Dead End is over blown and weak on script. It centres around a fractious family car trip where mum and dad (Will Johnson and Angela Dixon) spend the whole time moaning at each other throughout. There teenage daughter (Frances Speedie) and son (Callum Anderson) are irritatingly miserable and grumpy.The journey takes longer than they had planned and at one point are overtaken by a convoy of travellers. This prompts dad into a confrontation which the family later regrets when they because ambushed by the travellers, tied up and torture. Sounds like a poor mans Rob Zombie movie doesn't it… Right! The family/gang lead by Jamie Foreman leads his motley and deranged family (Jon Campling, James Fisher, Lucy Drive and Jill Greenacre)… Told you Rob Zombie… Mr. Campling even adapts the voice… They all different aspect threatening or violence behaviour while their captors try their best to resist or escape. You kind of hope that it's going somewhere, that there's a deep meaning to it all but… what little there is does start to make sense as the intimidation progresses.Don't get me wrong it is not a total debacle, there are certain bits within Dead End/hard Shoulder to be commended. Mainly the performance of Jamie Foreman as a vicious villain. But there are also chunks of the movie that are simply poor… Cut it down – that's the best thing to do with this kind of low budget movie 75 minutes would be a max... then it would be much better.

I found the three top reviews of this dog of a movie, that also goes by the name Dead End (which for some reason IMDb does not show when it lists this movie by the title of Hard Shoulder), to be extremely out of focus as to the true nature of this poor quality movie. For one thing, it shows a family (blended racially in this modern world of ours) that is poorly acclimated to each other but doesn't really explore into any depth the reasons for this. Secondly it basically takes a dream sequence and uses that as over half the film and then drops a bomb (stink bomb type) on you at the end that supposedly explains everything but basically leaves you hanging. It was poorly acted, poorly directed and made no sense whatsoever so my truthful suggestion is "skip this stinking turkey!" unless your hungry for some Thanksgiving dinner. StocktonRob

Having seen the screener for hard shoulder my first reaction was....run it again...right now! I wasn't sure to expect from a relatively low budget movie by a rookie but I was mesmerised from start to finish. What, on the face of it, appears to be a psychological thriller/horror/fantasy type film, actually runs far deeper and is so cleverly written that even those looking out for it will feel they have missed some of the pieces of the puzzle. As a professional psychotherapist, I found the story line and portrayal insightful and accurate. As a film lover, I found it thrilling, captivating, even shocking in places. Talking to some of the cast after the screening, I was touched by the loyalty each and everyone had for the writer, director and producer, Nicholas David lean. It would seem that they admire his talent and creativity but also hold him in high esteem for his integrity and dedication to the profession. One actress said to me that she had never realised just how many layers where involved in the film, even though she'd played a main character! If you love psychology, horror, characters, some of the actors or just a brilliant film that leaves you wanting more, Hard Shoulder is a must- see.

I had the pleasure of attending a private screening of Hard Shoulder through a friend.I wasn't sure what to expect from the director Nicholas David Lean's film debut, but I was very glad I got to watch it.When the Hard Shoulder starts out you're not sure what to expect, another film about an unhappy family? No. This is after all a psychological thriller. After setting the scene of a unhappy family trying to hold things together, the film gradually builds up the tension and takes a very dark, disturbing and violent turn. Then just when you think you have a grasp of what's going on there is a brilliantly unexpected twist.There is some great acting turns in the film from the likes of Lucy Drive, and Jamie Foreman. Jamie now better known as Derek Branning from Eastenders.I'm not sure when this film is out on general release, but if you get the chance, go see it!