A Day of Violence

A Day Of Violence

British Crime

Giallo Films

This independent production is a good example of the new face of British crime films. With the American industry retreating to socially “safe” themes like family values it is good to see a film that more realistically portrays crime and criminals. Whether the Americans like it or not crime still exists and sanitising a film so as not to offend anyone too much is a false reality. The British filmmakers seem to be taking their place – perhaps British viewers are a little more mature and can face up to the real world of guns and drugs?

Mitchell is a low-level debt collector for a local drug gangster. One day, while collecting a payment from “Hopper”, he finds a stash of money – around a hundred thousand pounds. Not only is Hopper holding out on Mitchell’s boss, he is obviously dealing through another supplier and holding out on him as well. Mitchell kills Hopper and takes the money. Hopper has filmed him taking the money on his mobile phone just before Mitchell killed him. Mitchell is sick of the increasing violence in his job and has already arranged to work for another gangster, Boswell. The money may help him get out of the criminal world.

Boswell feels that the man who first checked Hopper’s flat was incompetent. He has the man tortured, castrated and killed. The man was Mitchell’s friend but he is forced to watch as his friend is killed. Mitchell may have landed in with a worse gangster than his previous employer. Boswell is the dealer Hopper was getting his new drug supplies from and he wants his money. Mitchell has told him that when he went to collect, the flat had already been turned over and there was no money. When some of Boswell’s men return to check the flat they find the mobile with the incriminating movie on it. The hunt is now on for Mitchell.

He is caught by Boswell and tortured, but manages to escape. He has enough money to leave the country but he has to fight off the gangsters first. Man after man dies in a series of gunfights. Is Mitchell strong enough to prevail?

Director and writer Darren Ward has put buckets of blood and graphic violence into this film. It is not just a bloodfest, though – the violence is an important part of the plot and the characters of the gangsters. The acting is superb with Nick Rendell playing a strong role as Mitchell – we can empathise with him despite him being a violent man himself. Victor D Thorn as Boswell delivers a strong performance as a thoroughly evil gang boss. There is nothing likeable about him at all the way Thorn plays the role.

This is a good film. It’s bloody and brutal in a way that will see it heavily cut if it makes it to the U.S. but it’s intelligent, realistic and a refreshing change from the bad-but-basically-honest-guy style of criminal film. Give it a go, but send the kiddies to bed first.

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