For as long as Britain has been represented on celluloid and the silver screen, the Gangster genre has become synonymous with British film. Make no bones about it, they are common. Fairly cheap to make, automatically stylish and seemingly in tune with a certain British identity, it has become something of a staple of cinema in Blighty, and consistently been the go to genre for many aspiring film makers from these tea-loving shores. With no exception to the rule comes The Liability, the latest from Cameraman turned Director Craig Viveiros.

Jack O’Connell is Adam, a 19 year old mouthy scally with no job, living with his Mother (Kierston Wareing) and her wealthy but seedy boyfriend Peter (Peter Mullen). When Adam takes Peter’s pricey motor for a joyride and does a George Michael, a furious Peter orders him to work to pay for the damage. Playing chauffeur for a day, Adam’s first job is to escort ageing hit man Roy (Tim Roth) around the countryside while he picks off a list of targets. What first appears as an exciting romp into the rebellious lifestyle he craves, Adam quickly becomes embroiled in a 24 hour ride of deceit, revenge and half naked eastern European women.

Simple in its story, but elegant and occasionally gorgeous in its portrayal, The Liability is a bit of a mixed bag of nuts. Often it’s great to look at. The locations are frequently fantastic (they used an OK Diner!), that provide an interestingly original and sometimes industrial backdrop to something of an unoriginal tale. It’s by no means a bad story, but with Viveiros seemingly running down a checklist of what makes a modern gangster movie, it kind of feels like a 95 minute homage to Quentin Tarantino with a bit of Luc Besson thrown in. A quirkily excellent soundtrack, idle and amusing chit chat and a strong, ballsy female character are all there with bells on, but that’s the main problem with it; we’ve seen it all countless times before. Even some of the cast itself is something of an admission that it’s more of a by the numbers gangster flick rather than throwing any curve balls in an already saturated genre. Viveiros more or less picks from the most recent catalogue of generic crime character actors from domestic film & television. A gobby yet charismatic teenager? Who else but Jack O’Connell (see Skins, Eden Lake). A promiscuous Mother and kept woman oblivious to the dodgy bloke she’s porking? Well that’ll be Kierston Wareting of course (see Luther, The Take and pretty much every single crime drama set in London). And for the ageing hit man exhausted from the criminal life? Take a vintage member of the Tarantino alumni in Tim Roth (who incidentally, also produced the film). There’s nothing wrong with any of the performances per se, but the casting just seems a little too safe.

With the exception of Talulah Riley, the acting is actually very strong throughout. As expected, O’Connell is brilliant in the lead role. Adam is cocky of course, and if you met him in the street, chances are you would want to punch him in his smug face. But what we are so used to seeing from O’Connell is exuberant confidence, and his turn as Adam is no exception. He oozes as much charismatic charm as anyone in British cinema these days, and is genuinely charming and amusing throughout. The relationship that develops between himself and Roy plays out wonderfully well, even if there’s a touch of abruptness in their acceptance of one another. Tim Roth is equally as good, and his performance reflects his own career as an actor. He plays Roy with such a passive ease, that it might be fair to think Roth is as equally exhausted with the cold blooded killer role as his character is at being a hit man. Seeing this dismissive, almost cruise control like performance opposite the bubbling excitement of O’Connell, works exceptionally well on screen though, and this is easily one of the film’s major draws. The same can’t be said for Riley however, who plays an Eastern European like she’s in a Roger Moore era Bond movie with an accent that’s almost entirely comical. And like the Bond girls of yesteryear, her presence is to be the attractive but dangerous foil for our ‘heroes‘. Despite the character being vital to the story itself, it’s a bit baffling to see her half naked for no reason other than being pleasing on the eye. Throw in a forced and contrived romance with O’Connell that ultimately seems a bit needless, you can’t help but feel it was just another box Viveiros felt he needed to tick.

The Liability is certainly a decent addition the canon of recent British films, but sometimes the inspiration for a Director’s vision needn’t be so blatant. It’s inevitable that such a hugely successful auteur such as Tarantino will inspire a generation, but when his footprints are stamped all over the film, it’s difficult to accept it as anything other than a love letter to the eccentric Director. Nevertheless, it often looks great, and the sharpness of the writing and dialogue is both frequent and funny. The on screen partnership between Roth and O’Connell is fantastic, and despite the intended “twist” that can be figured out from the opening sequence, there’s more than enough here to thrill anyone with a penchant for style over substance. The ending is a bit daft, and there’s no explanation to why Talulah Riley is first introduced in just her smalls, but half naked nitpicking aside, it’s actually pretty good.

The Liability is in select cinemas nationwide on the 17th of May. 

---

We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.

---

Trending on BRWC:

---

Cool Posts From Around the Web:

---

---