King of Crime

Sophomore director Matt Gambell's follow-up to What Goes Up (2014) can't be faulted for its ambition, as he's here aiming to take BritCrime in several new directions at once. Scripted by Linda Dunscombe, the twisting plot centres on an Oxford 20-something (Rachel Bright), whose spiralling debts have landed her in the manorial household of an old-school villain (played by The Bill regular Mark Wingett) who has diversified into cybercrime. Unfortunately, his operation has been targeted by a rogue (Vas Blackwood) raising funds for ruthless extremist terrorists. But Wingett also has domestic issues to deal with, as wife Yvonne (Emmerdale alumnus Claire King) strives to protect the legacy of her twin sons. To Dunscombe's credit, the narrative is dense and replete with surprises involving Bright's family connections and her mysterious new boyfriend (Hainsley Lloyd Bennett). But the dialogue is rather more perfunctory, while some of the supporting performances lack finesse. Gambell directs steadily, but this is on a par with similar low-budget projects by the likes of Vicky Jewson and Tristan Loraine.