Plot: When local London gangster and ex-boxer Tom Sheridan
agrees to hire his strip club out to lifelong friend and colleague Ian Levine
he soon discovers the private party involves something so atrocious and
unspeakable that it sparks a bloody feud between the two old friends and their
foot soldiers in a story of morality, loyalty and betrayal.
Starring: Michael McKell, Ian Pirie, Emma Barton, Kris
Johnson.
My Review and Thoughts:
Human trafficking, sex crimes, pedophilia, these have always
been a controversial subject. The idea of child sex slaves is a disgusting
reality. A very vivid depiction that none of us want to think about.
Sadly this is a subject and a reality that happens every
day, every hour, every moment, for its right next to us and we don't even know
it. It's in our neighborhoods, in our town, in our state and in our country,
it's all around the world.
Are you ready for three words? I'm about to describe this
movie in three words: Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant. This is a controversial
film that displays what is moral. It's a film that showcases a disgusting
subject. A disgusting reality of sex trafficking, human trafficking. It plays
it out in a thought provoking reality-based scenario. Truly unbelievable when
the friends you think you know ends up becoming the monster.
There's something about British crime films, thick films
that delve into a gritty crime drama, mixed with ultra-hard-core violence,
twisted around a shocking subject matter that just grabs me and entertains me.
This film has it all.
This is a solid film even though it had a low budget it
created something that should stand out with viewers. It's something that I'll
come back to over and over again because it tells a well-crafted story. Acted
wonderfully and plays out the suspense thriller that has a memorable image to
it, a dirty image, a nasty image, a perfectly graphic image.
This is a must see independent film, one that grabs you with
its cinematography. Its amazing camera work and music soundtrack, but most of
all the story and the brilliant direction.
Violence, revenge, dark humor and most of all an amazing
written piece.
It's a twisted spiral story, you see it from beginning, the
middle, to the end, and it’s a film that comes together in a riddle setting. It
flashes in pieces. Flash backs to the moment happening and then incidents you
have witnessed already.
All the actors are perfect in it. STUNNING, BELIEVABLE
PERFORMANCE, MIXING DARK HUMOR WITH VIOLENT TENDENCIES AND AN OVERALL SPIRAL OF
DISTURBING REALITY.
Kris Johnson gives a twisted acting performance as Chris,
the head gangster stooge. He mixes violent actions with black comedy moments.
Twisted humor inside violent moments. His performance deserves an award, many
awards. He was a twisted sadistic character that brilliantly performs on
screen. I was floored with the reality of his character. He truly was a
sadistic monster in this film and he acted it out in a brilliantly flawless
way. I feel his performance was a perfect masterpiece persona. I cannot speak
enough about his character, about his performance, he made the bad guy a total
reality.
Ian Pirie played the somewhat hero and the one with the
rational morality in that he would not turn the cheek and ignore the horrors
that was happening. He captured his performance perfectly.
Michael McKell is a sick twisted soul in this film. He is
perfect in the role of Ian and he always has been a flawlessly gifted talent in
anything he does. He plays the part of Ian to a golden degree. He is one
character I will remember as being immoral and truly a tragic disturbing soul.
His character reminds me of Denzel Washington in Training Day.
Tom Carey and Victoria Donovan and Emma Barton played there
parts as believable victims. They gave great drama induced moments of
personality and pieces of humanity to the story.
The movie comes together like a book. It's displayed in
chapters giving it a truly memorable reality.
I will remember this movie because it's golden, it's like
taking Goodfellas and mixing it with Pulp Fiction. This is a hard-core gritty
crime thriller drama, mixing dark comedy in it.
I laughed at times and it almost made me feel a little dirty, laughing
at the subject matter of certain situations. The way it was performed it was
done in that dark comedy way where you really shouldn't be laughing because of
what's taking place. The way it was acted out, the way the script flowed made
the viewer want to giggle at spots.
I will tell you one thing I don't think I've heard the word
F***K and the word C**T as many times as this movie vocally displays them. On a
side note in a humorous way there is a bonus featurette on the DVD that
displays every bad word spoken in it in a little collage of scenes.
Now I have to give a huge shout out to the director Peter
Stylianou. He not only is the Director, but also Production Designer, Art
Director, Visual Effects, Writer, Editor, Special Effects, Sound Department,
Camera and Electrical Department. Can you say that three times fast? He does
just about everything on this movie. His writing talent, his imagination to tell
a dark, gritty, humorous at times thick, violent, disturbing, drama based story
is amazing. This is his first movie, he's directed other short films, but this
is his first film and it blows my mind that he put so much into his first film
creating something truly flawless in my viewpoint. This is one badass film and
I say that with the biggest grin on my face because I loved it.
Awesome amazing thick crime reality characters. Gangster
slick suits, swarthy approach. That classic gangsta image of richness and
intimidation of power.
I highly recommend this film. I highly recommend it to
anyone that loves crime stories, crime fiction, crime reality, anyone that
loves gangster films, and anyone that loves gritty British crime thrillers.
This is the one to see. This is one of my new favorite films.