Director: Paul Tanter
Cast: Nick Nevern, Peter Barrett, Jay Brown, Simon Phillips, Kierston Waering
Running Time: 87 minutes
Certificate: 18
In December 1995, the bodies of three notorious drug dealers – the ‘Essex Boys’ – were found sat in a Range Rover parked in a country lane in Rettendon, Essex. Each had been killed with shotgun blasts to the head. Perhaps the most infamous gangland killing since the Kray brothers controlled the East End, the Essex Boys murders have continued to fascinate both audiences and filmmakers alike – in fact, THE FALL OF THE ESSEX BOYS marks the fourth time the story has been made into a feature film. But unlike the popular RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER, Paul Tanter’s new film is not concerned with factually recreating the real events – THE FALL OF THE ESSEX BOYS is more of a ‘what if story’, playing around the conspiracy theories that circulated at the time.
As with Tanter’s previous films – notably the JACK series – there are few surprises. The story churns along at a reasonable pace, and though the film is obviously held back by its minimal budget, the action and top-notch profanity is enough to hold the attention for 87 minutes. The film also manages to maintain genuine interest in its outcome, even though we know all know full well how it turns out for the infamous Essex Boys. Co-writers Stephen Reynolds and Jonathan Sothcott even manage to deliver some genuine twists along the way.
Whilst there are a few ropey performances and some uninspiring banter, FALL OF THE ESSEX BOYS is perfectly fine for what it is – low-budget, off-the-peg gangster fun.
THE FALL OF THE ESSEX BOYS is available to buy now.
