Tom Long, “Assassin” (July 2009) / “Made Man” (September 2009)
Found these student film shorts on Youtube and technically they are good for films made on next-to-no budget and very limited resources. Both are told from a first-person POV and reveal Long’s interest in assassins; both films also showcase plots with unexpected twists. The earlier film purports to detail the quotidian life of a professional hitman, the second film is about a man seeking respect by becoming a hitman – and finding that respect in a way he least expects.
Featuring Tony van der Helstrate as a main character, the two short films are well-made with good editing and clear, well-executed shots which in “Assassin” emphasise unusual camera angles to help build up suspense. Long owes a big debt to Martin Scorsese: the early part of “Assassin” is almost a remake of “The Big Shave” and the British director has studied Scorsese’s shooting methods as well. The acting isn’t brilliant and neither are the plots, especially in “Made Man” where the story has a few holes here and there and the viewer is required to believe that the events span a period of many years. The plot twist in “Assassin” is the major part of the plot; without it, the whole thing wouldn’t work and after that surprise, perhaps most viewers won’t see it again. That would be a pity as there is a clue early in the voice-over narration that the person we see going about his routine isn’t actually the assassin.
“Made Man” is more interesting as there’s a theme of finding one’s place in the world and gaining the respect of others, even if that “respect” comes from one’s enemies. Respect and loyalty to one’s family and allies are explored here and their treatment reveals the nature of the main character as brutal, amoral, cowardly and not too intelligent; his murder of a young teenage man leads to a sketchy revenge sub-plot which can be missed easily on first viewing.
Long’s experience as a camera operator puts him in good stead as a film craftsman but he needs better stories that use his interest in gangsters, spies and other outsiders operating in the shady areas between what’s legal and what’s illegal to express ideas and themes that say something important about humans and human nature, if his films are to gain more popularity. Again, Scorsese’s film oeuvre may be a guide to expressing universal ideas through a particular stereotype of the hitman; John Woo’s films with Chow Yun-fat before he went to Hollywood might serve as another example. If “Made Man” is an indication, Long already knows that his work is cut out for him.