Cercle vicieux

This one's relatively typical, albeit decidedly less flashy and without some of the pretentious editing, of most modern British gangster pictures (THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY, GANGSTER NO. 1, SEXY BEAST) in that it's overtly violent and foul-mouthed for those that like a dose of toughness now and then. This one's unique take is that it uses gangster shenanigans as the basis for a thriller revolving around homosexual, rough-trade sex and police corruption. The cast is first-rate; and in spite of a story that's relatively contrived and silly, it still entertains like an old Fritz Lang thriller, which is saying a lot for it and it's creator, Gary Wicks. Fairly smashing!

Endgame is gritty, sexy, dramatic and sympathetic. We all have our opinions about the genre, definitely not a movie for children; however to not see it would be a shame. Endgame may not be everyone's cup of tea, it is slow in places but this sets the mood and it does get better, and has some lovely camera work. Overall I enjoyed it, all actors need starter movies and it is the relatively unknown faces which make this movie. I am not going to spoil the film for viewers, but be aware Endgame does touch on some delicate subjects, abuse, rape and life on the streets. Filmed around Wales, UK, some of the scenery is absolutely stunning! So rent it, view it, enjoy it what have you got to loose!

This moody British film, not to be confused with Samuel Becket's work of the same name, was chosen to "disturb" the festival audience, or so said the talking heads of the programming panel. Rent boy Tom (Daniel Newman) gets caught in the evil machinations of his pimp, gangster George Norris (Mark McGann) and a crooked cop Dunston (John Benfield), who enjoys using Tom from time to time, himself. A fateful twist causes Norris's accidental death during his attempted rape of Tom. Desperate to escape Norris's body and Dunston's pursuit, Tom seeks the solace and protection of a very unlikely pair, his downstairs American neighbors Max and Nicki.

Max is a hothead consumed with a passion for money, while Nicki is more down to earth, but a bit unfocused and uncommitted herself. Why in the world would Tom come to them? Desperation, indeed. Walking totally of their initial characters (or perhaps showing us how complex they are?), Max and Nicki, after little hesitation, agree to hide Tom out at their rustic cottage in Wales. A very confused Tom is attracted to Nicki's warmth, and they eventually "seduce" each other. We can understand Nicki's dissatisfaction with Max's self-absorbed hard shell of a personality, and her momentary attraction to Tom's complete vulnerability. And despite how implausible it may seem at first, their sex scene makes sense once we realize that Tom is seeking tenderness, not hot sex per se.

All in all, this film hits home with its theme of sex as a tool of power which even the power-obsessed themselves can't control. But it falls short trying to wrap things up with a fast and violent ending which leads Tom to a happy future, and leads Nicki to sacrifice much more than her husband, Max, does.

For those of you unaware, `endgame' is a chess term. After the opening encounters and tactics of a game, it's the final plan a player has to finish off his or her opponent. And such is the concept of `Endgame' a stylish, sexy and sadistic British crime thriller, although with a few minor flaws had me on the edge of my seat and at times my stomach in my throat! There are some brutal and graphic scenes of rape and torture, which may not suit everyone's taste. Yet it's directed with such visual flare by Gary Wicks that you cannot help but watch. There's a brutal fight and beating in a bar scene and as the music played it reminded me of a scene from a `Clockwork Orange'. The scene, among many, is twisted and dark for sure, but very well done. Daniel Newman who plays Tom is convincing as a male prostitute who's on the edge and John Benfield who plays Dunston is one of the most vile villains I've seen in quite some time and it drew to mind Ben Kingsley in `Sexy Beast'! Outstanding performances!

The premise of the story centers on Tom (Daniel Newman) who is a `rent boy' and turns tricks around London for his sick, psychotic `sugar daddy' George Norris (Mark McGann). Through a series of flashbacks we learn of Toms past while he tries to deal with the present and his future. And the future looks bleak. Regularly raped, and brutalized sexually by Norris he also endures the verbal abuse from Norris's driver. He's made to turn tricks, one regular being that of Dunston, as well as help George perform his dirty mob deeds. Without giving to much away things take a turn, when a twist of fate releases Tom from his violent `keeper' and with the help of some American neighbors, Max (Corey Johnson) and Nikke (Toni Barry) he flees the city to their remote cottage in the country with Dunston close behind.

The story fails a bit in the relationship between Tom and the Americans and vice versa and a few scenes that seem thrown in for the sake of erotica but in general I thoroughly enjoyed the story and it was nice to see a thriller featuring a gay/bi lead role. I recommend this highly. The DVD doesn't feature any extras but the audio and video were nice and clear for an independent feature.

I recently saw End Game at the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. From the synopsis i was duped into thinking this would be a psycho sexual drama/thriller exploring the brutal relationship between a gangster and his rent boy lover.

What we actually have is a hammy, badly written, underdeveloped film which neither thrills, excites or convinces on any level. Which is a shame as the first ten to fifteen minutes of the film director/screenwriter Gary Wicks shows some signs of directorial flair. Unfortunately when he starts putting dialogue in his actors mouths and drenches the story in jaw dropping implausibility this soon becomes a painful experience.

Tom (Danny Newman) is a pouty rent boy living in stunning flat somewhere in West London which is financed by his gangster lover/pimp Norris (Mark McGann). Tom appears to do little else then sit around the flat chain smoking and looking moodily into space waiting for Norris to pop round, whiff a line of coke and start beating ten bells out of him.

Things get complicated, however, when Tom meets his neighbours American couple Max and Nikke Bergman(Corey Johnson & Toni Barry). For some inexplicable reason Max takes a shine to Tom and invites him round for dinner. Unfortunately for Tom his fist happy fella happens to pop round while he's out and menacingly waits for his return. Clearly we have some idea where this is heading....Tom accidentally kills Norris and turns to his new best buddies for help. Conveniently they have a cottage out in the middle of nowhere in Wales where they can all flee. This turns out, luckily, to be quite handy as corrupt policeman Dunston (John Benfield) is hunting Tom for some incriminating video tapes.

The eventual outcome of this scenario is so far fetched one can't help wonder what exactly Wicks was going for. By making his lead quite obviously queer it would have made much more sense for his character to form a relationship with Max however instead love blossoms between the gay boy and the American wife. This reeks of a cop out, as if Wicks knows there is no way a wider audience would stand for the idea of a straight man and a gay boy having a relationship that's based on anything other than money or violence.

In a failed attempt to add gravitas to Tom's plight we learn, from soft focused flashbacks, that all he really needs is some proper TLC which he clearly is unable to get from another man. By taking this stance Wicks renders his film completely absurd and manages to offend and alienate his target gay audience.

Performance wise there is no denying that the camera loves Danny Newman (especially his naked torso) however his acting consists of two styles.....moody and pouty...his final emotive speech is quite unintentionally mirth inducing.

Johnson is OK as Max and is perhaps the most likeable amongst a gang of completely unsympathetic characters while Barry is bland at best.

Production values are quite high on this film so at least everything looks nice and there are one or two touches of humour that work but that really is all the film has going for it. Thrown in some unnecessarily gratuitous violence and a denouement which is sign posted before the half way mark this really is a waste of time for all concerned. A massively wasted opportunity.

*