Director: Philip Barantini
Writer: Greg Hall, George Russo (Screenplay)
Starring: Craig Fairbrass, Robert Glenister, George Russo, Mark Monero, Izuka Hoyle, Taz Skylar
Plot: Eddie Franks is a former criminal who attempts to help his family by reconnecting with his daughter and clearing his brother’s debt. Despite his efforts, he is drawn back into a criminal way of life, with devastating consequences.
Tagline – Crime runs in the blood
Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Villain starts when Eddie Franks (Fairbrass) is released from prison, where he finds his younger brother Sean (Russo) has ran up a massive debt to mobsters Roy (Glenister) and Johnny (May) who want their money.
Eddie whose reputation is no longer what it once was, needs to find the money to solve the problem, only it is more than they could manage, forcing Eddie back into a more dangerous way of life, one which will risk him returning to prison again, but save his brother and his own life.
Thoughts on Villain
Characters – Eddie Franks is from the hard hitting side of London, which has seen him locked up in prison for his crimes, he has always handled himself well in prison, having a good reputation with the inmates and the guards. Once on the outside, he learns that things have changed, his brother has created a debt he can’t pay off and the man he owes will not treat him with the respect he would expect. Roy Garrett is the head mobster in the city, he will expect to get paid, use his brother to strike fear into everyone, he doesn’t give Eddie the respect he might well have once done, but does prefer to keep things in the talking levels, rather than the violence. Sean is the younger brother of Eddie who has found himself hooked on coke and creating a massive debt he can’t pay off, which was out of his own control. He hasn’t helped the family business, showing he always needed his big brother around. Johnny is the aggressive brother of Roy, that will turn to violence to get what the family believe they are owed.
Performances – Craig Fairbrass as the tough guy of London always looks the part in these roles, Robert Glenister and Tomi May work well together as two opposites that will demand money. George Russo as the reckless brother works well too, with the cast all making us feel like we are in a generation change war in London.
Story – The story here follows a man released from prison who must look to clean up his brothers debts and try and make amends for the errors in his own life, while facing a new threat in a changing vision of London. The story does take us through the gangster world of the East end of London, which will show us the well dressed gentlemen that want and believe they control the area, the people stuck under their thumbs and the upstart criminals all trapped in one area. This does show one man trying to do everything right through the criminal side of everything, showing us just how someone could turn their lives around and need to fix the errors of their way.
Action – The action is held back for the few violent scenes which will show just how disturbing this world can be for everyone.
Settings – The film is set in East London, showing us how it has become a criminal hot spot, waiting to explode on the world.
Scene of the Movie – Here is the final deal.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Poster is very misleading.
Final Thoughts – Villain is a hard hitting East London gangster movie that has a relentless pace about everything.
