Hyena **½ (2015, Peter Ferdinando, Stephen Graham, Neil Maskell, Elisa Lasowski, Richard Dormer, MyAnna Buring) – Movie Review

Another week, another London crime thriller. But this one is better than most, good enough to take seriously. Writer-director Gerard Johnson’s London cop thriller is gritty, well made, tough and very nasty in places. Hyena is not perfect, thanks to some wobbly dialogue and plotting as well as some iffy performances, but nevertheless it is still very watchable. And it certainly keeps you involved and watching.

At the centre, Peter Ferdinando is excellent as the bad vice cop hero Michael Logan, a man with a coke habit and a nasty, grasping nature, trying to survive as the business of crime in London turns to favour the Albanians and Turks. Logan finds himself trapped between a pair of ruthless Albanian brothers and his fellow cops, who are trying to trap him.

The seamy underworld of London cops who don’t do everything by the book is atmospherically and graphically explored. Benjamin Kracun’s cinematography is a plus and another asset is the soundtrack by Matt Johnson and The The. Also in the cast are Stephen Graham, Neil Maskell, Elisa Lasowski, MyAnna Buring and Richard Dormer.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com/