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VILLAIN (2020)
Director: Philip Barantini Cast: Craig Fairbrass, George Russo, Izuka Hoyle, Robert Glenister, Tomi May, Eloise Lovell Anderson, Mark Monero, Nicholas Aaron MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:37 Release Date: 5/22/20 (digital & on-demand) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | May 21, 2020 There's nothing special about the familiar story of Villain. Greg Hall and George Russo's screenplay deals with a recently released convict, determined to keep legally clean, who's pulled back into the criminal underworld of London for reasons beyond his control. As has been endlessly pointed out, though, it doesn't matter what story a movie is telling. The vital thing is how that story is told. This film, directed by Philip Barantini (making his feature debut), is told with a surprising degree of intelligence and intimacy. The plot is kept to a minimum, because it's of a secondary concern. While this plot may be about gangsters and their threats over a sizeable debt, the story is entirely about Eddie Franks (Craig Fairbrass) and his determination to live a normal life. There's a big problem with that plan: He cannot evade the errors of his past, the circumstances of his present, and the almost reflexive way in which he resorts to violence and sees the solution to any problem in crime. After a 10-year stint, Eddie is released from prison after being a model inmate. He returns home to a bar he owns, currently run by Eddie's brother Sean (George Russo), and an apartment above the joint. Both have seen better days. In the meantime, Eddie starts living with his brother, who's involved in cocaine—using and selling. The latter business has raised the ire of fraternal crime lords Roy (Robert Glenister) and Johnny (Tomi May). A deal went badly. The two gangsters want tens of thousands of pounds, or they'll kill Sean. Eddie tries. He really does, whether it be in negotiating with the gangsters, finding the money by borrowing some from an old friend (played by Mark Monero) who's bored with retirement (The world has passed them by, Eddie laments), or connecting with his estranged daughter Chloe (Izuka Hoyle), who now has a baby. Despite all of this trying, the film refuses to paint Eddie in a rosy light. He has done some terrible things, and even before the gangsters start increasing their demands and threats, Eddie shows that he's still capable of them—brutally beating two guys who are behind on their bar tab. Fairbrass' performance, hardened but vulnerable, is as effectively frill-less as the film itself. Villain doesn't need any stylistic flash or narrative trickery. It smartly relies on the strength of its central character. Copyright © 2020 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for strong violence, pervasive language, drug use and some sexual
material)
