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Rent Stormy Monday (1988)

Oscar nominated director Mike Figgis' striking first feature is a tautly constructed crime thriller on the dangers of seduction. Deftly mixing gangsters, femme fatales and jazz - albeit relocated to Figgis' native Northeast - Stormy Monday manages to balance daring originality and social commentary with a loving homage to film noir. Sting stars as Finney, a laconic Newcastle jazz-club owner who crosses the path of crass American gangster Cosmo. Cosmo wants to involve Finney in a land development deal - if only he'll give up his club. Entering into this increasingly dangerous game of brinkmanship is Kate a former gangster's moll trying to put her past behind her. Could a relationship with the club's innocent young apprentice offer a shot at redemption? Boasting stunning cinematography by Roger Deaking and an evocative score composed by former jazz musician Figgis and performed by the Krakow Jazz Ensemble, Stormy Monday uses subtle shadings of character and a vivid sense of place to build to its gripping conclusion. Reminiscent of Get Carter and The Long Good Friday in its meditation on the relationship between crime and economic necessity, this gripping noir stands as one of Figgis' finest achievements.