This modestly budgeted but not unambitious crime thriller set in the deep exurbs of London stars Bradley Taylor as Mark, an ex-con with the angry frightened eyes of a whipped pitbull. Not long out of prison and struggling to find legitimate work so he can sidle back into the lives of his young daughter (Oriana Rodrigues-Cova) and suspicious former partner Jules (Angela Terence), he gets some “tree work” clearing branches in the forest. There he’s surprised to find his mouthy one-time cellmate Alan (Cary Crankson, entertainingly violent) also on the job. The two pal up again and before you can say “parole violation” they’re lured away from the path of righteousness and offered work assassinating rivals ... Read more »

Willem Dafoe plays Clint, a tortured man who absconded to the wilds of northern Canada after the civilized portion of his life didn’t work out. Self-diagnosed as “a romantic figure gone to seed” (which is a cute way of saying “an Abel Ferrara character”), Clint runs a bar so remote that it feels like a “Far Side” comic waiting to happen; Eskimos, Russians, and other denizens of the Arctic occasionally wander there through a teal alien landscape that almost looks tinted like a silent film. One patron sidles up at a casino-like arcade game called “Left, Right, Center,” where he makes futile attempts to achieve some kind of alignment. Another is a beautiful and extremely pregnant woman who arr ... Read more »