279. Division 19; movie review

DIVISION 19
Cert 15
94 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, bloody injury detail

What would the Truman Show look like if it were set in 2039?
If Division 19 is to be believed it would look be more akin to an Orwellian hell than an episode of Picket Fences.
Suzie Halewood's vision of the future is grim - tags, mobile phones, credit cards, Internet cookies, consumer patterns and even gait recognition means people are being permanently monitored.
Civil liberties are eroded even further by on-the-spot DNA swabs and bio-data passports.
This is the backdrop to a society in which crime so rife that jails are overflowing.
Consequently, advertisers fund the prisons and subscribers, able to access any criminal day or night, sign up in their millions to watch their favourite inmates.
Strangely, this obsession with what is behind bars pacifies the public but means that the action needs to be intoxicating to keep them sated.
This is the dilemma for the head of state (Linus Roache) who has brought in a tech-specialist (Alison Doddy) to keep them on the edge of their seats.
From such a scenario comes a superstar, Hardin Jones, (Jamie Draven), who, unknown to him becomes an advertising agency's dream.
At the same time, a band of rebels, who have parkour (roof-running) experts on their side and are keen to help such a high-influencer escape.
Draven plays Jones as a low-key hero - a champion fighter of very few words who knows how to defend himself when need be.
His character escapes and wants to remain under the radar until he discovers a plan to extend the reality TV to a whole Newtown where prisoners have the chance to earn their freedom with his brother Nash (Will Rothhaar) as its star.
Division 19 is a low-budget sci-fi and so there are cracks in its make-up - the dialogue is often clumsy and the characters are shallow.
However, its key points resonated with me because I have long quizzed the preponderance of CCTV in our society.
Orwell's 1984 had a big impact on me as a young man and I see too much of it becoming a ghastly reality.
Recent world political developments have brought such appalling traits in people that I can actually imagine a modern-day bear pit such as Division 19 becoming a reality.
I just hope I am not around to see it.


Reasons to watch: A dystopian Truman Show
Reasons to avoid: Hackneyed characters

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? Linus Roche is the son of Coronation Street's Ken Barlow (William Roche). His mother, Anna Cropper, appeared in three episodes of the soap in the early 1960s.

The final word. Suzie Halewood: "Many people have the attitude they don’t mind being watched as they have nothing to hide. But if you ever want to make the state accountable, you’d better hope they have nothing on you."

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