Relatively low on sex, drugs and violence, The Business may disappoint some genre fans, but in doing so it achieves a kind of naive charm.
The Business is confused. Is it trying to be a gangster flick (not ’ard enough)? Or the next Lock, Stock (not funny enough)? It’s momentarily amusing, but the story goes that writer-director Nick Love knocked up the script in four weeks. A little more time would have been well worth it.
Frankie (Danny Dyer) is a charming rapscallion who jumps over to Spain in the Thatcher-riddled ’80s. Like so many before him, he gets sucked into the gangster life but – surprise! – it all turns sour in the end. Two Cockney scoundrels (played by Tamar Hassan and Geoff Bell) get the best lines and are the most convincing.
Where The Business shines is in its attention to detail, particularly in recreating the atmosphere of the extradition-free 'Costa-del-Crime'. The soundtrack fits the mood and style perfectly, with a standout scene in which Frankie goes out to buy some evening wear. Relatively low on sex, drugs and violence, The Business may disappoint some genre fans, but in doing so it achieves a kind of naive charm.
Nick Love still hasn’t been given a proper budget to work with.
Passable enough, but suffers from tired dialogue and formulaic montages.
You might be tempted to pluck it out of the bargain bin when it appears.
