Jason Statham's second movie of 2011 continues his trend for grittier material. Obviously he still plays Jason Statham but he finds enough ways to bring his violent geezer, maverick, burnt-out copper to life and holds his own in a film that somehow also enticed two powerhouses of British acting - Paddy Considine (playing an un-camp gay superior) and David Morrissey (opportunist journalist). Everyone turns in a good performance but everyone is in the shadow of Aiden Gillen's interesting cop-killing/underclass hero psycho.
The director is from a pop promo background so there's a fashionably tinted look to the film but he gets good mileage out of underfunded police departments and council estate grime. The film puts enough fresh spins on tired material to be exciting and never becomes ponderous or plodding.
It flicks two fingers to moral ambiguity or liberal concerns and just goes for the jugular with confidence. Difficult to defend but easy to like.
