Patrol Men

Crabtree Films

R2 DVD

Patrol Men is another top quality British product from their ever-increasing range of successful low-budget filmmakers. It may be a little rough around the edges but this does not detract from what is a well-made and rather worrying film.

On a small island off the British coast a local millionaire, Mayor Yorke, who is obsessed with the moral decay on the mainland, has set up his own small fiefdom with around 5000 like-minded people. These people were all prepared to give up their freedom for stability and a world of Old Fashioned Values according to Yorke’s definitions. They are kept in line with tales of a possibly mythical bogeyman, Marcus Day, who murdered a group of people and apparently is still alive and loose on the island today. Any disappearances are blamed on Day. To “protect” the villagers Yorke has set an evening curfew. To enforce the curfew and his other edicts he has also set up the Patrol Men, a group of anonymous men who wear gas masks to hide their identities while doing Yorke’s dirty work.

And Yorke has dirty work to be done. Although the villagers are generally docile it is the young generation that is becoming troublesome. Some have accepted the same values as their parents but others are questioning their suppression. Why the curfew? Does Marcus Day really exist? Why does the island have lots of Patrol Men but not a single policeman? Why are they discouraged at every step from leaving the island, even to attend University? Even though the island is isolated there is still some necessary contact with the outside world like school inspectors and the occasional immigrant. These outsiders cannot be controlled by Yorke so they are treated with suspicion. It is becoming obvious to all but the senior villagers that he is more than a little insane but his charismatic persuasive personality has so far kept the parents in line. They are in turn expected to keep their kids in line.

Local schoolgirl Alex is one who thinks the island needs a change. She simply wants to find out the truth of the Marcus Day myth, if that’s what it is. Such awkward questions cannot be tolerated. She is helped by her friend Jess (he wears a leather jacket and likes rock music so is obviously a rebel). Having attracted Yorke’s attention Alex and Jess are marked down for a visit by the Patrol Men. Her father is persuaded by Yorke’s threats to have Alex blamed for a death caused by one of the Patrol Men. He can’t do much about it.

The new teacher on the island is also becoming suspicious and the School Inspector may be more than he appears to be. Yorke’s little empire is starting to feel the pressure and he retaliates the only way he knows – he sets the Patrol Men onto any dissenter. There is only one way he can be stopped but many will have to give their lives to regain their freedom. In the end, will it work? Can the old people even handle freedom any more?

The plot is a nice if chilling turn on the old “conflict of the generations” story mixed with a generous helping of “absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

In spite of the low budget the film still has a professional look to it. A little more time and money would have gone a long way to explaining some of the gaps in the plot. Writer / directors David Campion and Ben Simpson have taken a very ordinary background and imposed a “what if….?” scenario on it. It works really well. This is the sort of film that should lead them to bigger things.

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