On the surface, Villain seems like any run-of-the-mill British gangster flick. We have an aging ex-con who is fresh out of a ten year stint in prison, and hoping to live a better life than the one he led prior, as well as reconnecting with those that he has done wrong to, and make amends. However, despite all his efforts, aspects of his life that are beyond his control, combined with the mistakes made by the people he is surrounded with ultimately and tragically pull him back to his old, violent ways, which proves to compromise his quest for redemption.
But below the surface…well…it really kind of is just another one of those movies, but that doesn’t mean director, Philip Barantini, and writers, Greg Hall and George Russo, don’t explore this otherwise familiar territory in a strong and effective way. Though the plot and story beats don’t stray too far from convention, there are somber and occasionally melancholic touches that add a sense of grisliness and weight to the proceedings. These flourishes allow the story to have to more impact than they would had the filmmakers simply relied on all the basic tropes without much desire to exploring the inherent themes further.
The aging ex-con in this case is Eddie Franks (Craig Fairbrass). Once out of prison, he helps out his brother, Sean (George Russo), in running their pub, and fixing the place up. He also tries to reconnect with his daughter, Chloe (Izuka Hoyle), who has a baby of her own now, but she still resents his absence, as well as some regrettable actions he made in his relationship with her mother. What he didn’t expect to be confronted with is a local gangster, Roy (Robert Glenister), that Sean owes a rather huge debt to. As Eddie tries to juggle everything, he ends up falling into old habits and impulses that threatens his hopes.
While the script keeps things largely straightforward, only occasionally delving deeper into interiority of the characters, it’s the actors who really elevate the material into something that resonates. Fairbrass has long been a reliable character actor. He was a fantastic in last year’s Avengement. Here he gets to stretch his dramatic muscles a bit more than he usually does, and he’s great. He adds a sense of gravitas to the film that adds emotional heft to the more quiet moments, while still getting to indulge in some bloody fisticuffs. The rest of the cast is also fairly solid, Hoyle does strong work in her moments with Fairbrass, and Russo is appropriately weasely, but Fairbrass carries the film on his shoulders, and he does it well.
Barantini’s filmmaking is fairly efficient, focused more on function than any overt stylistic flourishes, which works well enough given how much the film puts more emphasis on performance than just about anything else. Although, the film naturally has its fair share of explosive bursts of violence. These moments aren’t presented with a level of grisliness that captures exactly why Eddie would want to improve his life, and move on from his old life as a criminal. It removes any sense of fun from the action, instead adding a more somber tone that reflects the regret and hopes of its lead.
Despite the familiarity of numerous elements in Villain, it’s still comes together as a rock solid gangster film that efficiently puts its focus on dramatizing the complicated and largely internal journey of our lead character. Craig Fairbrass lends his imposing presence, which is well utilized, but he brings in a vulnerability that allows the emotional beats to ring true. It may not necessarily be the most comprehensive character study out there, especially compared to other classics in the genre, but it gets the job done. Plus, Fairbrass straight up bites the nose right off a dude’s face, and spits it out at one point. What’s not to dig about that?
Villain will be available on demand and digital on May 22nd.