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Jamie Bell, Sophia Myles, Ciarán Hinds, Jamie Sives, Maurice Roëves ... see more see more... , Ewen Bremner , Claire Forlani , Ruthie Milne , John Paul Lawler , Lucy Holt , Malcolm Shields , John Comerford , Gerry Cleary , Paul Blair , Neil McKinven , Stuart Hepburn , Kirsty Shepheard

With Hallam Foe, British director Peter MacKenzie and scripter Ed Whitmore adapt the 2002 novel of the same name, a quirky, bittersweet, coming-of-age psychodrama by Peter Jinks. The titular character... read more read more... is the 17-year-old son (Jamie Bell) of a wealthy Scottish businessman (Ciarán Hinds). Still rattled by the death of his mom (who drowned in a nearby loch), Hallam retreats into a deep-seated fantasy world. He harbors amorous feelings for his new stepmother, Verity (Claire Forlani), until he gradually concludes that she murdered his biological mother. Hallam nonetheless lets himself be seduced into an affair with Verity, and is so repulsed by this transpiration that he flees to Edinburgh. His life turns a corner, however, when he spots -- and instantly becomes infatuated with -- Kate (Sophia Myles), a local girl who bears an uncanny resemblance to his mother. After he talks her into giving him a routine job in the kitchen of the hotel that she manages, they become romantically involved, ever so gradually, which spells trouble for Hallam's emotional state by thoroughly overwhelming and confusing him -- and deeper trouble still when Kate's married lover (Jamie Sives) discovers that Hallam has been spying diligently on Kate from his perch in a nearby bell tower. Ewen Bremner co-stars as the bellhop supervisor at the hotel. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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72% liked it

17,688 ratings

Critics

72% liked it

61 critics

R, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: David Mackenzie

Release Date: February 16, 2007

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DVD Release Date: November 11, 2008

Stats: 1,307 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,307)

  • kiriyamakazou
    June 18, 2011
    kiriyamakazou
    Awkward and engrossing movie that overcomes its unlikable lead by making him confused and relatable. It's a very difficult performance Bell has to pull off in this movie. He must present himself as a mentally fractured peeping tom whilst all the while leading us along a romantic ... read morepath. The performances and characterizations are key here. Forlani isn't exactly the evil stepmother from many movies, but she is able to carry a certain stench of menace. Paired with Bell's confusion and creepiness, it adds up to more of an emotional mystery than a murder one. In many ways it's a wonderful coming of age tale, that delicately approaches the mind of a teenager. It bridges the gaps between anger, madness, and danger. At times it tries to be a bit too hip, with it's constant twangy soundtrack, but at least it works nicely with the dull but mesmerizing cinematography.
  • itsjustme2004
    October 25, 2010
    itsjustme2004
    This unusual film was a fantastic journey with the awkward lead character, Hallem Foe, as he pursued his voyeuristic impulses. No spoiler here. The acting was convincing despite the fantastic episodes. Cleverly crafted to form an intense yet warm & funny original work.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    October 28, 2009
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "Who is Hallam Foe?"

    Hallam's talent for spying on people reveals his darkest fears-and his most peculiar desires. Driven to expose the true cause of his mother's death, he instead finds himself searching the rooftops of the city for love.

    ... read moretury Schoolbook">REVIEW
    Hallam Foe is another dark film about buried pain and insecurities, much like director David Mackenzie's Young Adam. Mackenzie is also responsible for the crackling screenplay adapted from the novel by Peter Jinks, the story of a young lad named Hallam (Jamie Bell) damaged by his mother's death to the point where he separates himself from the world by living in a tree house, observing his father (Ciarán Hinds) in his too rapid replacement of Hallam's mother with the dangerous Verity (Claire Forlani). A bizarre 17-year-old, Hallam attacks his fears and the world dressed in a manner of beast like costumes, all to assuage his grief for his mother's death. When Verity's behavior drives Hallam from his elegant home, he retreats to Edinburgh, becoming a boy of the streets. One day he spies a woman named Kate (Sophia Myles) who greatly resembles his dead mother and he begins stalking her, spying on her in every conceivable way until he convinces her to hire him in her hotel as a kitchen porter. Proximity feeds obsession and Hallam discovers that Kate is having an affair with a married hotel executive, the result of which is a clash with reality, and Hallam must confront his Oedipal desires with his coming to grips with the reality of his grief for this deceased mother. The discovery he makes with Kate transfers to his relationship with his own family and opens doors for growth rather than maintaining his jail- like mental anguish.

    The story is bizarre and very dark at times, but the performance by Jamie Bell, well accompanied by those of Hinds, Forlani, Myles et al, make this tale of coming of age fascinating. The art direction (Caroline Grebbell), cinematography (Giles Nuttgens) and musical score (as concocted by Matt Biffa from performers such as Future Pilot A.K.A.) enhance the production - maintaining the high standards set by Mackenzie. Hallam is a lad we grow to love despite his kooky behavior: few other actors could inhabit this role with the élan of the considerably talented Jamie Bell. Recommended.
  • ironclad1609
    September 22, 2009
    ironclad1609
    The story of a teenage peeping tom, dealing with his mother's death, his dad's new wife and then coping with a new life in Edinburgh while meeting a young woman that reminds him of his late mother. While the main character's problems (and the acting) are believable his stalking t... read moreendencies make him a rather ambivalent hero. Thankfully, the drama is regularly met with humor and rather interesting turn of events. That's not horribly exciting but entertaining to watch, especially because things always keep moving and the solution is rather satisfying. Franz Ferdinand put together the soundtrack, by the way.
  • SirPant
    September 17, 2009
    SirPant
    This is a great British film! I was disappointed with David Mackenzie's Young Adam and so wasn't expecting much from this, but it turned out to be my favourite cinema experience of 2007 along with Pan's labyrinth! Jamie Bell is brilliant in the lead role.
  • RossCollinsUK
    September 3, 2007
    RossCollinsUK
    The best British drama I've seen in years, made even better by Cameo "special effects". Some unique views of Edinburgh, but too much spitting for my liking!
  • fb1144932598
    November 27, 2008
    fb1144932598
    A despiccable young man is convinced his stepmother killed his mother and then acts out in bizarre ways to compensate for his anger and grief. A beautiful soundtrack, the luminescent Sophia Myles, masterful camera work, and a finely honed screenplay saved this from two-star purga... read moretory. It was the characters and the story that proved difficult. This viewer found it very uncomfortable viewing and thought that Hallam (Jamie Bell) was just a little too twisted for redemption. My fears were very nearly realized. That his father never leveled with his son until it was nearly too late contributed to the young man's downward spiral. At least the film ended on a hopeful note, although a good deal of damage was inflicted in the interim. Conclusions built on a foundation of lies and misunderstanding make for a very shaky edifice and great injury can result.
  • gator681
    September 8, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Mister Foe," 17-year old Hallam Foe(Jamie Bell) spends most of his time in his treehouse, spying on people, since his mother's suicide. His father's(Ciaran Hinds) marriage to Verity(Claire Forlani) has not helped even though she is trying to be helpful b... read morey trying to get a job for Hallam in London. In the meantime, Hallam's sister, Lucy(Lucy Holt), decamps for Australia. He is further shaken by the vandalization of his treehouse and visit from his evil stepmother that results in his throttling her, followed by them having sex.(Yes, it's consensual but still wrong and icky.) Soon after, he leaves for Edinburgh where he is lost until he spies Kate(Sophia Myles), a dead ringer for his dead mother...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Beneath a gothic facade, "Mister Foe" is an offbeat coming of age movie. A clear sign of maturing is when one moves on from a simplistic black and white worldview, and begins to look at the world as a more complicated organism.(Hallam simply worships his mother while not realizing there was anything seriously wrong with her that would cause her to kill herself. He also does not think anybody is worthy of replacing her but it was only inevitable.) Only by coming into contact and interacting with other people on a daily basis, do we grow as people. And even though a voyeur may not want to harm anyone, it is still an invasion of privacy. But the voyeur is himself hurt because he does not interact with the world, just watches it go by and does not learn anything. [/font]
  • Tss807
    February 4, 2012
    Tss807
    Maybe I just wasn't intelligent enough to get this movie, but to me, Mister Foe was just weird and twisted. Jamie Bell (who I'll always associate with Billy Elliott) was phenomenal as Hallam Foe, a seventeen year old voyeur, whose mother had recently committed suicide. Unable to ... read morecope, Hallam leaves for the big city, where he finds a woman who looks eerily similar to his mother and Hallam starts spying on her. I get that this film was supposed to be coming of age, sophisticated, and meaningful, but honestly, I just found it creepy. The film was choppy, extremely slow, and just when you thought something was going to happen, it doesn't. In Mister Foe, Jamie Bell really does show just how good an actor he has become. Aside from that, this movie is just weird.
  • Yinali
    April 4, 2010
    Yinali
    An interesting story about a young man, who's mother's death has brought him to a psychological breakdown, developing strange habits which involve spying on people he doesn't like to have contact with, while blaming his stepmother.

    Mister Foe has everything a dark and erotic st... read moreory should have. Drama, intense confrontations, sex, powerful performances and more. Even though it's a deep and strange story, you can see Bell's character going through an emotional and difficult period in his life. While finding himself in a beautiful single moment that can only be appreciated in a well made movie.

    As for the movie in general, it was powerfully written, with the perfect soundtrack to complement the scenes. I really recommend.

View All Hallam Foe (Mister Foe) Reviews

Critic Reviews

David Wiegand
October 18, 2008
David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle

Bell was a decent kid actor and a terrific dancer in Billy Elliot, but he's grown into a really first-rate actor. Full Review

Michael Phillips
October 18, 2008
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

[A] prettily photographed but relationally science-fictional coming-of-age blather. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
October 9, 2008
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

It's a coming of age you can believe in. Full Review

Robert Abele
September 5, 2008
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

Although it's nice to see Mackenzie find uplift in the erotic, what helps drive Mister Foe is how deftly he turns chasm into intimacy between Bell and Myles, both of whom give sharply observed, charis... Full Review

Joe Neumaier
September 5, 2008
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

Jamie Bell gives a watchable performance in this self-conscious, coming-of-age drama, though the film's overall effect is best described as David Lynch lite. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
September 5, 2008
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Jamie Bell has his best role since Billy Elliot in Mister Foe, a darkly comic tale of a twisted teen on the cusp of adulthood. Full Review

Claudia Puig
September 5, 2008
Claudia Puig, USA Today

You find yourself wishing that what happened in Edinburgh stayed in Edinburgh. Full Review

A.O. Scott
September 5, 2008
A.O. Scott, New York Times

Mister Foe is infused with enough macabre and comical touches to prevent it from sliding into clinical sensationalism.

Kirk Honeycutt
September 3, 2008
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

It's a showy part, but the movie ably supports it with splendid use of Edinburgh, Scotland's cityscapes, a basket full of startling surprises in the screenplay and characters without a fleck of sentim...

Vadim Rizov
September 3, 2008
Vadim Rizov, Village Voice

What makes Mister Foe such unlikely fun is Bell's accomplished smart-ass routine and Mackenzie's blithe attitude toward taboos. Full Review

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