DEAD CERT

Fred (Craig Fairbrass) is a former gangster who is looking to earn an honest crust since falling in love with the sexy Jen (Lisa McAllister). After all, he needs a regular income if he's going to support the family that they're striving for. His only flirtation with his old life now is the occasional bet on his brother-in-law Den (Danny Midwinter), who is a champion bare-knuckled fighter.

Jen's other brother, Eddie (Dexter Fletcher), is still very much involved in the world of petty crime, as an early scene illustrates when he mercilessly guns down siblings who were foolish enough to try and rip him off.

On the opening night of Fred's new nightclub The Paradise, Eddie brings along a bunch of new Romanian pals to the complementary bar reception. They're led by the steely-eyed Dante (Billy Murray), who Fred takes an instant dislike to.

Following an altercation in the club which leads to Fred evicting the Romanian crew, Eddie arranges a meeting between the club-owner and Dante. Dante announces his wishes to buy the club and use it as a base for his own business transactions. Knowing of the Romanians' involvement in drug-dealing and prostitution, Fred refuses outright. He only errs when Dante plays on his weakness for taking a gamble: he proposes that Den has a fight with his huge henchman Yuvesky (Dave Legeno). Whoever wins, their sponsor keeps the club.

Egged on by a supremely confident Den, Fred accepts the wager.

But all goes tits up and Fred's posse are left high-and-dry following the fight - until Eddie confides that the Romanians have not been playing fairly. So Cockney hardman Fred declares war on the Eastern-European criminals.

However, there is something he doesn't know about this lot ...

Shot on a very low budget in Hampstead and Leeds locations, DEAD CERT is a gritty urban thriller that mutates, a'la FROM DUSK TIL DAWN, into a gory vampire-action flick for its second half. That's hardly the spoiler it may appear to be: the clues are in there from the start and, besides, just check out the DVD cover art above ...

The most remarkable thing about the film - other than the number of girls with great arses that they've managed to get as dancing extras in Fred's club - is its cast. Second-time feature director Steven Lawson (JUST FOR THE RECORD) and increasingly prolific producer Jonathan Sothcott (the forthcoming EXPOSE remake; WISHBABY) have assembled a highly recognisable list of actors: aside from popular names such as Fairbrass and Murray (both veterans of "EastEnders") and Fletcher, you can also expect to see Jason Flemyng, Steven Berkoff and - in an unbilled cameo - Danny Dyer.

Berkoff, incidentally, is shockingly bad. Lawson is right when he calls him a "legend" in the disc's extra features, but his admirable legacy of stage and screen work can't save him here. As Mason, the obligatory Dr Loomis-type character whose warnings no-one heeds at first, he is shamefully overplayed and silly.

The rest of the cast cope quite well with Ben Shillito's ambitious but slightly clumsy script. Fairbrass is his usual self, all bulk and a little bit of skulk. Murray seems a tad embarrassed as the head vampire, but sneers his way through regardless. The most fun is had by Fletcher in an uncharacteristically dark role, and Ricky Grover who shines as one of Fred's wisecracking lackeys.

Lawson directs the action scenes well, offering keenly choreographed fight sequences and an agreeable amount of the red stuff. The quieter moments are less convincing but, ultimately, the film still engages thanks to a sincerity that lends it a coarse charm.

DEAD CERT is presented uncut in 2.35:1 and has been enhanced for 16x9 television sets. Images are sharp and clean. Although shot on film, the picture doesn't look overly film-like.

English 5.1 audio is a solid, well-balanced affair. Optional English subtitles are well-written and easy to read.

Extras begin with an engaging, surprisingly weighty commentary track from Lawson, Fairbrass, Murray and McAllister.

Next up is an excellent 30-minute Making Of documentary that successfully uncovers a lot of behind-the-scenes detail that is skimmed over in the commentary track. Everyone turns up for quotes to the screen and there are some good insights into the making of the FX, the fight scenes and set design. It's also evident from this featurette that the film is as much Sothcott's as it is Lawson's.

A two-and-a-half minute trailer rounds off the interesting, relevant bonus features.

An animated main menu page leads into a static scene-selection menu allowing access to the main feature via 12 chapters.

Momentum's disc is defaulted to open with trailers for LA HORDE, FROZEN and THE BLEEDING.

DEAD CERT isn't high art nor does it attempt to be. It plays a little too close to FROM DUSK TIL DAWN to be considered original, and the moments of foulmouthed Cockney gangster comedy reek at times of a poor man's Guy Ritchie, but the film is fun regardless and its sheer ambition cannot be denied or faulted.

For anyone interested, I recommend giving the Making Of documentary a spin before the main feature. Despite a couple of spoilers, it will heighten your appreciation of the film.

Review by Stuart Willis