Hyena

The plot is that a drug squad in London is seemingly as corrupt as the people they are trying to police. Michael (Peter Ferdinando) is the Detective Sergeant and he is the central figure with a taste for coke (the snorting variety) but essentially a good heart that is obscured by his own greed. 'The book' is for other cops in this film where the line between the law and law breakers is very opaque indeed.

Then their cozy World gets turned upside down when two Albanian low life's turn up and start to make things rather uncomfortable - that is when the line between good and bad goes from blurred to non existent.

Now there are some big names here; Stephen Graham and Neil Maskell both giving convincing performances as ever. The acting is all better than good; the direction and the production are superior too. Some of the scenes are very stylishly done, but the visceral depictions of violence (both on and off screen) makes sure that this does not become a 'classy crime flick'. The ending will leave some a bit annoyed but this is in most places a down to earth and realistically imagined film - hence my rating. Not one for the squeamish but one that shows a good Brit crime film can still be made.

Michael Logan is a police detective in London. His area is drugs and this brings him into contact with European drug syndicates. Logan is happy to turn a blind eye to their dealings, for a cut, or confiscate suppliers' merchandise for their own profit. So far he and his equally-crooked police colleagues have done quite well out of this. Then a deal he was planning with a member of a Turkish drug cartel goes sour and the balance of power swings to an Albanian gang, run by two brothers, the Kabashis. Logan quickly aims to provide the Albanians with the same service he provided the Turks, but they aren't easily lead. Meanwhile, he an his colleagues are being investigated by Internal Affairs. Just to make his life more complicated, he has been seconded to a vice task force, run by a former colleague whom he does not get along with.

Gritty crime-drama that blurs the lines between good and bad, criminal and cop. Very well done in this respect, as you never know who is on whose side, who's looking out for justice and who's just it for the money. Even figuring out who are allies on the criminal side of things is difficult.

All this leads to a wonderfully complex minefield or relationships, loyalties and intentions, and in the middle of it is our main character, Logan.

Just a pity about the ending though. The movie was heading for great climax, and maybe even a 9/10, when the director wrecked it with the final scene. Without giving too much away, it was very unsatisfying...

Really, when it comes down to it, I'm between a 6 and a 7 for this. It's fairly enjoyable, it just doesn't really do anything out of the ordinary until its ending. And if the mainstream likes this, they will absolutely hate the ending and everything it stands for. I don't say that lightly, they will definitely hate it and as a result hate the overall film. I do think the filmmakers should be given props for it, certainly did what they wanted and would rather make a great thematic point than try to just please audiences, and in that respect, they should be congratulated (and it also helps that it's the ind of ending that I usually love, so I wasn't displeased). The lead is really good and at times you really do wish that he was in a better film.

In the seamy underworld of London cops, everyone plays by their own rules. There is no one to trust. Police units are in league with criminals and competing with each other for increasing shares of the profits. Laws are not enforced so much as used for advantage over others. As vice cop Michael Logan, with a coke habit and indolent nature, attempts to carve out a larger share of the illicit income for himself, he gets trapped between a ruthless pair of Albanian brothers and his fellow officers who are trying to trap him. Those who should be protected by the law are instead neglected and placed in greater danger. The director and writer based the character of Logan on someone he knew personally. Despite shaky acting of some in the supporting cast, this is a compelling portrait of police officers who are indistinguishable from criminals. The betrayals and back stabbings are underscored by a dark soundtrack by Matt Johnson and The The. Seen at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

the funny is that after so many years trying so hard to sit through all the crime genre films out of the British movie industries, none of them ever could hold my focus and most of the time, i just quit after tormenting and torturing myself for about 20 to 30 boring, uninteresting of my life. except kept hearing the modern curse word "Fxxking" this, "Fxxking" that, a word used to be "Bloody" couple of years ago in every British movie, there was nothing coherent enough to be recognized as a 'good' enough movie, albeit 'decent' or even 'great' one.

this 'hyena' is no exception at all. what a bore, man. full of unlikable screen personalities, bored to death scenarios and storyline, cardboard acting, non-exit direction, what we got here is nothing but another hyped hollow, snail-crawling crap out of London. the average ratings on IMDb are around 6+_, and on rottentomatoes.com even got a higher 7+ rating average, gee, are we watching the same movie of the same title? i really don't want to write a review of this typical British tasteless wax ball, but i just couldn't help myself, man. watching this movie is like when hiking on the mountain trail, i suddenly overhear a mountain goat 'Meh...meh...' behind some rocks.