3/5 – gritty, action packed, ravey, English thriller

Strap yourself in for a dirt bike thriller. Jack, a former motor cross champion who’s fresh out of the army, has to do one last drug pick up favour for a friend to get the money he needs to look after his brother, after the murder of his mother. But nothing is ever that simple. The pick up goes wrong and when he returns home his brother is missing. Jack has to search the underbelly of his home town to track down his brother and get rid of the drugs.

It’s set in the north east of England and the expansive grey landscapes, cold beaches, and fire-belching oil plants – coupled with a pumping soundtrack – are a great backdrop to the story. It was good to see a less bucolic, stereotypical corner of England than that normally depicted by the film industry.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Emily, The Invisible Man), in the main role, says little but delivers lots as he races from rave to dive to come face-to-face with the past from which he’s been hiding. Jenna Coleman (Dr Who, Queen Victoria) does her best with not much to go on, as the ex-girlfriend he turns to for help.

It’s a fast-paced, pulpy thriller, set over one night, packed with action. It starts well – with Jack sea kayaking under wind turbines and diving for drugs – and ends well with a chilling family confrontation. It’s a bit messy along the way, and I, for one, couldn’t keep a straight face every time the horse appeared, but it’s an enjoyable watch and a promising film debut from former TV director Jamie Childs (The Sandman, His Dark Materials)

Writer/Director: Jamie Childs

Cast: Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jenna Coleman, Thomas Turgoose, Joe Blakemore, Rochelle Goldie, Leon Harrop

Duration: 97 mins

Rating: 15