We check out the new release from British indie distributor Bulldog Film Distribution, alongside Shogun Films of the gangland home invasion thriller, Nemesis, which is out now on DVD and across Digital Download platforms.
Written by Adam Stephen Kelly (Done In, Kill Kane) and directed by James Crow (House of Salem), the film stars genre veterans Billy Murray (Rise of the Footsoldier), Frank Harper (The Football Factory), Nick Moran (Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels) and Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott (The Krays Dead Man Walking).
When underworld kingpin John Morgan (Billy Murray) returns to London with his wife Sadie (Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott) from their perfect life abroad, a feud is reignited with vengeful cop Frank Conway (Nick Moran) who is obsessed with bringing him down. Meanwhile, pressure from big boss Damien Osbourne (Bruce Payne) only adds unnecessary heat to the rising tension within the family business, with Morgan’s brother Richard (Frank Harper) and nephew Eddie (Danny Bear) constantly at each other’s throats. John aims to bring the Morgan gang together at a party in his plush apartment where they are set to meet his daughter Kate’s (Ambra Moore) new girlfriend Zoe (Lucy Aarden) – but all is not what it seems and as the night progresses a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues ending in revenge and murder, as the family are trapped in their own home by a gang of heavily armed intruders.
Before I start I have to say that I was looking forward to seeing Nemesis it features some of the actors that I have enjoyed watching over the years such as Bruce Payne, Julian Glover, Nick Moran and of course Billy Murray. These days we get a stack of sci-fi movies hitting our screens so to get the promise of a good wholesome British gangster movie is something that appealed to me.
First off the film does feel very “indie”, the acting of some of the characters does feel a little wooden and at sometimes lacklustre, but with a production that doesn’t have big Hollywood budgets and A-listers to cast then this is to be expected, this all adds to the charm, if that’s the right word, of Nemesis.
When it comes to that gritty British gangster feel with the gravelly sounding voices and “geezer” script to bring the characters to life, Murray, Moran and Payne certainly bring it to the film, the close contact niceties between Murray and Moran in the early part of the film is nicely done and you can feel the tension oozing through the TV screen as the two face-off.
The film isn’t your usual gangster film you do get the feel of some of the movies that have inspired it with its long conversations between characters, but it take a turn when it moves into the realms of of the “home invasion” genre which takes Nemesis a little step further into the story.
Nemesis certainly warrants its 18 certificate for the violence and language that the film portrays, it’s a film that is not going to be everyone cup of tea but when it comes to an indie film made on a budget it works for the content material, it’s not the best of the films in its genre but it’s certainly not one of the worst ones out there.
A Budget British Gangster Movie
Movie title: Nemesis (2021)
Movie description: An underworld kingpin's past catches up with him when he returns to London, igniting an explosive chain of events that ends in revenge and murder.
Date published: March 29, 2021
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 28min
Director(s): James Crow
Actor(s): Billy Murray, Julian Glover, Nick Moran, Bruce Payne
Genre: Crime Thriller
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
