Tony and Psychotic Episodes: A Movie Review

Tony US DVD Artwork

Director/writer: Gerard Johnson.

Revolver Entertainment is a film distribution company, which was formed in 1997 within the United Kingdom. They spanned the globe in 2007 with a Los Angeles office and this proficient film company has released Destricted, Mum and Dad and Lawrence Gough's Salvage. One of their most recent releases is the independent feature Tony, which focuses on a serial killer roaming the seedy neighbourhoods of East London. Receiving much needed funding in 2009, Tony showed for the first time at the Edinburgh Film Festival in Scotland and released in North America, on DVD, April 6th. Tony is an interesting character study of a serial killer and Peter Ferdiando's portrayal of Tony is frightening in its realistic delivery.

In a few simple words, watching Tony is like following a serial killer through his routines, habits and daily rituals over the course of "a week" (Revolver). Tony is "unemployed and unemployable" as his personality is severely developmentally delayed (Revolver). This character lives a life of isolation in a small apartment and his only shaky connections are with prostitutes, drug dealers, and homosexuals from the local gay bar. The outcome is one of bleakness and sadness, which are tones that filter through the viewing of the film.

The life of a sociopath is one of societal detachment, with Tony's tragic upbringing only hinted at in the final scene through the intro' of quiet, terrified voices. However, not all of a serial killer's life involves experiencing pain; sometimes a murderer gets to act out some of the pain on others. Alan Frank from the United Kingdom's Daily Star notes of Ferndiando's interpretation of Tony: "[Ferdiando] is chilling and all-too-scarily convincing as he slices victims’ innards before slinging them into a convenient canal." The inability of Tony to resolve his own inner conflicts creates death for many characters in the film and only a few deserve their fate.

The believability of writer Johnson's Tony is what sets this film apart. Showing Tony as someone suffering from psychoticism is simply brilliant. Psychoticism is the inability of a person to feel empathy for another and a secondary characteristic is anti-social behaviour e.g. criminal activity. An alternate definition from the Third Edition of Personality Psychology: "[they] don’t care about others, are cruel, solitary, do not understand other’s feelings, are aggressive, have a penchant for the bizarre, show antisocial tendencies, enjoy violent films, divulge other people's secrets, and ply people with alcohol." The only element scarier than this definition is the director's ability to base Tony realistically on most of these characteristics. A reviewer for Horror News correctly states of the character Tony: "it is amazing that such a clumsy, mild mannered man can continue to kill and not get caught." But, what sets psychotics apart from the rest of society is their ability to tailor themselves to the people and places in which they are involved. Serial killers, like Tony, are simply cold-blooded killing chameleons, which the director expertly notes in this film.

There are many reasons to recommend Tony to horror or thriller fans, but the most important reason is the use of a believable, very psychotic killer. This is not only entertaining, but an excellent and believable display of an actual serial killer in his natural habitat. Also, Tony is for those who like the darker side of cinema and who are not afraid to open the door to let a little murderous mayhem in. Check this one out now as Revolver has already released the DVD throughout North America April 6th.

Characters/individual characterization/believability: 8.5 (hats are off for actor Ferdiando for losing thirty-five pounds for this part and studying serial killers to create an accurate portrayal).
Setting/realistic/authenticity: 8 (Tony is right at home with the other low-lifes in the neighbourhood).

Overall: 8.5 out of 10 (-1 for shortness, and -.5 for the conclusion, which is inconclusive).

Visit Tony at his website:

The Tony Homepage

Become a fan of Tony on Facebook:

Tony on FB

Tony at Revolver Entertainment w/trailer:

Tony at Revolver

A review of Tony at Horror News.net

Tony Reviewed at Horror News

A review of Tony at the Daily Star:

Tony Reviewed at the Daily Star

Available:



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Posted in: 2010,anna cast,crew,gerard johnson,horror,movie review,movie synopsis,peter ferdiando,psychotic,revolver entertainment,serial killer,synopsis,thriller,tony becker,united kingdom