Route Irish

Ken Loach returns to thrillers for the first time since Hidden Agenda (1990) with this Iraq-based exposé of exploitative greed and racist arrogance. Delving into the reason why childhood friend Frankie (John Bishop) died on the titular road from Baghdad airport to the Green Zone, ex-soldier Fergus (Mark Womack) discovers a conspiracy concocted by the bosses of the private security firm for which they both worked. The themes couldn't be more pressing or contentious, but subplots involving Bishop's widow (Andrea Lowe), a blinded squaddie (Craig Lundberg) and an Iraqi musician (Talib Rasool) are sketchy, while Paul Laverty's melodramatic script is far less controlled than Chris Menges's steely photography. Loach can never be accused of ducking issues, but this is a case of a powerful story being slightly marred in the telling.