Hard Boiled Sweets is one of David Hughes latest productions that is probably one of the strongest and most realistic British gangster films to hit the Cinema screen this year.
The film is set on the famous South-End on Sea which is mostly recognised for its amusement parks, seaside and cheap B&B’s. Hard Boiled Sweets goes beyond all of that to uncover the darker side of this town. The exposure of drugs, prostitution and continuous cold hearted murder is something that makes its appearance right at the very start and gradually unveils more throughout the course of the film. It almost sends out a message that not everything is as pretty and innocent as it appears to be.
The characters are given sugar coated nicknames as we are introduced to them on screen. There might not be much sweetness about them but the comparison to hard boiled sweets throughout gives the film an edge that many gangster films lack nowadays.
The story revolves around the biggest and probably most heartless gangster in town Shrewd Eddie also known as the ‘’The Gobstopper’’ (Paul Freeman, Hot Fuzz). Eddie is shaken up when the news arrive that his boss Jimmy The Gent known as the ‘Mint Imperial’: “The king of the mints. Even if it does look like a mothball” (Peter Wright, Hot Fuzz) will be paying him and his bit on the side Porsche referred to as ‘The Sherbet Lemon’: ‘’The sweet that’s really tasty and tart” (Ty Glaser, Secret Diary of a Call Girl) a visit to collect his share of the money and experience the lifestyle that South-End brings. This is the point where it all kicks off, so expect lots of drugs, bodies flying off the pier and everyone going against each other to get their hands on the big money. They all seem to have a get rich or die trying motto.
Even though the film itself is set in East London, the very slick and stylish atmosphere almost makes you feel like some of the scenes are part of a big glamorous Hollywood set. The all different locations on the script create a varied atmosphere which never fails to entertain. The whole way throughout you’re kept on edge by great performances from a well respected British cast and a storyline that sets out to break all boundaries and reinvents the old fashioned genre of the gangster films.
A definite must see for those who enjoy British blockbusters and to be kept on edge of their seats with endless violence, constant betrayal and never ending battle for the money.
Hard Boiled Sweets is released nationwide on 9th March.
By Kristina Spiridonova