Inspired by real events, this hard-as-nails crime drama eschews flip, PULP FICTION-style cleverness and tackles the thriller genre head on. British cabbie Billy Reynolds (Charlie Creed-Miles) gets a gig driving for ex-con Jason Locke (Sean Bean) in Essex, and is impressed with the veteran crook's cool head. Jason served five years in jail and kept his superiors out of the slammer by keeping his mouth shut; now he wants more out of life than settling old scores with snitches. Jason covets a piece of the pie shady impresario Peter Chase (Larry Lamb) and drug-dealer John Dyke (Tom Wilkinson) have carved out for themselves, and for his first step up the Essex-mob ladder, Jason muscles in on the turf of Chase's prime rival, Perry Elley (Billy Mungy). Meanwhile, though Billy feels the seductive pull of the thieves' flashy lifestyle, he has mixed feelings about committing himself to the gangster world. In particular, he disapproves of Jason's abusive treatment of his wife, Lisa Locke (Alex Kingston). After Jason strangles a woman during sex, Billy gets roped into disposing of the body; now, it's too late to exit the scene. Dyke shortchanges Chase's gang in a drug deal and saves his neck by passing along information about Perry's airborne drug shipments, while Lisa plays both ends against the middle by sleeping with Dyke and Billy. After Billy witnesses Dyke's cold-blooded disposal of Jason and his crew, he decides to rip him off, but quickly learns that he's not on a level playing field. Who will be left standing to forge a new felonious alliance in Essex? This unflinchingly cold-blooded, British approximation of '40s noir films unspools with the panther-like grace of that genre's classics. Fueled by its realistic ambience, this true story captures the essence of betrayal as a form of criminal career advancement. --Robert Pardi
