I watch a lot of movies, but rarely has a film so surprised me, made me (metaphorically) bite my nails and make me bounce on the seat with cries of joy, outrage, disgust and verbal wonder (i.e.: “WTF?!”).
A post-Ken Loach killer social drama? Portrait of a Serial Assassin Assassinated By Religious Fellas in White Cricket Jumpers, Wicker Man Style? Bonkers Roadkill Revisited? I think this kind of small, mean-spirited, uncompromising film can only come out of “no budget subsidy schemes” (I think that was the word used in the end titles), and is all the evidence needed to cry out for the continuation of such schemes. A young (I think, actually for all I know he could be 105) film maker lets it all out, processes the terrible all the terribleness of humanity into one piece of aggression: killers that want to be cool, but are just unhealthily crazy. Assassination victims that seem to have deserved what they get. Politicians that rule the world by way of secret tribalism (I kid you not). Mobster bosses that look like aged and surgically modified versions of Christopher Walken. And all this fun starts out like a British social drama about the dude who just cannot support his family anymore and gets nasty over the failure. Two great actors at the heart as the charming killer team, some nice support through the wifes. In the end, all the charm is in vain, of course.
thomas4cinema 