New Town Killers

Director: Richard Jobson
Screenwriter: Richard Jobson
Starring: James Anthony Pearson, Dougray Scott, Liz White, Alastair Mackenzie
Running time: 97 mins
Certificate: 15

Set in the grimiest parts of Edinburgh, New Town Killers is a gritty cat and mouse thriller with a bit of social commentary thrown into the mix. Richard Jobson's intriguing tale of the rich quite literally trampling over the poor has been made on a tiny budget from a minimalist script, which lends itself to a suitably primal air throughout the fast-moving plot. It's therefore a great shame that the movie's glaring error is giving the villains of the piece too much substance, often in an infuriatingly clichéd manner, when more ambiguity was called for.

Impoverished lad Sean, played with superb naturalism and pathos by James Anthony Pearson, is short of cash and desperate to help out his debt-ridden sister Alice (Life On Mars' Liz White). Two mysterious men, aggressive banker Alastair (Scott) and his hesitant cohort Jamie (Mackenzie), approach Sean and offer him £12,000 for an overnight game of hide and seek. As his attempts at being a rentboy are doomed, Sean takes up the challenge but soon discovers that Alastair will let nothing stand in his way. It quickly becomes a game of life and death, with Sean's futile predicament mirrored by the desolate cityscape and worsened by the knowledge that his friends and family have been tapped up too.

The real star performance in the movie is arguably Edinburgh itself, with the bleak, night time environment providing a fitting battleground for the lethal hunt. The claustrophobic qualities of squalid council estates, deserted streets and poorly-lit alleyways are all maximised by the guerrilla filmmaking techniques deployed by Jobson, with the constantly roving camera stalking Sean and taking us into the heart of the action. The fast, choppy cuts also add a raw, adrenalin-fuelled edge to proceedings as Sean's mind is racing all over the place when he finds that nowhere is safe.

New Town Killers' nominal star Dougray Scott delivers a menacing performance as Sean's nemesis, making us wonder what kind of human lies beneath the brutal exterior. Such depth is almost solely down to the actor, as the script does Scott no favours whatsoever and unwisely shoehorns in a token and contrived motivation for Alastair midway through. Yup, his family has suffered as a result of the actions of a couple of lower-class youngsters - hence him luring poor kids into being his prey via the offer of a cash prize. Still, it's probably a better choice than going on Jeremy Kyle.

Some glaringly leaden dialogue between Alastair and Jamie, which tries to hard to be iconic and dramatic, also suggests that it was a poor creative decision to occasionally branch off into following their perspective instead of constantly keeping the lens trained on Sean. Spending time in their company also lessens the ambiguity surrounding their characters, and at times it feels like we're being spoon-fed what to think about them and their natures.

Young actress Karen Gillan, who recently grabbed plenty of headlines when she was announced as the new Doctor Who companion, pops up here in a very brief cameo appearance as a seemingly friendly lass who encounters Sean in a bus station. Although barely on screen for a minute, the omens are good for her impending stint in the Tardis as she undoubtedly has screen presence and is clearly a very assured and confident actress.

Tension and mystery are both constants throughout this very decent indie movie, which could have easily become a cult classic in future years if Sean's two pursuers were better handled by the script. Nonetheless, there's plenty to admire on a visual and acting level here, and the basic plot is easy to became wrapped up in.


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