BAIT

Starring: Victoria Smurfit, Jonathan Slinger, Joanne Mitchell

Writer: Paul Roundell 

Director: Dominic Brunt

Best friends Bex (Smurfit) and Dawn (Mitchell) decide to follow their dreams of opening their own classy cafe as a means of escaping the somewhat less-than-glamorous surroundings of the indoor market in which they're currently stuck serving not much in the way of coffee and cake (and in Bex's case, fending off the sleazy advances of nearby stallholder Nev). Trouble is, none of the local banks are willing to finance their venture and things look bleak until they happen upon Jeremy (Slinger) who offers to lend them half of the money to start their business. Although Jeremy initially appears like a good guy to them it's not long before his true nature is revealed - he's a loan shark who won't take "no" for an answer and his initial initimidation of Bex and Dawn escalates into something even more disturbing.

Dominic Brunt's uncompromising horror/thriller gets straight down to business, interspersing some welcome early character development with the alarming and brutal consequences of being unable to square debts to unscrupulous people on time. It's not too long before Bex and Dawn are drawn into this underworld and from here the tension really ratchets up as Jeremy's threats turn to violence and there seems to be no way out. As the shocks are piled on the proceedings become almost unbearably taut and we fear for the lives of the two women to whom we've become attached. It's a while since I've felt quite so unnerved watching a film and it's testament to Brunt's skill as a director.

The three central performances here are all terrific. Smurfit and Mitchell are never less than completely believable as friends who've been through a lot together even before they're plunged into the nightmare of owing money that can never be fully paid back to a man who will use any means at his disposal to recoup it. Smurfit's character is funny and feisty, Mitchell's is caring and careful. Roundell's screenplay gives them both real depth and they'd be an interesting duo in any setting. In addition to this, despite the hands fate may have dealt them it's clear that neither woman is a victim for the taking and they both draw on their own personal strengths as they attempt to deal with the Bank of Psycho

As the loan shark, hats off to Slinger for making my skin crawl for almost every second of his time on screen and giving his villain a terrifying plausibility. He isn't some hulking, indestructible maniac. Instead, he's calm, calculating and chilling, a million miles from the generic pantomime bad guy seen in so many genre efforts. Jeremy is a truly despicable, vicious man and anyone who watches this and says they're not waiting for him to get his comeuppance is surely lying.

The violence here is certainly not for the squeamish but my guess is that most of Bait's viewers will be prepared for that from the get-go (and if not, and you're offended by it, why didn't you read the back of the DVD box? Or, indeed, this review?). That said, the film isn't awash with gore, preferring to carefully ration its use of claret in several effective sequences - you'll probably be wincing quite often watching this one - until things eventually come to a head in a spectacularly bloody climax where scores are most definitely settled.

In short, Bait packs in more palm-moistening tension than any big-budget Hollywood movie (hell, any two or three big-budget Hollywood movies) could muster and deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. Who would have thought that an indie film made for next to nowt would turn out to be one of the most satisfying thrillers in yonks? Well, me, for one.

Also, I should give a mention to Dominic Brunt's previous movie, the rather good relationship drama/zombie infection flick (yes, you read that correctly) Before Dawn which puts a fresh spin on the usual undead genre tropes and is well worth checking out.

Also, also: Hang around until after the closing credits have finished for a bit of Bait-related claymation action from the brilliant Lee Hardcastle.

Also, also, also: I could listen to Victoria Smurfit saying the word "shite" all day. Not much to do with the review, really. Just saying.