DEAD MAN RUNNING
UK, 2009, 92 minutes, Colour.
Tamar Hassan, Danny Dyer, Brenda Blethyn, 50 Cents Jackson, Monet Mazur, Phil Davis, Ashley Walters.
Directed by Alex De Rakoff.
Nick (Tamar Hassan) is a dead man running. Why? Because, just out of jail, he borrowed money to help his paraplegic mother and keep his girlfriend, an S&M mistress, from having to work. The trouble is – and there is always trouble from the types the money is borrowed from – that he took a very large sum from a Mr Big from the US, a dapper Mr Thigo (played by rapper 50 Cents Jackson), who arrives in London to get his money back and make an example of Nick (hoping that Nick won't be able to pay so that he can have him killed) for any other wavering borrowers.
Nick decides that he will find £100,000 in 24 hours. Actually, he does and has a final word for Mr Thigo, but the plot of the film is how he and his sidekick, Bing (Danny Dyer, a kind of omnipresence in this kind of film), get money, lose it, have it stolen, bet on dogs, buy cocaine, are pulled up on the highway by the police, try to sell the drugs to a Rave party organiser in Manchester, take on a hit job, rob the safe of a client of Nick's girlfriend, think of robbing a bank – and a few more bits of plot, especially concerning Nick's mother who is being held at gunpoint by a hitman. Actually, this sub-plot is very well done, with Brenda Blethyn relishing the role and surprising everyone, including the audience and the hitman (Phil Davis) by a nice plot twist.
In the last decade, British directors have been obsessed with making small-budget gangster films. There has been a glut. This one is better than average despite the familiarity of the basic plot. It has some energy and verve if you like this kind of thing. It also poses a number of moral issues – not the least is asking for sympathy for a petty criminal who is hired to kill a target to get the bulk of his money. Bing draws the line at murder, but there are some surprises in how Nick handles the problem – which are not necessarily edifying.
1.The British tradition of gangsters thrillers? From the 1990s, the influence of Guy Ritchie, Gangster Number 1…?
2.The small-budget gangster films? The repetition of plots, characters? The original tone and touches for this film?
3.The London settings, the hotels, clubs, homes? The streets and scenery of London? The British countryside, the freeways, the woods? The Manchester locations? The musical score?
4.The film taking place over a day and a half, the dramatic tension, Nick and his having to repay his debts, given twenty-four hours, his quest?
5.The tone of the film, the gangster world, crime, drug dealing, murder, hit men? The moral tone? Sympathy for the central characters, their quest? Alienation because of the murder – and the twist that the man was spared? Only to kill off the main criminals? The ambiguities?
6.The situation, the introduction to Nick, his having been in jail? His concern for his mother, for Frankie? Borrowing the money to set them up? His being summoned to Mr Thigo? His attitude, the ultimatum? The threats? Sending Johnny Sands to be with his mother, the threats to his mother? His visit to her, talking with her? Love for her? Her being paraplegic, providing for the chair? His friendship with Bing, the travel agency, no customers, skiing in Dubai…? His decision of how to get the money? Discussions with Bing? Going to his friend, the discussions, discovering that word was out preventing him from borrowing? His friend allowing him to go through the charade of robbing him? His going to the track, Bing and his contacts, the greyhounds, the upset stomach of the trainer, of the dog? The afterthought of putting more money on Underdog – and its ultimate paying off? His discussions with Frankie, her clients? His growing desperation? Going with Bing to the drug dealer, his home, the boys and the contacts for the delivery, the girl cutting the cocaine? Her swindling them? Driving to the country, stealing the taxi? Pursued by the police, speeding, knocking the policeman out when he asked to see the bag? The pursuit, Nick and his eluding the police, the police crashing on his motorbike? Finding themselves near the rave party, going to the organisers, the discussions, finding the cocaine was diluted? Taking the limited money, promising to do the hit job? Going into Manchester, Bing not wanting to go? Going to the club, the assassination attempt – and it being a test, the fake gun, getting the real gun? Going to the house for the target, finding him in the upstairs room, talking about needing a friend? The decision to take him into the woods, the shooting? And the irony of leaving the actual gun with him? Getting the money, getting to the train? The irony that Mr Thigo had a tracking device all the time? The boy stealing the bag of money while he was asleep? The decision to rob the bank? Going with Bing, the bank and hearing the man talk about the greyhound win? Hurrying, recuperating the money, delivering it on time? Discussions with his mother? His being allowed to go – and Mr Thigo wanting to recruit him? The irony of the killing of Mr Thigo and his associates? Meeting up with the intended target from Manchester? The happy ending? His future?
7.Bing, good friend, in the shop, no customers? His support of Nick, his ideas, with the greyhound trainer, rigging the race? Going for the drugs, the failure? Taking the drugs, driving to Manchester? Saying he didn’t have it in him to do the killing? His return, meeting up, in the car for the bank robbery, going to the greyhounds with the winnings? Finally meeting Thigo?
8.Frankie, her role as a callgirl, her clients, the sadomasochism? Inviting Nick and Bing to come to the house? Rob the safe? The irony that the jewels were fake? Frankie and her support? The contrast with the girl who cut the cocaine – and delivered it to Mr Thigo?
9.Mother, the Brenda Blethyn character? Love for her son, his visit? Her talking? The hit man, spending the day with him, playing the music? Getting out of the chair – and the revelation that she was pretending so that she would keep Nick out of trouble? Getting the shotgun? Johnny waking up, threatening her, her shooting him? The phone calls to Nick, urging him to come quickly to take away the body? The black humour in this subplot? The character of Johnny, his career, wanting to keep his job as a hit man?
10.Mr Thigo, the American, the clothes, manner? Executive style? The locals? The jellied eels and the faux pas? His summoning Nick, intending to use him as an example to force others to pay? His tracking Nick wherever he went? The final meeting, calling off the threats to Nick’s mother? The irony of his being killed?
11.The range of criminals? The black criminals? Nick’s friend and his girlfriend, pretending to be robbed? The range of seedy-looking characters, lending money, selling drugs? The underworld of London?
12.The British gangster film – how satisfying an example.
