As I watched this, I wondered if perhaps it might have made for a better stage play for Danny Dyer, rather than a film? He’s the unscrupulous football agent “Jimmy Banks” whose only client is presently up before an High Court jury on charges of rape. He has managed to secure a lucrative long-term contract for his charge, but obviously that depends on him being acquitted. Meantime, his grown-up daughter calls him to suggest he take her out for her birthday - which he’d forgotten, and so we learn that his inconsiderate behaviour isn’t just restricted to his professional life. She is best friends with a bright young player called “Jerome” and so “Jimmy” offers to find him a dream position in Madrid. Even more cash! Then he gets a call from a mysterious blackmailer who appears to have audio recordings that could ensure that not only will his errant footballer go to jail, but that his involvement in a cover up might see him destined to follow. As he vacillates between arrogance, cockiness and then booze-fuelled panic, the story unfolds… It is fairly obvious who is behind the threatening calls as there are clues a-plenty for us to put 2 and 1.7 together - indeed the story itself is all a bit simplistically contrived. Dyer, though, is at the top of his game as his frequently found-mouthed “Jimmy” delivers a gamut of emotions for an hour and an half, as well as casting quite a few aspersions on the business of international football (nor soccer, you understand!). He’s a charismatic, if hardly versatile, actor who seems to be able to exude an odiousness here without actually crafting someone we hate, and there is a twist at the end that almost encourages us to a tiny degree of pity. I’m not so sure about the “didn’t know because you didn’t want to know” philosophy, but it’s certainly a powerful effort that is worth a watch.
