Crushed (2025) – Film Review
Director: Simon Rumley
Cast: Steve Oram, Nattapohn Rawddon, Margaux Dietrich
Certificate: 15
By Roger Crow
Steve Oram has spent more than two decades bringing dark humour and an unsettling presence to film, television and comedy. He earned cult acclaim in 2012 after co-writing and starring alongside Alice Lowe in Ben Wheatley’s horror comedy Sightseers. His feature directorial debut, the decidedly offbeat Aaaaaaaah!, followed in 2015, while his role in Liam Gavin’s 2016 horror A Dark Song further cemented his reputation.
Even if his name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, his face probably will. Steve has appeared in everything from The World’s End and The End of the F***ing World to Doctor Who, Killing Eve and The Mighty Boosh.
His latest movie, Crushed, may be his most disturbing yet, but no less compelling. The premise: in suburban Bangkok, a vicar and his wife face a desperate search when their young daughter is abducted. As they confront the people behind her disappearance, their faith and their ideas of forgiveness are pushed to breaking point.
“Lawless”
This relatively low budget, well-made thriller from writer/director Simon Rumley features a solid central performance from Oram as the holy man trapped in a nightmare. However, Crushed is easily one of the most disturbing films of recent years.
Reminiscent of cult Owen Wilson’s Thailand-based thriller No Escape (tourists running for their life amid a revolution), the sweaty atmosphere of an almost lawless society and unspeakable evil lingers long after the closing credits have rolled.
Animal lovers will want to give it a wide berth as it deals with an horrendous sub culture. In fact if it weren’t for Oram’s powerhouse performance I would have run a mile. That said the rest of the cast also deliver fine turns.
Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
crowsfeat.com; nostalgiahhh film podcast
