'Hackney's Finest'

In cinemas April 3rd in the UK and available on demand April 13th!
Premieres June 14th at the East End Film Festival!

‘Hackney's Finest’ is a darkly-comic thriller set predominantly in one night. Directed by Chris Bouchard, this is his first full feature film. His previous work being the highly acclaimed ‘Lord of the Rings’ spin off ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ which has received over 13 million views on YouTube. 

This is a very gritty film and right at start we witness a horrific beating. It doesn’t hold back on the blood or violence. Several times you see people being shot, some in a comical way and others not so much. The main protagonist Sirus, played by Nathanael Wiseman, is a part time drug dealer. His friend Asif (Rajen Sharma) has an uncle who owns a grocery store but also ships in heroin from Afghanistan, and the main antagonists are corrupt detectives Priestly (Arin Alldridge) and Terrence (Malcolm Tomlinson). They beat Asif and force him to set up a meeting with Sirus in order to capture him and seize the heroin. We later discover there is history between Sirus and Priestly. Sirus calls on Tony (Enoch Frost) and B (Marlon G. Day) who are Welsh-Jamaican Yardies. These characters are very funny, dropping in and out and of Welsh and Jamaican accents and phases, however despite their humour they are very serious and threatening, especially towards the end of the film.

Priestly enlist’s some Russian thugs, led by Delski (Sean Cronin) and the film heads for its showdown, set in Tilbury Docks. They are somewhat stereotypical Russian gangsters and are used for comic effect. An unconventional ending but fitting for this type of film. Bouchard knows his way around a camera, how use his locations and to let the audience know how much of this is tongue-in-cheek. Thorin Seex, the writer of this film, has created some great characters and an interesting story that deals with drug abuse and the illegal drug industry.

A very colourful script and a good solid cast. Wiseman’s portrayal of man who is out of his depth and shell shocked by the violence around him is great to watch. One scene that really stands out is when Asif and his cousin Pari (Neerja Naik) discuss how back home in Afghanistan they would play in the poppy fields when they were young, oblivious to how people would pay or kill for what it could be turn into. It was a touching scene.

Review by Jessen Aroonachellum.
Edited by Lydia Kay.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.