All Things to All Men

First-time writer/director George Isaac is out to prove that London crime is rife on both sides of the law with this densely plotted and capably paced thriller. But the characterisation is too thin to allow a fine cast to shine. Rufus Sewell is flintily amoral as the Scotland Yard detective who busts the drug-dealer son of a gangland bigwig (Gabriel Byrne) and forces him to help set up Toby Stephens's rogue thief. His superiors in the force and the government are as corrupt as he is and expect a cut of the proceeds from the bond snatch being used as bait. However, no one has factored in the conscience of rookie cop Leo Gregory. There's plenty of treachery and violence, but the pieces rather clunk into place, and while the robbery and subsequent car chase are solidly staged, they lack genuine excitement. Despite Sewell's laconic ruthlessness, Stephens's steely taciturnity and Byrne's world-weary arrogance, there's an all-round lack of conviction.