History Film / AFieldInEngland

-->-- O'Neill

The obsequious alchemist's assistant Whitehead ([[Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen Reece Shearsmith]]) is searching for an Irishman named O'Neill (Creator/MichaelSmiley), who has stolen some items of great value from his master. He flees from his strict commander Trower ([[Series/TheMightyBoosh Julian Barratt]]) during a skirmish, and meets a man called Cutler along with two deserted soldiers, Jacob and Friend. Cutler entices the others to come along with him with the promise of stopping off at an alehouse. However, he soon reveals himself as O'Neill's accomplice. The two are searching for buried treasure, and take the three other men captive to help them find it, with the aid of psychedelic mushrooms.

* AgonyOfTheFeet: First Friend retaliates to an attack by Jacob by jabbing his spade into his foot. During the Showdown, [[spoiler:Jacob almost shoots O'Neill's foot off with a musket. Followed by a slow motion closeup of the remaining bone snapping under his weight.]]

* BadassBookworm: O'Neill is a lot more dangerous than the average alchemist - hitting a man in the face with a shovel is one of his less violent acts.
* BadassCape: O'Neill shows his off [[http://colourschool.co.uk/2013/10/a-field-in-england/ to eerie effect]].
* BerserkButton: Don't call O'Neill a fool or question the efficacy of his or Whitehead's magic. [[spoiler: When Cutler does both, after O'Neill fails to find treasure in the spot that Whitehead indicates, O'Neill's response is to shoot his brains out]].

* BewitchedAmphibians: O'Neill threatens to turn Jacob into a frog when the latter mouths off to him. Later on, Jacob has a check-up with Whitehead, who assures him that the pustules on his genitals derive from a venereal disease (most likely syphilis), rather than being a sign of slow amphibian transformation, as he had feared. In fact, being turned into a frog is one of few complaints Jacob ''isn't'' suffering from.
* BigBad: O'Neill.

** When O'Neill drags Whitehead's party off to dig up the treasure, Jacob suddenly stops the march, and gives O'Neill his shovel, politely explaining that [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he was not interested in digging up the treasure, and wanted to leave the party]]. [[BadBoss O'Neill responds by]] [[ShovelStrike smacking Jacob in the face with the shovel]], and tells him to quit being lazy and get to work.

* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler: Cutler]] and [[spoiler: O'Neill]] both die this way, with the latter getting his ''whole'' face blown off.

* ButtMonkey: Jacob suffers the most indignities out of the cast. First he gets painfully constipated, then he falls and hits his balls on stinging nettles, then O'Neill hits him in the face with a shovel, then it's discovered he has syphilis and Whitehead has to examine his penis, and ''then'' Cutler pisses on him.

* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler: O'Neill performs some sort of horrific torture upon Whitehead as part of a spell to turn him into a human divining rod so he can locate the treasure]]. We don't see what's actually happening to him, but we hear the screams.

* DeadpanSnarker: Friend, as well as O'Neill to a lesser degree.

* DidISayThatOutLoud: [[spoiler: After [[TooDumbToLive Cutler calls O'Neill]] a "[[BerserkButton charlatan and a fool]]" for believing his and Whitehead's alchmical ability to be real, [[ThatCameOutWrong he desperately claims he was trying to say something else]], and [[AintTooProudToBeg pleads for his life]] - all while [[TranquilFury O'Neill calmly]] [[BoomHeadshot slides the pistol into his mouth...]]]]

* TheDragon: Cutler, to O'Neill.
* DramaticWind: One is apparently conjured up by [[spoiler: Whitehead]] after ingesting a load of magic mushrooms. [[spoiler: It's crucial to defeating O'Neill]].

* FightingIrish: O'Neill is a badass Irish alchemist.

* TheGhost: Whitehead and O'Neill's unseen master.

* HandCannon: O'Neill carries a massive doglock pistol that is shown to be capable of blowing limbs off.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: During the showdown, Whitehead deliberately eats large quantities of the strange mushrooms in the belief that it will give him the same powers as O'Neill. [[spoiler:After he kills O'Neill, he literally [[TakingUpTheMantle takes up the mantle]] and hat, and gathers his magic notes and mirror, seemingly picking up O'Neill's work.]]
* HiddenAgendaVillain: It's never explained what the treasure is or what O'Neill intends to do with it, though his comments imply a desire to radically transform English society.

* LastNameBasis: Whitehead, Cutler, Trower and O'Neill.
* LeeroyJenkins: At the climax, Friend thinks the best way to take care of O'Neill is [[spoiler: to charge at him in the open with a spear, even though O'Neill has a gun. Predictably, it fails.]] It's implied he did it as a deliberate HeroicSacrifice, however.

* MindScrew: The film has many bizarre plot points that never get fully explained, such as O'Neill appearing when the others pull on a rope or the black planet that Whitehead sees coming at him several times. Then Whitehead eats the mushrooms, after which [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness it's unclear if what we're seeing is actually happening]].

* NiceHat: O'Neill's wide brim cap, which, along with his BadassCape, help him strike an imposing figure.

* PreMortemOneLiner: [[spoiler:"The coward is here!", just before Whitehead kills O'Neill.]]

* RuleOfThree: [[spoiler: Friend dies three times. The first is in the opening scene, when he drops dead after emerging from the hedgerow, the second is when Cutler shoots him in the chest, and the third is when O'Neill shoots him during his SelfDestructiveCharge]].

* SelfDestructiveCharge: [[spoiler: Friend dies for a second time attempting to charge O'Neill, who is armed with a pistol, using nothing more than his pike. Not a SenselessSacrifice, as it allows Whitehead to walk up and blow O'Neill's head off]].

* TookALevelInBadass: Whitehead, after his MushroomSamba, [[spoiler:is able to muster the courage to kill O'Neill and fulfill his mission before apparently returning to the battlefield]]

* VillainousBreakdown: O'Neill loses his cool and gives in to homicidal rage after [[spoiler:Cutler tells him the hole contains no treasure, only bones... and ''then'' calls him a fool for believing Whitehead could've led him to an actual treasure]].
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Whitehead has one at the end, before his final confrontation with O'Neill.
* YouHaveFailedMe: O'Neill's first act after his VillainousBreakdown [[spoiler: is to shoot Cutler in the mouth with his pistol, both for his failure to find the treasure and for insulting O'Neill afterwards.]]

* {{Homunculus}}: It's hinted that Whitehead is one.

* GroinAttack: In the midst of a rather painful shit, Jacob falls over and hits his bare balls on some stinging nettles, causing him to howl in pain.

* MrViceGuy: Jacob loves his boozing and whoring. It's earned him a number of venereal diseases.

* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler: O'Neill performs some sort of horrific torture upon Whitehead as part of a spell to turn him into a human divining rod so he can locate the treasure]].

* SceneryPorn: the fields around Guildford have never looked so good.

* GeniusBonus: Whitehead is almost certainly named after the philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, who was a huge influence on the work of Terrence McKenna, "the Timothy Leary of the 90's," who did a lot of research with psychedelics, specifically mushrooms, alchemical history, and the relationship between the two.
** Some of the more elaborate MindScrew moments make more sense (well, [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane for whatever sense is reliable in this movie]]) if one connects them to English folklore and alchemy, such as the part where Whitehead's group finds O'Neill by pulling a log out of the ground with a rope. Another piece of folklore that may shed more light on the story is about how going through a hedgerow (like the one all of the characters go through at the start of the film) [[DownTheRabbitHole can lead one to a completely different world]].

->''"Open up and let the Devil in"''

* LeeroyJenkins: At the climax, Friend thinks the best way to take care of O'Neill is [[spoiler: to charge at him in the open with a spear, even though O'Neill has a gun. Predictably, it fails.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: Whitehead, after his MushroomSamba, [[spoiler:is able to muster the courage to kill O'Neill and fulfil his mission before apparently returning to the battlefield]]

-->-- ''O'Neill''

* DeadToBeginWith: [[http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/a-field-in-england/5057950.article At least one review]] has [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory interpreted]] the eponymous Field as being some kind of purgatory. Much is made of the fact that the characters are physically separated from the battlefield by a hedgerow, and they are headed to an [[OffscreenAfterlife alehouse]] that may or may not exist. [[spoiler: The supernatural events that occur later in the film, such as characters apparently coming back from the dead, give further credence to this theory]]

** "We shall sample a better quality of suffering in this man's company, I am certain"

* MaleFrontalNudity: The audience is treated to a view of Jacob's [[FanDisservice syphilitic member]]. Later on, we are given a full view of Cutler urinating on Jacob and Friend.

''A Field in England'' is a 2013 [[GenreBusting psychedelic historical drama]] set during the EnglishCivilWar, directed by Ben Wheatley (also known for ''Film/KillList'' and ''Film/{{Sightseers}}''). Filmed on a low budget in [[DeliberatelyMonochrome Black-and-White]], it follows the adventures of a group of deserters and their descent into hallucinogen-induced madness.

''A Field in England'' is a 2013 [[GenreBusting psychedelic historical drama]] set during the EnglishCivilWar, directed by Ben Wheatley. Filmed on a low budget in [[DeliberatelyMonochrome Black-and-White]], it follows the adventures of a group of deserters and their descent into hallucinogen-induced madness.

** When O'Neill drags Whitehead's party off to dig up the treasure, Jacob suddenly stops the march, and gives O'Neill his shovel, politely explaining that [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he was not interested in digging up the treasure, and wanted to leave the party]]. [[BadBoss O'Neill responds by]] [[SpadePain smacking Jacob in the face with the shovel]], and tells him to quit being lazy and get to work.

** As Whitehead's group is still getting their bearings in the field, Jacob walks off to take a shit. [[GilliganCut What follows next involves]] [[ScreamDicretionShot Jacob screaming in agony]] [[spoiler: [[BowelBreakingBricks as his shit is absolutely constipated]]]].

* BlackComedy: The often demented sense of the story makes it veer into this territory often. Some prominent examples can be seen below:
** As Whitehead's group is still getting their bearings in the field, Jacob walks off to take a shit. What follows next involves Jacob screaming in agony [[spoiler: [[BowelBreakingBreaks as his shit is absolutely constipated]]]].

** When O'Neill drags Whitehead's party off to dig up the treasure, Jacob suddenly stops the march, and gives O'Neill his shovel, politely explaining that [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he was not interested in digging up the treasure, and wanted to leave the party]]. [[BadBoss O'Neill responds by]] [[SpadePain smacking Jacob in the face with the shovel]], and tells him to quit being lazy and get to work.

** Some of the more elaborate MindScrew moments make more sense (well, [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane for whatever sense is reliable in this movie]]) if one connects them to English folklore and alchemy, such as the part where Whitehead's group finds O'Neill by pulling a log out of the ground with a rope. Another folk tale that may shed more light on the story is that how going through a hedgerow (like the one all of the characters go through at the start of the film]] [[DownTheRabbitHole can lead one to a completely different world]].

* DidISayThatOutLoud: [[spoiler: After [[TooDumbToLive Cutler calls O'Neill]] a "[[BerserkButton charlatan and a fool]]", [[ThatCameOutWrong he desperately claims he was trying to say something else]], and [[AintTooProudToBeg pleads for his life]] - all while [[TranquilFury O'Neill calmly]] [[BoomHeadshot slides the pistol into his mouth...]]]]

The obsequious alchemist's assistant Whitehead ([[Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen Reece Shearsmith]]) is searching for an Irishman named O'Neill (Michael Smiley), who has stolen some items of great value from his master. He flees from his strict commander Trower ([[Series/TheMightyBoosh Julian Barratt]]) during a skirmish, and meets a man called Cutler along with two deserted soldiers, Jacob and Friend. Cutler entices the others to come along with him with the promise of stopping off at an alehouse. However, he soon reveals himself as O'Neill's accomplice. The two are searching for buried treasure, and take the three other men captive to help them find it, with the aid of psychedelic mushrooms.

* AgonyOfTheFeet: First Friend retaliates to an attack by Jacob by jabbing his spade on his foot. During the Showdown, [[spoiler:Jacob almost shots of O'Neills foot with a musket. Followed by a slow motion closeup of the remaining bone snapping under his weight.]]

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: During the showdown, Whitehead deliberately eats large quantities of the strange mushrooms in the belief that it will give him the same powers as O'Neill. [[spoiler:After he kills O'Neill, he is literally TakingUpTheMantle and hat, and gathers his magic notes and mirror, seemingly picking up his work.]]

* AgonyOfTheFeet: First Friend retaliates to an attack by Trower by jabbing his spade on his foot. During the Showdown, [[spoiler:Trower almost shots of O'Neills foot with a musket. Followed by a slow motion closeup of the remaining bone snapping under his weight.]]

* BerserkButton: [[spoiler: Don't call O'Neil a fool. When Cutler did this, believing O'Neil was a sucker to think Whitehead lead him to the treasure, O'Neil shoots his mouth off - and then tries to kill Whitehead and Jacob for good measure.]]
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Whitehead. [[spoiler: "The coward is here" BOOM!]]

* TheBigGuy: Jacob.

* LeeroyJenkins: [[spoiler:At the climax, Friend thinks the best way to take care of O'Neill is to charge at him in the open with a spear, even though O'Neill has a gun. Predictably, it fails.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:Whitehead]]

* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler:O'Neill's first act after his VillainousBreakdown is to shoot Cutler in the mouth with his pistol, purely because of his failure to find the treasure.]]
** [[spoiler: It should be noted that O'Neil didn't just shoot Cutler for not finding the treasure, [[TooDumbToLive but because Cutler called him a fool to his face]] (and implying both his and Whitehead's alchemist abilities were bogus in the process). Although not finding the treasure on top of that probably didn't help Cutler's argument.]]

* BerserkButton: [[spoiler: Don't call O'Neil a fool. When Cutler did this, believing O'Neil was a sucker to think Whitehead lead him to the treasure, O'Neil shoots his mouth off - and then tries to kill Whitehead and Jacob for good measure.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: O'Neill loses his cool and gives in to homicidal rage after [[spoiler:Cutler tells him the hole contains no treasure, only bones]].

** [[spoiler: It should be noted that O'Neil didn't just shoot Cutler for not finding the treasure, [[TooDumbToLive but because Cutler called him a fool to his face]] (and implying both his and Whitehead's alchemist abilities were bogus in the process). Although not finding the treasure on top of that probably didn't help Cutler's argument.]]

* BerserkButton: [[spoiler: Don't call O'Neil a fool. When Cutler did this, believing O'Neil was a sucker to think Whitehead lead him to the treasure, O'Neil shoots his mouth off - and then tries to kill Whitehead and Jacob for good measure.]]

* DidISayThatOutLoud: [[spoiler: After [[TooDumbToLive Cutler calls O'Neill]] a "[[BerserkButton charlatan and a fool]]", he desperately claims he was trying to say something else, and pleads for his life - all while O'Neill calmly slides the pistol into his mouth...]]

** [[spoiler: It should be noted that O'Neil didn't just shoot Cutler for not finding the treasure, [[TooDumbToLive but because Cutler called him a fool to his face]] (and implying both his and Whitehead's alchemist abilities were bogus in the process). Although not finding the treasure didn't help Cutler's argument.]]