Worth: $14.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Joshua Brennan, Charlotte Best, Jess Bush
Intro:
...a striking low-budget feature, impressing with taut action scenes and high-octane performances.
Even after the detailed visual catch-up sequence that runs alongside the credits to this imaginative comic-book style fantasy, it soon becomes apparent that this certainly isn’t a standalone movie.
The ‘Chapter Two’ in the title also makes it clear that this is definitely an ongoing story. While not without its confusing plot points and character appearances to anyone unfamiliar with Chapter One, it is nevertheless a striking low-budget feature, impressing with taut action scenes and high-octane performances.
The film is told around two different timelines. The first focuses on Jimmy ‘Skinny’ Skinford (Joshua Brennan), the son of a cockney gangster hard-man, and Zophia (Charlotte Best), the heroine cursed with eternal life. The two try and avoid detection from those keen on living forever, including a whole host of former friends and bad guys including Skinny’s tough old geezer dad, his kick-boxing body guard, and a murderous little girl with one eye.
The second timeline tells the story in flashback of how Zophia became immortal. It does so in the style of a costume-drama/romance with the added tension of knowing that this is an affair that does not end well.
Back in the 1920s Zophia is an au-pair hired at the palatial residence of wealthy artist Helen (Jess Bush). The two become lovers and we learn bit by bit how the relationship is tested by the jealousies and grievances of the outside world.
While the renditions of London accents vary a bit, the acting is on the whole perfect, with the three main performers making the most of their screen time. The visual effects are well produced too, and the action of the present day combines well with the gothic-horror undertones of the past segments.
The film is sure to engage fans of the first chapter, and may well pick up more devotees along the way. An entertaining romp through time and the criminal underworld, Skinford: Chapter Two makes a resounding impact.
