Rent Villain (2020)

Standard gangster film - Villain review by HM

Out of prison after a 10 year stretch our anti-hero finds his brother in a tangled web of debt putting their family pub in danger of going out of business. So, our boy takes on local hoodlums. An attempt is made to show him as a potential good family man having turned over a new leaf. Needless to say it all goes wrong. A well trodden plot path doesn't offer anything new, but it is a fairly entertaining film with a quick pace, slowing occasionally for 'family moments'.

Nothing new - Villain review by JW

Not sure why this was on my list, maybe because I've always quite enjoyed Craig Fairbrass as a screen presence. But this is a cliché ridden unimaginative affair, with cartoonish characters and a predictable plot.

Also there's zero extras on the DVD, and not even subtitles, so I couldn't recommend it as a rental. Try Hyena instead if you haven't seen it, set in a similar world but far far superior.

Surprisingly Good British Crime Thriller - Villain review by GI

A London based crime thriller that is surprisingly well done and entertaining. The trailer, poster and even casting suggest a clichéd rehash of any number of cheap exploitation flicks but this one is rather good. Craig Fairbrass who has made a career of playing hard men and has a somewhat limited acting range has of recent times been giving some performances that have some added spice and varied flavour. Here he plays Eddie, a career criminal just released after a long stretch and looking forward to running his family pub with his younger brother, Sean (George Russo). He's soon in for some unpleasant surprises as Sean is in hock to the Garrett brothers (Robert Glenister & Tomi May) who want their money or the pub. Eddie has resort to his old life to resolve his problems. Fairbrass plays this as a man torn between his old life and the redeemed one he really wants. He desperately wants to reconnect with his daughter (Izuka Hoyle) and make an honest new start but inside is the subdued anger of a violent man ready to burst out. On the face of it this has a vengeance narrative but it ends up being more nuanced and intriguing. It has some brutal violence but overall it's actually quite restrained. The female characters are a little underdone and lack depth but that aside this is a British crime film that is well worth checking out.