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Director: Steve Looker
Stars: Tommy Peter Walton, Elijah James
Producer: SteveFilm and The Looker Brothers

“Stop, this is not a game.”

From SteveFilm and The Looker Brothers, comes an intelligent thriller that challenges the conventions of police/terrorist-focused action cinema. Ignition is a micro-budget epic that utilises filmmaking tricks to its disposal, resulting in an effective bomb thriller.

When bomb disposal officer, Leon (Tommy Peter Walton), enters an empty house in search of a suspicious package, he finds much more than he bargained for. After an initial countdown is triggered, Leon finds himself trapped at the whim of a mad man – whose presence is through a demonic-looking television feed. This back and forth game of pressure and hidden packages is simply but a baseline of torment for Leon. The television terrorist (voiced by Elijah James) offers much more than generic psychotic tendencies, but instead, weaponises his knowledge of the would-be-hero – Leon – leading to the question, which will explode first: the bomb or the bomb disposal expert?

Ignition is a thriller that favours action in its conversation-based dialogue rather than routine explosions and gunfire. Not only does the dialogue throughout manage to maintain the tension and tenacity, but it is the tool that enables substantial narrative developments later in the film.

In maintaining the ethic of visual minimisation, there’s quite the emphasis on the score and SFX. With music from Paula Edwards, there is sometimes a horror ambience present in the horror, which adds to the growing tension throughout, and then, with SFX additions of external noises, the viewer is almost brought back down to earth, back to reality.

The biggest attribute in the success of Ignition, is of the character performances belonging to Tommy Peter Walton and Elijah James – even if the latter is voice-only. Walton’s performance, exemplified by his facial emotion, often dictates the tone within Ignition. On the flipside, the terrorist bomber provides a great counter-balance, often displaying gameshow host vibes, which adds an element of hilarity to an otherwise vicious character. With there being a prominence of two characters, for Ignition to successfully operate and flow, the dynamic between the two has to work.

In terms of microbudget filmmaking, Ignition is a terrific achievement. From writer-director, Steve Looker, Ignition is a rollercoaster thrill ride, fully equipped with intensity and intrigue from start to finish. Shot in one room, completely re-recorded audio, and with locally sourced catering, the production of this film offers both a warming blend of a community feel as well as a whatever it takes mindset, resulting in an end product that feels both raw and professional.