Snow in Paradise **** (2014, Frederick Schmidt, Martin Askew, David Spinx) – Movie Review

Frederick Schmidt is amazing as London East End crook Dave, who gets his best friend Tariq (Aymen Hamdouchi) killed after a drug delivery. Propelled into shame and remorse, Dave discovers Islam by chance, but the gangsters in his life stay around to test him.

They’ve found a new star and a new take on the London gangster flick, co-written by film editor Andrew Hulme in his first film as director and actor Martin Askew, who is mighty scary as Uncle Jimmy. David Spinx is also chilling as family friend Micky.

Hulme focuses his cameras firmly on Schmidt, though the script gives room for half a dozen other meaty roles and the actors playing them, while effectively de-glamorising the London gangster lifestyle and adding a bit more to all the East End myths. It helps that it’s a bit designy, grittily eye-catching but not too flashy, in the nifty camerawork by cinematographer Mark Wolf.

Expect plenty of foul language and violence of course.

It’s only Schmidt’s second film, after playing Officer Gentry in Starred Up (2013),

© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

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