88. Villain; movie review

VILLAIN
Cert 18
97 mins
BBFC advice: Contains very strong language, strong violence

A week after announcing a major re-think on one of the Cockney crime thriller regulars, Terry Stone, I might be persuaded to look at one of his peers, Craig Fairbrass, in a new light.
My reviews have consistently given Fairbrass a hard time because he has bathed too easily in cliched violence.
Villain isn't him throwing away his comfort blanket completely but marks a departure in style and had me unexpectedly engaged.
Sure, Fairbrass is still a rogue but a much more complex one than his previous characters.
He plays Eddie Franks who is released from prison after a ten-year sentence and is attempting to go straight.
However, this is made impossible because of the deep trouble in which his brother (George Russo) has landed himself.
He owes money to two gangster brothers (Robert Glenister and Tomi May) and they are threatening to kill him if he does not pay his debt.
Eddie becomes tangled in the crossfire, ending up using his life savings and calling in favours with mobster friends to try to help.
Don't get me wrong - Villain is pretty basic. There are violence, drugs and bad language with slices of love and betrayal.
But I found it surprising that Fairbrass gives such an effective performance that his character reached out to me.
I could feel his frustration at seeing his plans for a new life going wrong and having to resort to his basic instincts.
This widened my thought process into just how difficult it must be for anyone coming out of a long stretch in jail.
In other words, instead of flowing over me or even prompting me to run in the opposite direction,Philip Barantini's movie, made me think.
It is the first time I reckon I could say that of a movie starring Craig Fairbrass.

Reasons to watch: Surprisingly engaging London crime thriller
Reasons to avoid: Stomach-churning scene

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? An audit in 2017 showed around 30,000 of all adult offenders were proven to have committed at least one reoffence within a year, giving a proven reoffending rate of 29.2%. 

The final word. Craig Fairbrass: "I warmed to the character - I really understood what he was about. When I grew up as a kid my family had their own problems, in and out of prison - a couple were genuinely good people but got into the wrong thing." The Hollywood News

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