Review of Outlaw (2007) by Andy M — 28 Mar 2008

From Danny Dyer's timid natured office worker, to Sean Bean's troubled ex-soldier returned home to a nation that doesn't support him, it seems that the streets are ruled by mob culture, and that only the criminals can gain in modern Britain. Joining with like minded souls who have also been let down by the system, the group band together to form an outlaw unit, to extract revenge upon those who have made them suffer. But at what point do you become that which you detest so much?

Outlaw is not a bad film, indeed it hold the attention well. The mix of names from Bob Hoskins' 'inside man' to Lennie James as a barrister whose family are attacked by the criminals element he is prosecuting, all involved are cast to their strengths. The story is decent enough, not glamourising the violence at all, and (thankfully) not being moralistic - instead opting to just show you the events and let you decide if the actions were right or wrong.

Sadly the film is let down by a couple of factors. Firstly it just doesn't feel complete. A nice build up, introducing the characters is then followed by a very swift final third of the film in which the story simply runs away with itself. After the slow build, a bit more time on the main focus of the film wouldn't have gone amisss. In addition the camerawork is shocking in parts. Many scenes are shot with the current fad of shjaking the camera, although to take it to this extreme is simply ridiculous - the shot seems to constantly move in a sqaure formation, not sure what to focus on. It is as though a five-year old were behind the lens, not a skilled cameraman. The dialogue scenes where it is the worst become almost impossible to follow as a result.

Overall it is not the great mockney gangster film it wishes to be, but is not as bad as some would lead you to believe.