Oliver Jackson-Cohen leads the cast in writer/ director Jamie Childs’ action thriller film, Jackdaw. But does the film fly high or never leave the ground?
Writer/ director Jamie Childs’ feature film debut, Jackdaw, opens in UK cinemas on January 26th. Starring Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jenna Coleman, Thomas Turgoose, and Rory McCann, it is a British action thriller set in the North East of the country. Following the exploits of former motocross champion and ex-army officer Jack Dawson (a.k.a The Jackdaw), the film tells the story of a desperate search for his abducted disabled younger brother. Featuring an array of the North East’s brightest talents (those they could afford), the film has many twists and turns along the road. But does the film fly high or does it never get off the ground?
THE PREMISE
Set in Hartlepool in the North-East of England, over the course of a single night. The film follows a former motocross champion and army veteran who has fallen on hard times (Jackson-Cohen). He accepts a job to collect a package in the North Sea but this decision could have big ramifications for his family.
THOUGHTS
Some people who go and see the film may get a kick and enjoyment out of it. I, sadly, was not one of them. For a film that calls itself a British action thriller, the film isn’t that action-packed. Or thrilling for that matter. A run-of-the-mill story and a distinct lack of anything to really get excited about drag the film down to something you’d expect to find playing late at night on an independent film channel. It is something that you’d watch once and find no desire to watch again. You would if you had to, so to speak.
And that is a shame. The film boasts some gritty looks at the North East’s scenery and the industrialisation of a proud part of the UK. It also features some good comedic performances. But with a villain who hams it up more than what you’d find in a local supermarket, the film plods along with no real idea of where it is going. We get the feeling that something unexpected may happen before the end credits. It does, but you’ll guess it around halfway through.
THE PERFORMANCES
The cast makes the best of what they have to work with. Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Jack leads the film. He actually gives us, for the most part, an enjoyable performance as the title character. But what lets him and the film down is the way his character is written. Jack is supposed to be an army veteran, someone who has killed for his country. If that’s the case, why during the fight scenes does he look like he couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag? Many times I found myself shaking my head at him during proceedings.
However, the plot thread of Jack caring for his younger, Down’s Syndrome-afflicted brother Simon (a hugely impressive performance from Leon Harrop) does resonate. We find ourselves in Jack’s shoes. Having come home from the army to take care of his brother in a dingy flat after their mother committed suicide years earlier and their abandonment by their father, we can understand Jack’s feelings. He has to step up to be both parents as well as an older brother, always fighting to get money to take care of Simon. It is these scenes that stick with us throughout the film.
JENNA COLEMAN AND THOMAS TURGOOSE
Jenna Coleman is fine in her role as Jack’s former girlfriend, Bo. However, she is limited to around twenty minutes of screen time. It is a case of her appearing, and acting alongside Jackson-Cohen for a brief minute or so, only to disappear until her big moment around the three-quarters mark. And the characterisation that we expect is severely lacking. We can also guess where her character will be by the end credits, giving her role a distinct predictability.
Thomas Turgoose gets more screen time as Craig. And here we come to the comedy relief. Craig is an untrustworthy, drug-taking loser whom Jack saves from the police during a raid on an illegal rave. From that point, Craig is hardly off the screen. Turgoose injects something that makes Craig endear himself to us. One minute highly annoying, the next someone we feel pity for, Turgoose is extremely good and likeable in his role. But he is the focus of a plot twist that again had me shaking my head. It is completely unbelievable but I have to admit, it is funny.
JOE BLAKEMORE AND RORY MCCANN
Joe Blakemore as Silas, the crazy villain of the piece gives us a performance of such madness that it’s genius. Blakemore is a fine and brilliant actor in his own right. Here, he gives us something that is so far off the chart, that it falls over the side and rolls across the floor. At times, terrifying, at others completely hilarious, Blakemore infuses Silas with such craziness that we can’t help but keep our eyes on him whenever he appears onscreen. Without saying what happens, watch the scene where Silas threatens Craig through a barn door (go with me on this.) What he comes out with harkens back to a certain scene in the movie Deliverance. It had me in stitches.
Rory McCann however, is relegated to a five to eight-minute cameo near the end as Armstrong. Armstrong is supposed to be the REAL big bad of the piece. His name is spoken during the film as someone who you don’t mess with or get in the way of. But the truth of who he is in the big scheme of things is revealed at around the halfway point, robbing us of a last-minute plot twist that, in truth, we’d probably guess. McCann is a brilliant actor who is robbed of anything really meaningful to do in his brief appearance on screen. just look mean, swear a lot, and then the movie is almost over.
VERDICT
What could have been a great British film in its own right finds itself ending up as a muddled mess. You can applaud Jamie Childs for what he has tried to do with the film through his writing. For a first feature film, he hasn’t done too bad a job. It is a learning curve from which he will emerge and become a great writer and director. The problem here is, he tries to make a Northern version of a Guy Ritchie gangster film and it doesn’t fully work. With a bit more time to flesh out his characters and the story of the film overall, he could have turned in something that would live on after the end credits. Instead, it doesn’t land hardly any punches. And a moody score will only get you so far.
I can see what he’s tried to do throughout the film. He has attempted to almost make something that would fit in with, if not be an unofficial remake of the classic Get Carter. The traits the films share, you can easily spot. The bleakness of the North East, the characters we encounter there. And the unravelling of a mystery that ends in violence. Sadly, Jamie Childs doesn’t get remotely close to the 1971 Michael Caine film. Instead, we are left with a film that has too many flaws that undermine its qualities. Childs will get the chance to write and direct more films. And next time, he may come up with something that will shine a beacon on the North East and be something that will have everyone sitting up. Sadly, with this film, he doesn’t really get off the ground. More’s the pity.
Jackdaw will open in UK cinemas on January 26th from Vertigo Releasing.
Trailer Source: Vertigo Releasing
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
