Saxon

Peccadillo Pictures

R2 DVD

Eddie is a man in trouble. Recently out of prison, he has run foul of a loan shark who has taken one eye out with a knife and will take Eddie’s other eye if he doesn’t settle up quickly. Eddie’s last chance is to borrow the money from an old friend, Kevin, who has recently had a big win on a TV quiz show. Eddie and Kevin grew up as a pair of tearways on the old Saxon housing estate. It is now being looked at for an extension of the airport and the tenants of the Council flats are being squeezed out. The Council will make a lot of money on the Saxon deal and has employed a group of thugs called “The Bailiffs” to scare out the last tenants. One of these is Kevin’s wife Linda. Kevin himself is missing and Linda hires Eddie to find him.

Strangely nobody on the estate will talk about Kevin. It is not that they dislike his brutal ways, although he is still as rough as ever, but they are desperately afraid of the Bailiffs. Why are the Bailiffs looking for Kevin? Once it becomes known that Eddie is looking for Kevin too, he becomes a target for the Bailiffs as well as the moneylender. He has quietened down since his period in prison and can’t handle the violence suddenly visited on him. He is bashed, stapled, kicked, and generally given a hard time.

There is a small amount of support for him on the estate but as soon as it is known someone is helping him they get a visit from the Bailiffs. Finally Eddie realises he must kill or be killed.

This is a violent and bloody film in the best British traditions. I can see why it would be heavily cut before release, but this version is a great piece of cinema in spite of the violence. It is well acted, tightly directed and edited, and thankfully does not all take place in gloom and darkness. Sean Harris as Eddie shows his growing acting experience even though his part as written is a little flat. This is Director Greg Loftin’s debut and he shows tremendous potential. It may be low budget but doesn’t show it. In the British crime genre this is an outstanding example.

Reviews appear on the Synergy website with a single cover image. In the digital and print edition, reviews appear with multiple images and with expanded content.

This review will appear in Volume 4 No. 1 of the digital and print edition of Synergy.

We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy. The print and digital editions of Synergy also include a large selection of articles and features not found on the website. If you have a limited download quota you can view the digital edition via the Issuu viewer on the digital edition page.

If you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here to go to the front page of Synergy Website or use the following link: http://www.synergy-magazine.com