Displaying items by tag: Stuart St Paul

FREIGHT

UK, 2010, 92 minutes, Colour.

Billy Murray, Craig Fairbrass, Danny Midwinter, Sam Kennard, Luke Aikman, Zsolt Nagy, Jean Heard, Andy Tiernan , Laura Aikman, Matt Kennard.

Directed by Stuart St Paul.

This is a very grim British drama. It focuses on British and Eastern European gangsters, powerbrokers in England, Mafia types controlling the people smuggling, the women to clubs and prostitution, the men to cage fighting.

Whether freight will appeal to the general public is a question. It goes behind the headlines but its pessimistic picture of this kind of gang warfare and the exploitation of ordinary people is certainly hard to take.

Underlying it is a picture of decent human beings – but they are caught up in the violent and ugly world of gangs and people smuggling.

1. The title, the opening credits sequences, the range of transport hubs, machinery, the world of freight? The actual freight and people smuggling, exploitation, prostitution, clubs, cage fights?
2. The atmosphere of the 2000s, references to Britain, migration, jobs and employment, legislation? The final information about people smuggling?
3. The establishment of the British family, Gabe, the patriarch, his history, business, working for the government, discovering corruption, exposes? Setting up his own business? Jed as his henchman? The role of his sons? The other members of the company, the prospective wedding, his daughter, his wife?
4. The situation with the toilets, Stanni, the engagement, the job, on guard, into the toilet, the phone calls, the tracking, the destinations?
5. The background of the Russian gang, Cristi as a leader, absolutely ruthless, immoral/amoral, cruel, emotional, merciless? The range of his subordinates, their jobs, their violence, the shooter and his ruthlessness, the compere for the fistfights and his brutality? The woman in charge of the trafficked women?
6. The drama of the confrontation, Stevie and his coming home, working with his father? Sonny, his brother, on the site, financial difficulties, participating in the fight, hopes for the money and business, the actual fight, the brutality of his death? His brother, anger, and his shooting those responsible?
7. The trucks, the men coming in, married couples, the men for the fistfights, the women to the clubs, the brutal misogyny, stripping, dancing, the nine-year-old girl and her illness? The supervisor of the dancers for the clubs? Cristi and his involvement?
8. The abduction of Gabe’s daughter, the treatment, her mother and emotional collapse? Stanni and the engagement, her pregnancy?
9. The buildup to the confrontations, their violence, shootings, letting people live? The fights in the cage, moving the venues for the fights? The fighter, the pressure on him, his wife and daughter, the death of his opponent, his meeting the family, plea, their acceptance, his presence with the final confrontation with Cristi, shooting?
10. The violence of the confrontations, words, fights, shooting? Chases?
11. Jed, involved in the search, his approach to Cristi, offering to fight? The involvement with the fight, the mayhem, pursuing Cristi?
12. Gabe as the family man, his explanations, the confrontation with the gangs, his lamenting as to what was happening in the UK?