SUSAN LARSEN (maybaby47) Saxon is a half-deserted concrete maze of flats reminiscent of the desolate ghost towns in an old western. It is through this gray concrete landscape with its cast of urban characters that Eddie, recently released from prison, searches for his old friend, Kevin, who has mysteriously vanished just when Eddie needs to hit him up for cash. Saxon opens with a bang, or I should say pain, as we see Eddie losing an eye to a loan shark he owes ten grand, and that is why Eddie goes in search of his old friend. Kevin is recently "cashed up" after winning big on a game show. When Kevin's wife offers Eddie money for finding Kevin the game is on as Eddie, no experienced sleuth, begins to roam Saxon in search of the vanished Kevin. Eddie, the proverbial loser, is one of those souls forever lost in the gray of urban life. Put upon at every turn, constantly in physical danger of losing life and limb, not to mention his other eye, Eddie becomes a bleeding open wound but with dogged determination he soldiers on. There is a bitter-sweet scene between Eddie and his prostitute mother, there are a host of urban characters weaving in and out of Eddie's quest and quirky bits of humor... Eddie his hair half cut with his eye patch, looking for all the world like an urban pirate. Greg Loftin's script is gritty, dark and humorous by turns with interesting characters and some fine camera work. It's a crime-story/western/modern urban quest with a wonderful performance by Sean Harris as Eddie and fine supporting roles with Sarah Matravers and Michele Connolly. Great first time out for Greg Loftin. I hope to see a Saxon sequel one day.

carpenterB England has council estates, we have housing projects here. Saxon estate makes our projects look like a home in the suburbs. Further, it's being evacuated to make way for a new runway for the airport which borders the estate. Remaining are the die-hards; the people with nowhere to go, the elderly, the forgotten, and the ones who only can dream of leaving but don't know how or have the courage to leave. They can exist in this environment. It's barely inhabited, but what and who remain are daily "trouble." Eddie Pierce was one of those inhabitants, until he got himself sent to prison. And now he's out – so he returns to the only place he knows – Saxon estate. His one friend, Kevin, has won 1 million pounds in a quiz show but has gone missing. Eddie, on the other hand, owes a debt which has grown to an impossible sum, and has little time to settle up. Eddie's only source of repayment will be to find Kevin before time is up. Eddie he offers his services to Kevin's wife for a price – to find Kevin. And so Eddie's return to Saxon begins; Eddie is no private detective. He is an ex-con, and Eddie has his own demons to carry. Sean Harris and the estate are the stars. Saxon estate is a bad dream turned nightmare. Eddie is quite inept as he begins his return. He is resourceful, but a screw up. He's bad, too open, draws too much attention, and is none too discrete. At every turn, a new evil pops out. The film is evenly-paced and not a moment is wasted. It is a dark movie, even when filmed in full sunlight. Edgy, gritty and the comedy is dark, subtle humor because Eddie's character is a puzzle and he is desperately following a mystery. But, he needs to survive Saxon as he walks a path toward being its victim -- again. It's a thriller and a good mystery. Two stories are intertwined – Eddie's own story and his search for his friend. Excellent camera work in true Hitchcockian fashion. Long shots from above and down along the rows of the estate giving the viewer a feeling of being insignificant to the greater dangers that lie ahead (and they are real --- think "Psycho" (Martin Balsam on the stairs) or Cary Grant, "North by Northwest", waiting on the road, alone, by the empty cornfield; you just know trouble is coming). Hitchcock would have loved this film, and the sly tongue in cheek humor. Also, shot in close up giving Sean Harris the means to act especially when he has little dialogue, because that is what Harris does. He acts. Harris carries this film (his first lead). The irony is that all those who remain are living next to an airport. Warning: some (lots of) simulated violence. With a quick compliment on the scenes with Eddie's screen mom. They are especially compelling together. With a special applause to the actress that played Mrs. Pierce, Sue Maund.

DelBongo Saxon's press notes boast of its adherence to, and playfulness with, the rules and conventions of the great American westerns, but it is a very pleasant surprise to observe just how subtle and shrewd those genre nods are.The plot is appropriately simple: Eddie (Sean Harris) returns home to the grim, ghostly Saxon housing estate after both a brief spell in prison, and a visit from a sadistic loan shark. With his one functioning eyeball on the line, Eddie tries to make a fast buck by interacting with a succession of the estate's most volatile misfits, in an attempt to track down a minor local celebrity who has inexplicably vanished. It is an irrefutable oddity for sure, but the plot's fiendish momentum does exert a palpable grip, and for a film shot for almost nothing, it looks outstanding; composed entirely of wide- angled hand-held shots, it comes off (visually, at least) like a collaboration between Luc Besson and Andrew Bujalski. But the ominous, whacked-out aura is all its own.This is simply perfect if you're in the mood for some impeccably crafted weird.

mdorigo-1 A refreshing UK offering that strikes a great balance between urban crime story and social comment tinged with just the right amount of comic relief. Terrific characters brought to life by a great cast. Slow at first but the tension that is created is well worth it - you are drawn down the often dark journey with hints of light allowed to shine. You just never know when and how. The sensational acting does not let the script down. One hopes that this first film of Greg Loftin will pave the way for new investment so that his next film does not have to be on such a shoe string budget. Not that it suffered from a low budget - the script and acting make up for it completely.