Review by John Delia
Opening tomorrow in your living rooms is Villain a gritty crime thriller with a lot of disturbing violence. The movie does have some good directing, acting and a decent storyline so it should be considered for fans of extreme crime thrillers. What’s good is that the action stars early and gets very compelling so you won’t get bored.
Convict Eddie Franks (Craig Fairbrass) gets out of jail after 4 years of prison life with his brother Sean (George Russo) picking him up. The two are cheerful that Eddie is at last free and ready to help get the pub they own together back on its feet.
Eddie quickly finds out that Sean owes a lot of money to local mob boss Roy Garrett (Robert Glenister) and his brother Johnny Garrett (Tomi May). With that already hanging over the bar like a storm cloud, Eddie tries to find a way to settle the debt and teach his brother a lesson. Director Philip Barantini moves his film along at a quick pace turning over a few rocks and revealing more of Sean’s problems. It’s a lot to take on for Eddie, especially since he has to take care of his own troubles he left behind when he was dragged off to prison.
Barantini gives his audience three good quarters of intrigue, action and mystery, but then makes a little too much of Eddie’s personal life involving a daughter. It makes the film drag and lets out the gas that kept most of his audience glued to the TV screen. Not seemingly able to end the film, he also makes the finale a bit too contrived.
Villain has been rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, drug use and some sexual material. There are a couple of very gruesome scenes in the film, so you are warned if you get easily upset at savage violence. The film is available on VOD and Digital.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Extreme thriller fans would be the best audience for this film. (2.5 out of 5 stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Craig Fairbrass, George Russo, Izuka Hoyle, Mark Monero, and Robert Glenister
Directed by: Philip Barantini
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
MPAA Rating: Â R for strong violence, pervasive language, drug use and some sexual material
Running Time: 1 hr. 37 min
Opening Date: May 22, 2020
Distributed by: Saban Films
Released in: VOD, Digital