Nasty, British and short, but better than I was expecting, this taut gangster thriller pays off, even though the ending was predictable, thanks to a sharp script, slick editing, and some good performances.
Kelly, a prostitute, and Joanne, an 11 year old runaway, hurriedly escape from London to hide in Brighton after an incident in which a man has died. They are pursued by Derek, a pimp, who has been sent to find them under threat of death by Stuart Allen, a notorious gang boss. There is a sense of seedy menace throughout, and it felt a bit like Mike Leigh directing The Long Good Friday. It's hard to avoid cliche in this sort of film - the emotionless and efficiently brutal gang boss, for example - but the theme of child prostitution pushes this into uncomfortable viewing.
The redemption of the ending was a bit pat, but the performances, particularly of Georgia Groome as Joanne, raised the film above the average.
IMDb
Kelly, a prostitute, and Joanne, an 11 year old runaway, hurriedly escape from London to hide in Brighton after an incident in which a man has died. They are pursued by Derek, a pimp, who has been sent to find them under threat of death by Stuart Allen, a notorious gang boss. There is a sense of seedy menace throughout, and it felt a bit like Mike Leigh directing The Long Good Friday. It's hard to avoid cliche in this sort of film - the emotionless and efficiently brutal gang boss, for example - but the theme of child prostitution pushes this into uncomfortable viewing.
The redemption of the ending was a bit pat, but the performances, particularly of Georgia Groome as Joanne, raised the film above the average.
IMDb
No comments:
Post a Comment