Director Gary Delaney brings to life the writing of Edward Hockin in this powerful feature film. We follow Les Dalton as he is released from prison after serving nine years for armed robbery. As grim as things are on the inside, Les doesn’t have much to look forward to on the outside. A decrepit flat with as much joy and soul as a slab of concrete; an adult daughter who has spent so much of her life without her father that she has become more accustomed to his absence rather than his presence.
Holly is fundamental to the new life Les is trying to build. She helps get him set up with a phone and somewhere to live, but the familial bond between them is distant. The collapse of her parents’ marriage puts Holly in a difficult situation between the two parties.
Despite being on parole, Les’ desire for action gets the better of him as he decides to undertake some work in ‘pest control’. The apartment building where he lives is plagued by two thugs demanding protection money from the residents and terrorising them when they can’t pay.
All the while, Les is being followed by the detective from the case that landed him in prison. Detective Derek Clayton is convinced Les has the missing gold from the robbery. In fact, so is Les’ ex-wife, Carol. Les tries to keep his cards as close to his chest as possible, but when the truth about Carol’s relationship with her new husband emerges, Les has some difficult decisions to make.
Overall, the film is brilliantly executed. From the locations to the cast, right down to the cinematography. As our protagonist, Doug Allen carries the film with a kind of everyman’s James Bond style. He is both suave but also human; Allen treads the fine line between the two with ease. The relationship between Les and his neighbour, Aanya (played by Nimmi Harasgama) adds another dimension to the film with some gentle humour and nuanced conversation. Daisy Badger as the daughter of Les plays an excellent role, remaining elusively mysterious for much of the film. A further source of elusive mysteriousness is Detective Derek Clayton, who exists on the periphery of the narrative as a haunting reminder of Les’ past. Patrick Carney Junior captures the role of the down-beaten detective who can’t let go of an unsolved mystery, providing a thread of threat and drama throughout with his accompanying voice over.
Channelling memories of films like The Italian Job, Hello Darlin’ example of British film at its finest. Watch the trailer below!