Jake Pike (Ken Stott) and Steve (Nick Moran) are two small time conmen (Spivs) they set up their cons with the helping hand of Jenny played by Kate Ashfield and “Goat” (Dominic Monaghan). One of the cons they set up causes them more trouble than they had expected, after stealing a lorry which is carrying a large container of which they think is filled with cigarettes or booze they soon find out it is filled with illegal immigrants. Once the illegal immigrants have all run out of the container they discover two young children left inside who Jake has the responsibility of “loading off” somewhere, but Jake finds dumping the children not as easy as he thought and plus, Mr Villa (Tamer Hassan), the head honcho of the people smuggling ring, wants his “cargo” back by any means necessary.
Review:
This film has a nice look to it, Teague has managed to get that same visual quality look you see in Heat or Layer Cake; the colours are vivid and deep and the lighting is excellent. It is in the same vein as The Long Good Friday where a very modern London is shown rather than a Charles Dickens’ view of the city.
The film starts out very light hearted and there is no indication that there is going to be a darker mood to the film later on. The moment the illegal immigrants are discovered it is as if you are watching two films in parallel. Jake’s growing relationship with the children brings an added depth to his character, and you also feel as if you have been taken back into time when he takes the children back to his sister’s house; the layout of the house the music he puts on is straight out of the 1950’s, even the way Jake talks makes you think he should have been running around with the Krays in another lifetime rather than the young con artists who are part of his team.
There is a totally different mood around Jake as the film progresses, each time the scene cuts back to Jenny and Steve, who have decided to go ahead with a “long con” without Jake’s approval, the light heartedness that was felt at the beginning of the film returns. At times I felt the two different moods of the film collided as if the director was not sure if we should be laughing or crying. Just as you were being pulled into Jakes morose mood you would be plucked out and pushed into a light hearted scene. There is another unexpected turn in the film which leaves the watcher not quite believing what has happened.
I enjoyed the film, and it was nice to see Moran playing a role that had a vulnerability, and Linda Bassett who played Jakes sister “Vee” had very good chemistry with Stott, you really believed the brother and sister relationship they were portraying. Although I had my doubts about the parallel stories, by the time I listened to the director and writer’s commentary I began to appreciate the film a lot more. The commentary is lively and it is clear they both enjoyed the whole process of making the film. The extras also include the trailer and an entertaining “featurette” where the actors are interviewed about their roles and what they think of the characters they are playing. The only criticism I have got for the extras is that there are no sub-titles.
Despite my initial doubts about the film I appreciated the writer and director’s attempt to give this gangster caper a little more depth and I think the basic plot was very inventive.