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, bringing out their best performances. While his films are an acquired taste, Wheatley has made his mark on British cinema with his creative vision and direction.

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 ending.

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.