This is Scotland, probably Glasgow, since the men are hard. Dorothy (Susan Lynch) argues with Tony (Iain Glen) on the train about his stupid golf clubs. He accuses her of flogging them to the pawnbroker. She says, "What golf clubs? I didn't know you played golf." He punches her in the face. The train guard intervenes. He clocks him one, too.

Petula (Rachel Weisz) and Brian (Tom Mannion) are on their way home. Brian is not exactly sober and he's shouting abuse. They get out of the car and he starts beating her up. Dorothy and her pink Alsatian, Pluto, have just missed the bus. They witness this act of brutality. Dorothy grabs a scaffolding rod and whacks Brian across the head with it. Petula looks at her in utter amazement.

This is the start of a pitch black comedy and the most unlikely friendship, where the body count is Shakespearean and the plot twists wicked.

Petula is an inspired creation, superbly played by an actress remembered fondly as the battling blue stocking in The Mummy. Reverse cast as a dizzy blonde, she is steadier than she knows. Weisz could have milked laughs with a Marilyn wiggle. Instead, she finds humanity beneath the high maintenance glitz of a trophy chick.

British TV documentary maker, Bill Eagles, directs his first full length feature. It proves an inspired choice. Neither he, nor co-producer/scriptwriter Simon Donald, take prisoners.

Printer-friendly version