Review of New Town Killers (2008) by Adam R — 03 Dec 2009

Wouldn't it be original to show a rich sociopath mercilessly hunting down the poor for entertainment? Oh, it's been done? Yes, of course, New Town Killers is an old story and not one that thrives on subtlety. It's The Most Dangerous Game and its many incarnations crossed with the image of the wealthy man who believes he can get away with murder. Just because it's an old story, however, doesn't mean it can be told very well and that's just what Richard Jobson does in New Town Killers.

Alistair (Dougray Scott) is a wealthy, powerful banker who occupies himself on weekends with human-hunting. Particularly, he likes to choose impoverished teenage boys. He offers them money to play the game without explaining the stakes. Once they agree, it's too late: it's run or die. This time Alistair has chosen Sean (James Anthony Pearson), a sweet boy who tries his best to support himself and his irresponsible older sister. Now Sean has to use his wits to escape the murderous sociopath in the hour-long chase sequence.

The heart of New Town Killers, as the title indicates, is Alistair Raskolnikov (get the reference?). Dougray Scott gives his all in making a truly frightening villain. Much like Ripley in Ripley's Game (in which Scott played the protagonist, coincidentally), he has a sociopathic philosophy, Nietzschean in flavour, that stipulates the absence of limits. There is really nothing Alistair wouldn't do: morality, loyalty, humanity are all limitations Alistair refuses to allow to encroach on his practical reason. Unlike Ripley, however, Alistair isn't goal-oriented. He's dead inside. Ripley is someone you can love in spite of yourself because he has a rich inner life of some beauty. No-one could love Alistair. He compensates for his lack of an inner life with his violent games and undirected hate.

While I find Alistair fascinating as a monster, Jobson obviously intends him as a representation of the predatory rich. He has a lengthy and rather disturbing rant about the uselessness of the lower classes, their unimportance, the banality of their existence. He seems to equate people knowing you exist with an abundance of existence itself, as if his wealth and power over a few dozen people makes him more real. This is perhaps interesting as a character study, but as social criticism, it's egregiously out of date. It might fit the industrial age, but today, in the information age, the wealthy tend to be socially conscious philanthropists and kind, gentle people. Resent Bill Gates as you will, but he's no heartless monster. Or perhaps it is merely intended to say that the rich prey on the marginalized and have no concern for their well-being. That's not a particularly insightful message.

The social criticism doesn't really matter, however, because what New Town Killers offers is a taut, edgy thriller that works very well. It quickly sets up its characters and their situations, then the chase is on and few frames are wasted, save some pointless jump cuts. Once you realize Alistair could do anything, his mere presence on the screen becomes frightening. Pearson, too, should be applauded for making Sean a truly sympathetic character whose resourcefulness always seems reasonable. The chase dynamics between these two should keep even experienced chase-movie fans on the edge of their seats. Edinburgh proves to be a fantastic concrete jungle for the nightmare to progress.