How many actors would gather at a slightly dingy casting suite for a shot at a role in a Hollywood movie? Plenty, it would seem - and without doing the necessary checks to see whether the opportunity is quite what is advertised.
Caroline Spence's darkly witty script and James Smith's taut direction deliver a thriller that does more than hint at the horrors within the story, yet we don't see much in the way of blood and gore.
I saw this film at its London premiere where an appreciative audience gasped and laughed together. The impressive score by Shaun Finnegan is more than the icing on the cake - it is a main ingredient in the recipe and a vitally important part of the overall feel of the film.
There were strong performances from all the lead actors with John Laird as Arthur Capstone giving a portrayal of a deeply (oh-so-deeply) disturbed man hidden not very far beneath the swaggering exterior. He gets away with arrogant and controlling behaviour almost entirely unchallenged because of the status he claims and the supposed potential rewards he offers (ring any bells anyone?). However he comes up against the determined Domenic (a tremendous performance from Jack Forsyth-Noble) who is like a public-schoolboy, self-interested version of Columbo who simply won't give up. Notable performances too from Rachel Chima, Gareth Tidball, Ian Renshaw and from Andrew Elias as the disconcertingly pragmatic caretaker.
It's hard to believe that this was shot in just 6 days and it is testament to the hard work of everyone involved in the production that Raya Films has delivered such a great looking film in such a short time.
