I’ve mentioned numerous times during reviews of mindless actions movies starring Jason Statham that I really do like him as an actor, it’s just that he continually picks action movies that are actually dumber than the one before. Crank was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. But I’ve always said that when given the right material, Statham can be quite good. Here is one such example – one that was sadly overlooked at the box office.

Writing: While being a rather charming and intriguing crime thriller, rather closely based on a true story, this film is not afraid to embrace its R rating. There is no shortage of pretty much everything that can earn an R rating. It’s an odd combination of said charm and risque material. I’m not sure how much of that comes from the script, let alone the true life event, and what is imbued by the cast and director. The story is quite layered and pretty insane, not to mention British through and through.

Production: Guided by the ever-reliable, solid hand of director Roger Donaldson (well, we won’t hold Cocktail against him), this production is top notch and pretty slick. It isn’t overly slick like a Michael Bay film would be. It’s down and dirty, but very well crafted. Cinematography is very realistic, but adequately stylish. Same goes for the editing and sound design. Overall, a very classy production.

Cast: As I already stated, I actually quite like Jason Statham as an actor, and he is at his absolute best here. His rogue charm is in full force, and he easily drops into the role. Then there’s the constantly under appreciated actress Saffron Burrows, who does a marvelous job as the catalyst for the story. She gets to play multiple angles to the character, and she plays against the rest of the cast very well. The rest of the casting is done with spot on character actors, filling all manner of supporting characters, from scumbags to good ol’ British aristocracy and intelligence operatives. It’s like a veritable who’s who of “hey, I recognize that actor/actress” casting.

Music: J. Peter Robinson gets to have all sorts of fun with his crime caper score, striking a very nice balance between modern film making and 70′s period scoring. This is definitely one of his best career scores. He may not be an a-list composer, or one of my absolute favorites, but he does get some material from time to time that lets him show off his skills.