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Going off big time

Threat advisory: Guarded - General risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

The wrong face at the wrong time.

When Mark Clayton (Neil Fitzmaurice) helped the police catch a local criminal, little did he expect that as a tragic consequence he'd end up in prison, too.

Behind bars, Mark quickly learns that the only way to survive on the inside is to act tough on the outside. With the wise advice of Murry (Bernard Hill) and the live-wire friendship of Ozzy Shepherd (Dominic Carter), Mark earns the respect of inmates as he works his way up the prison hierarchy.

But, having done his time, nothing can prepare Mark for what he's about to face when he gets out. Lured by the easy money and good times, Mark finds himself drawn back into a life of crime. Success comes in easy but earns the unwelcome attention of rival gangsters and a collision course with his underworld adversaries is inevitable.

Also starring Vinnie Adams as John, Sarah Alexander as Stacey Bannerman, Paul Alty as McCann's boy, Gabbi Barr as Natasha and Stan Boardman as Arthur McCann. Written by Neil Fitzmaurice, directed by Jim Doyle.

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

It's always a danger when "written by" and "starring" are followed by the same name and this film is no exception.

Going off big time attempts to capture the same feeling of working class crims making a go of things as Essex boys but the script lacks any sense of depth or real motivation. Mark's journey from innocent to gang leader is unbelievable: it's as if you're supposed to believe that every scouser has the ability to transform overnight into a criminal mastermind with the balls of a bull. There are even the clichés of old-school honour versus new-school bashers and old-bull mentors young-buck.

The acting is adequate, it's just that there's nothing for the actors to do. Neil is too busy following Mark's introspective journey to care about the paths followed by anyone else. Even Ozzy is little more than a cypher.

There's not much point to watching Going off big time unless you're bored and need a top-up of screen violence.