The Tenth Man: Watching a shark try to stay afloat

If you have a thing for black-and-white British dramas where everyone is slightly miserable and wearing very sharp suits, The Tenth Man is probably going to be your kind of Tuesday night. It’s definitely not for folks who need a car chase every ten minutes to keep their eyes on the screen. Honestly, if you aren't into people talking in parlors about politics and status, you’re going to be checking your watch by the half-hour mark.

George Winters is the kind of guy who makes your skin crawl, and that’s the whole point. Watching him scramble to keep his wife from ruining his career is a bit like watching a spider trapped in a glass jar. He’s so used to pulling strings that he doesn't realize the strings have snapped.

The pacing is a bit odd. There are these long stretches where they just talk, and you think nothing is moving, but then someone drops a line that completely changes the mood. It’s almost like Two Crowded Hours, but with fewer actual people in the room and way more tension hanging in the air. 🙄

I found myself staring at the background furniture more than I should have. The set design has this weirdly claustrophobic vibe that works, even if it feels a bit like a stage play that got lost on its way to a movie set. The lighting in the library scene? Pretty great. It makes Winters look like he’s already rotting away inside his own ego.

Some quick thoughts:

• The dialogue is sharp enough to cut yourself on, if you’re paying attention.
• Why does everyone in this movie look like they haven’t slept in three days?
• The ending feels like it just stops. It doesn't really resolve, it just... gives up. I kind of liked that.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra, though obviously in a completely different genre. It’s all about the desperation of trying to look important when you’re actually a total mess. You can feel the sweat on the actors' brows, and I don't think it was just the studio lights.

Is it perfect? Hardly. It’s a bit dry and the stakes feel small if you aren't into the whole 'upper-crust scandal' thing. But if you want to see a guy try to cheat fate and fail spectacularly? This is it. Just don't expect a happy ending or any redemption arcs. It’s just cold, hard, British cynicism. ☕