A veteran assassin longing for retirement finds himself teamed up with his gangster boss’s stepson in this crime-themed road movie from director Craig Viveiros (Ghosted).
Roy (Tim Roth) likes to conduct his killings after a period of serene silence and contemplation so finds the overly-talkative Adam (Jack O’Connell) an unwelcome distraction. Worse, the boy’s bungling leads to the target’s killing being witnessed, demolishing Roy’s carefully put together plans and revealing some dark secrets…
Some strong performances from Roth and O’Connell help raise the plot above its otherwise anaemic ordinariness and the film really gets a boost from the sadly brief appearances of Peter Mullan as Adam’s stepfather.
However the female cast members fare less well, Talulah Riley is wasted in a generic ‘hot looking kick-ass babe’ role which exists largely to excite the lads and lead the film to a fairly obvious conclusion, while Kierston Wareing has nothing to do as Adam’s mother beyond pander to Mullan’s thuggish tendencies.
Yet for all its faults, including the overly familiar plot and total absence of surprises, The Liability is a surprisingly enjoyable puff piece of a movie with a few decent quips and some nice bonding moments between Adam and Roy.
Overall it’s the strength of the three male leads which saves the day and earns the film its stars.
In cinemas from May 17th and available DVD and Blu-ray from the end of the month.