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Trafficking
UK 2023
produced by Leslie Grantham, Richard John Taylor, Arthur Leslie Lytton (executive), Beckett Charlie Lytton (executive), Jude William Lytton (executive) for Lytton Bros. Pictures, Hello Princess
directed by Richard John Taylor
starring Evie Hughes, Noel Brendan Mcalley, Nicholas Ball, Sian Altman, Michael McKell, Jon-Paul Gates, Paul Dewdney, Steve Wraith, Nina Cranstoun, Aaron Twinn, Jimmy 'The Bee' Bennett, James Hamer-Morton, Mark Topping, Lacey Bond, Greg Burridge, Charlie Bond, David Gelmini, Nev Hawkins
written by Richard John Taylor, music by Luke Richards, Jordan Gagne
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Back in the day, Requiem (Noel Brendan Mcalley) was a feared hitman -
but then he went to prison for manslaughter and pretty much lost it all,
the respect of his father (Nicholas Ball), his wife Sasha (Lacey Bond),
and even his daughter who doesn't know to this day he even exists. Requiem
has since become a debt collector to make ends meet, but he doesn't enjoy
his job too much ... and then he learns he has terminal cancer and only
about 5 months to live. Then on a job, he stumbles upon a trio of human
traffickers (Steve Wraith, Nina Cranstown, Aaron Twinn) and kind of sees
it his moral duty to free 12 year old Elsie (Evie Hughes), whose parents
(Sian Altman, Greg Burridge) from their grip, in an effort to do at least
one thing meaningful in his life. However, freeing Elsie was the easy
part. Thing is, the three traffickers are determined to get her back, even
if that means killing everybody in their way - including Requiem's only
friend (Jimmy 'The Bee' Bennett) -, and they've got a powerful
organisation lead by the Duke (Michael McKell) behind them. In his
desparation, Requiem turns to his estranged father who lives in deepest
Scotland for help - but will dad ever be able to forgive him for his
messed up life ...
On the surface, Trafficking seems like a pretty routine
thriller, with all the action and suspense in all the right places, plus
plenty of violence without going overboard, and plenty of genre tropes to
make it easy to follow. However, Trafficking is also a film with
lots of heart not usually found in a film like this, as it works equally
well as a character study of a dying man desparately seeking redemption.
And what makes this film really work is that writer/director Richard John
Taylor has found just the right balance between these two approaches and
manages to keep the audience entertained while keeping things engaging and
intelligent enough. And an atmosphere-heavy direction and a solid cast
really help bringing the film over the finish line rather beautifully,
making this good and clever genre entertainment.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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