Following is a late 90’s crime mystery- filmed in black & white, with neo-noir/ arty touches, and a few decent enough plot twists. It’s most notable for being the first (near) feature-length film from celebrated & highly praised filmmaker Christopher Nolan- The Dark Knight, Inception, and most recently Oppenheimer. Here from 101 Films is a new Blu-Ray of the release of the film- with a new commentary track, and a good selection of new stuff.

The Following appeared in the year 1998- it was filmed over twelve months in the streets of London, with a small budget & Nolan shooting the film himself on a 16mm camera.  The film comes in just under the full-length mark at one hour and nine minutes mark. And you can certainly see the start of a lot of Nolan’s themes/ ways of shooting.

The film opens in classic noir style with a voice-over and seemingly a selection of flashbacks. Here we get introduced to our lead ‘The Young Man’ (Jeremy Theobald) a scruffy twenty-something on the dole- who fancies himself as a writer.  He details how he got into ‘following’ people to fill in his days- with a few self-set rules- if he follows them back to their home or work, he stops.  We see him selecting a few different marks, as he details it all to an older man.

Things go ok until he follows Cobb (Alex Haw) a suited man- who approaches him in a coffee shop after his rather haphazard tailing. We find that Cobb breaks into people's flats & houses- largely to mess with their personal possessions but also to take a few things of worth. The two start to bond- breaking into places together.

Added into the mix we have love interest/ possibly femme fatale ‘The Blond’(Lucy Russell) with shady London crims in the foreground. And basically, that’s about all I can tell you plot-wise- as to reveal anymore will rather ruin the unfolding of the whole thing.

The film plays in a rather confused time structure with a very neo-noir tilt, as well as (largely) subtle art house tropes. The pace of the whole thing unfolds compelling enough- with a fair amount of mystery & edge present. You can certainly see this as a precursor to Noland’s next/ breakthrough film Memento (2000) with the hapless lead character, and the way things alter/ shift as each new turn/twist is revealed.

Seemingly Following is a step up from a student film- and in places, it certainly feels that way- with some of the acting, the rather pretentiously arty touches, and the soundtrack- which largely rather sub-par/ dated 90’s ambience. I’ll have to say I was very much split with my feelings about the film- on the positive side- the mystery of the whole thing is played well, the noir tropes are used in an interesting at times quite gritty manner, and Haw is excellent as the manipulative, smug, and devilishly devious Cobb.

On the less positive side of things Theobald feels way out-of-his depth as the films lead- often coming off unconvincing, and worse of all rather bumbling in his portrayal as the drifting twentysomething. Russell is just ok- though she does come across as a little smug & contrived. And while the twists & turns of the plot are rewarding/ at points relatively surprising- there are more than a few holes in the plot.

I guess I should be open, I’m far from a Noland fanboy. Yes I have enjoyed/ been engaged by some of his films (Tenet, Inception and Dunkirk), but equally, I have been underwhelmed/ wondered what the hype was about with his films ( The Dark Night, Interstellar). I’m guessing if you are more of a hardcore Noland fan- and wanted to see where he started/ came from then I think you’ll get more from Following than I did. To be bluntly honest I found it a passable 90’s crime mystery- which often feels rather dated, with not enough decent acting talent/ filmmaking skill to fully pull off what it’s trying to do.

Moving to this new Blu-Ray release of the film. And we get a really good selection of (what I believe are all)  new extras. First off, we have a commentary from lead actor Jeremy Theobald and film critic James Mottram.  They begin by talking about how the actor responded to the script when he first got it-which had been cut up in its timeline, so he re-sequenced so he could plan his take on the role. We find out the film was shot over a period of a year on Saturdays.  They discuss locations & notable people in the background of scenes. We find out the actors rehearsed their role for a month before film- so as not to waste stock. We find out that the element of using the bag came from when Christopher Nolan was burgled himself.  Later on, they discuss the reason for the Batman sticker in the film, and discuss fan theories about elements in the film.  The way the lead characters look changed throughout the film, commenting on the noir elements in the film, and more. All in all, a most interesting track.

Otherwise, we get the following on-screen interviews- Unfollow (23.08) with director Christopher Nolan. Dreamcatching (16.58) Producer Emma Thomas. Wandering(23.30)  Actor Jeremy Theobald. The Blonde (16.04)  Actor Lucy Russell.  Backtracking (21.09)  Editor Gareth Heal. Setting the Pace (11.15) Composer David Julyan. Pay Attention (18.56) Jonathan Nolan . Following in their Footsteps (11.26) Actors Jeremy Theobald & Lucy Russell revisit exterior locations. Lastly Doodlebug - Short Film by Christopher Nolan and theatrical trailer.

I’d say if you are either a Nolan fan, or enjoy arty/noir-inspired films with unpredictable timelines Following will certainly appeal. And while I wasn’t taken by the film, I’m certainly impressed by this new edition from 101 Films, and the bulging selection of extras. So, with that in mind, I’ve shifted this release score up from two to three.