I was really looking forward to watching this film, having very much enjoyed Bernard O Mahoney's book of the same name upon which the film is based.
Unfortunately, Craig Fairbrass is conspicuous by his absence; having nailed the role of Pat Tate in Rise of the Foot Soldier, one would have thought he'd be alongside Terry Stone once more. Instead we have Tamer Hassan, who snarls and curses his way through the role in a somewhat unconvincing fashion. Stone, who played a blinder as the bullying Tucker in ROTFS, is reduced to a sidekick not dissimilar to Muttley from Wacky Races, in a cheap shiny suit but thankfully minus the mullet wig.
Interestingly though, Neil Maskell steals the show in places as Craig Rolfe, with an understated dignity and presence; the other Craig Rolfe seen in ROTFS with Roland Manookian in the part was an entirely different character, however Maskell's portrayal was equally convincing and perhaps the best performance of the film. Except for the genius turn of the girl in the nurse's outfit travelling with Tate later in the film. (Genuinely funny scene, I actually thought it was Catherine Tate in a cameo role.) This film runs at a much slower pace than the slick Rise of the Foot Soldier, and the highly anticipated murder scene at the end is nowhere near as chilling and atmospheric either- something of an anti climax.
Unfortunately, Craig Fairbrass is conspicuous by his absence; having nailed the role of Pat Tate in Rise of the Foot Soldier, one would have thought he'd be alongside Terry Stone once more. Instead we have Tamer Hassan, who snarls and curses his way through the role in a somewhat unconvincing fashion. Stone, who played a blinder as the bullying Tucker in ROTFS, is reduced to a sidekick not dissimilar to Muttley from Wacky Races, in a cheap shiny suit but thankfully minus the mullet wig.
Interestingly though, Neil Maskell steals the show in places as Craig Rolfe, with an understated dignity and presence; the other Craig Rolfe seen in ROTFS with Roland Manookian in the part was an entirely different character, however Maskell's portrayal was equally convincing and perhaps the best performance of the film. Except for the genius turn of the girl in the nurse's outfit travelling with Tate later in the film. (Genuinely funny scene, I actually thought it was Catherine Tate in a cameo role.) This film runs at a much slower pace than the slick Rise of the Foot Soldier, and the highly anticipated murder scene at the end is nowhere near as chilling and atmospheric either- something of an anti climax.