Spotlighting another Benedict Cumberbatch favorite, Little Favour! A brilliantly written, played and directed short film 2013!

In Little Favour we meet Wallace (Benedict Cumberbatch), a special ops-type guy who is approached by an old colleague named James (Colin Salmon) in order to make good on a lingering debt. James is currently at the wrong end of a bad deal and needs help to protect his most precious asset. However, some favors ask more of us than others – as Wallace quickly learns when he is plunged headfirst into the midst of the threat James is up against.

Written and directed by Patrick Viktor Monroe, Little Favour is a film that hits all the right marks of a great short. At approximately twenty minutes long, it tells a dark and thrilling espionage tale with (albeit mostly implied) depth, good character and narrative development, themes, symbolism, and some slick action and surprising twists, to boot. What’s not to like?

Monroe’s script, as stated above, strikes perfect chords of resonance, logic, and organic emotion, creating a situation that is grounded and wholly believable within the super-spy world the film creates; the dialogue, while sparse, is smart and well-balanced in its heightened reality gravitas. Monroe’s direction is sleek, the shots well-conceived and framed – while cinematographer James Friend (Truth or Die) creates a vividly dark and gritty tone that gives the film an appropriately rough (but beautiful) edge.

A few pieces from my personal collection. The script signed by the director and the cast/crew t-shirt.

Signed script and t-shirt, that was only given to those that contributed to the short film.

The production Lego on the front of the t-shirt.

The back of the t-shirt.