Movie Info

The British accents and lingo of Essex Boys are so thick it may help to watch with subtitles--but the moviemaking is clear and crisp. Billy (Ch...(read more...) arlie Creed-Miles) is a cabdriver who starts getting chauffeuring gigs with some shady characters. But his life remains mild until he's sent to pick up Jason (Sean Bean from Ronin and Lord of the Rings), a short-fused mobster who's just been released from five years in prison. Jason quickly decides to settle some old scores and drags Billy along for the ride. Soon Billy is part of a mob--and finds he likes the money and status that go with it, despite the misgivings of his girlfriend and of his former mentor, Mr. D (Tom Wilkinson). When Jason's volatile jealousy leads him to mistreat his wife Lisa (Alex Kingston from ER), things take a turn for the worse and Billy gets in deeper than he ever expected. In its rough plot outlines, Essex Boys resembles Goodfellas--but the particular British flavor makes this a very different movie. Its gritty realism and attention to detail also separate it from the empty flash of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels; Essex Boys earns its suspense with sharp writing, strong performances all around, and lean, tight direction. An excellent addition to the recent spate of gangster flicks. --Bret Fetzer

Director: Terry Winsor

MPAA: R

Running Time: 98 min.

Release Date: Jan 01, 2000

Cast: Alex Kingston, Amelia Lowdell, Charlie Creed-Miles, Gareth Milne, Holly Davidson, Larry Lamb, Michael McKell, Sean Bean, Terence Rigby, Tom Wilkinson