In the Blood

Director Mark Abraham makes a solid debut with this low-key BritCrime entry filmed around Dunstable in Bedfordshire. Alison Steadman makes a brief cameo during the opening funeral sequence, but the focus falls firmly on 20-something Johnny (Peaky Blinders regular Joe Cole), who wasn't around when his grandfather (Phil Davis) passed away because he was off his head on smack. But the old man died before he could crack a stolen safe for a gang boss, so Johnny is abducted and held in a country hideaway until he gets himself clean enough to do the job. Complicating matters is the fact that among Johnny's minders is a man who blames the young safe-cracker for the death of his addict son. Screenwriter Andy Bloom struggles to sustain the tensions between the holed-up thugs, with much of the talented supporting cast having too little to do. But the dénouement is decent, the direction steady and the clichés are largely kept in check.