Labour politician and the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Caerphilly, where he currently lives. Despite the common surname, he is no relation to Wayne David, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the same constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morfydd Clark</span> Welsh actress (born 17 March 1989)

Morfydd Clark is a Welsh actress. Her appearances include Love & Friendship (2016), Interlude in Prague (2017), and The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019). Also on television, she played Mina Harker in Dracula (2020) and Sister Clara in His Dark Materials (2019).

Hidden is a Welsh television drama serial, created by Mark Andrew and Ed Talfan. It was initially broadcast in Welsh on the Welsh-language channel S4C under its Welsh name Craith. The bilingual version of the series, under the English name Hidden, was broadcast on BBC One Wales and BBC Four. The Welsh-language versions of the first two series aired on S4C in 2018 and 2019, respectively, with the third and final series beginning on 10 October 2021. The English-language version of the third and final series aired in April 2022.

<i>Berlin, I Love You</i> 2019 anthology romantic drama film

Berlin, I Love You is a 2019 anthology romantic drama film starring an ensemble cast. A joint German and U.S. production, it serves as the fifth installment of the Cities of Love series created by Emmanuel Benbihy, after 2006's Paris, je t'aime, the 2008 film New York, I Love You, and Tbilisi, I Love You and Rio, I Love You both released in 2014.

<i>The Prince</i> (TV series) American animated sitcom TV series

The Prince is an American animated sitcom created by Gary Janetti for HBO Max. Originally slated for a late spring 2021 date, HBO Max announced on May 9, 2021, that the series would be delayed due to Prince Philip's death in April 2021. The series premiered on July 29, 2021. In February 2022, HBO Max cancelled the series after one season.

Events from the year 2021 in Wales.

The Magic Flute is a 2022 German musical fantasy film directed by Florian Sigl and written by Andrew Lowery, based on the 1791 opera of the same name by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Annes Elwy is a Welsh actress, known for her screen roles in both English and Welsh language productions.

Wales One World Film Festival, also known as WOW Film Festival, is an annual film festival that takes place in the Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Aberystwyth, Wales, UK. It is the longest-running British film festival of world cinema.

Timestalker is a 2024 British historical science fiction romantic comedy film written, directed by, and starring Alice Lowe.

The Light in the Hall is a bilingual Welsh and English-language drama television series. It premiered on S4C on 15 May 2022.

Wolf is a six-part British television miniseries, based on the Jack Caffery novels by Mo Hayder. It was made for BBC One and BBC Wales. Wolf began airing on BBC One, BBC Wales and BBC iPlayer on 31 July 2023.

<i>Men Up</i> British television film

Men Up is a Welsh television film broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, about the first ever clinical trials for the drug viagra, which took place in Swansea in 1994. Russell T Davies is amongst the executive producers. The cast includes Aneurin Barnard, Alexandra Roach, Phaldut Sharma, Iwan Rheon, Steffan Rhodri and Joanna Page. It aired on 29 December 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "Glasgow Film Festival Announces 2021 Programme" . Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  2. ↑ "Ten projects shortlisted for Film Wales' Cinematic scheme". Screen Daily . 6 December 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "'Dai Spielberg' charms RSC star Simon Russell Beale into Welsh film appearance". The Times . 11 June 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "Welsh Stories, Welsh Talents: What's Next for Welsh Film?". The Welsh Agenda. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  5. ↑ "Michael Smiley, Annes Elwy wrap UK thriller 'The Toll'". Screen Daily . 10 December 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Toll: Michael Smiley Hides Out In The Wild West Of Wales In Crime Movie – Exclusive Trailer". Empire . 9 July 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "Darkly-Comic Thriller THE TOLL Release Details Revealed!". 8 July 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "Welsh thriller 'The Toll' passes key deals including UK, US, France". Screen Daily . 11 July 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Exclusive Tollbooth Trailer Starring Michael Smiley". Comingsoon.net. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "British Independent Film Awards 2021 New Talent Longlists Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter . 20 October 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "'Rebel Dykes', 'The Toll' on Bifa 2021 Discovery longlist". Screen Daily . 29 October 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  12. ↑ "The Toll (2022)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  13. ↑ Clarke, Cath (27 August 2021). "The Toll review – toll booth man with no name fights back in jokey Welsh western". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  14. ↑ Shone, Tom (29 August 2021). "Five new films for this weekend: Jazz on a Summer's Day, The Nest and more". Sunday Times . Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  15. ↑ Glasby, Matt (12 August 2021). "The Toll". Radio Times . Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  16. ↑ Richards, Owen (30 August 2021). "The Toll review - once upon a time in west Wales". The Arts Desk . Retrieved 7 June 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.