Ben Wheatley is a British director known for his unique and memorable films with bizarre plots and endings that provoke discussion. Some of his notable films include Kill List (2011), Sightseers (2012), and A Field in England (2013). He directs films based on unconventional concepts and shoots spontaneously on instinct. Wheatley also regularly works with British character actors like Michael Smiley and Neil Maskell, bringing out their best performances. While his films are an acquired taste, Wheatley has developed a cult following for his original vision and directing style.

1. Ben
Wheatley

2. Who is he?
Ben Wheatley is an up and coming British director. He isn’t one of the most famous directors at the moment yet he has a large cult following for memorable
films like Kill List (2011) which has several internet blogs dedicated to an explanation for its bizarre ending. Since then he has been making consistently good
and interesting films like Kill List. For example Sightseers (2012) and his most recent, A Field In England (2013). I wouldn’t classify him as my favourite director
but he is certainly admirable because he makes films which he wants to make despite how much money they make. His films are an acquired taste because he is
often either on the line between naturalistic and arty or just leaning towards arty a bit more and that sometimes means some scenes in his films don’t make
much sense to anyone except Ben Wheatley.
He basis his films around concepts that no one else could think of which makes for a film that is different to anything any director has ever made. For example
film about four men in the middle of the English Civil War who are also on a hallucinogenic drug. In both the plot to his films and the way he carries it out it
feels as though he gets a completely outside-the-box idea and goes with it rather than planning the entire film before filming. He directs on instinct and this
makes his films stand out because It will have an original Ben Wheatley idea running through. He’s a director that is so talented you can see his impact in every
film. His different shots and unique ideas stand out in his films.
Another aspect of Ben Wheatley’s films is that he uses similar actors like many directors do. The difference is Ben Wheatley uses British actors that play small
parts in almost every good British TV series or film. Actors like Michael Smiley, Neill Maskell and Reece Shearsmith. Although these names mean nothing to
most people, I’m sure if you knew what they had been in you would have seen them before. I’ve seen a lot of these actors in small parts but they have never
been as good as they are in Ben Wheatley films. He brings the best out of very underrated British actors. In addition to this, although he uses some of the same
actors in a lot of his films, they are often playing very different characters to the last and there are no significant similarities between his films and the
characters in his films which is the case for a director like Tim Burton. He’s at the start of his career and has already made his mark on British cinema with his
very interesting and unique plots and his wide range of directing talents.

3. Kill List (2011)
Cast: Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley,
Emma Fryer
Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman
takes a new assignment with the promise of a
big payoff for three killings. What starts off as
an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer
into the heart of darkness.
This particular film got Wheatley his cult
following. It’s mysterious throughout and the
ending provokes more questions which have
been posted on many internet blogs to other
fans of Kill List and probably emailed to
Wheatley himself. Despite this, there are still
several possible ideas of what Wheatley was
thinking, each more bizarre than the next but
Wheatley is yet to confirm which is correct. It’s
very dark and gritty including the comic relief
moments. Mainly though it’s very thought-
provoking.

4. Sightseers (2012)
Cast: Alice Lowe, Steve
Oram
Chris wants to show girlfriend Tina his
world, but events soon conspire against
the couple and their dream caravan holiday
takes a very wrong turn. Sightseers got less
of a cult following because Wheatley
teamed up with established British comedy
director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the
Dead, Hot Fuzz) so the world knew about it
upon release rather than Kill List which
gathered fans over time. It still had Ben
Wheatley’s touch, somehow he managed
to make a sweet rom-com despite the
couple killing people as a release. It was
very funny but it was very dark comedy
which is the only comedy Wheatley knows
and of course Edgar Wright is the master of
dark comedy. Much lighter than Kill List
but still very dark with another great

5. A Field In England (2013)
Cast: Michael Smiley, Julian
Barratt, Reece Shearsmith
Fleeing for their lives, a small party abandon
their Civil War confederates and escape
through an overgrown field. Thinking only of
what lay behind, they are ambushed by two
dangerous men and made to search the
field. All this while have mistakenly eaten
some hallucinogenic mushrooms. My least
favourite Wheatley film of all three because
it’s a bit too arty at times. He still shows his
range of unique ideas, just look at the plot.
As well as this it’s all in black and white and
the script is all in old English so it’s hard to
follow the plot. Despite these flaws it has
some incredible acting particularly Michael
Smiley who is at the best he has ever been
and once again a very good and memorable
ending. It has some very good shots and the
setting is very interesting. It’s all set in a field
in England.