Review: Plastic (2014)

Julian Gilbey proved himself a dab hand at nail-biting tension with his directorial debut A Lonely Place To Die, yet stumbles sorely with Plastic, what can only be described as a vacant and preposterous follow-up. Four students – Sam (Ed Speelers), Fordy (Will Poulter), Yatesy (Alfie Allen) and Rafa (Sebastian De Souza) – run a successful credit card fraud scheme. But when they accidentally steal from crime boss Marcel (Thomas Kretschmann), they soon find themselves with a £2m debt on their heads. Boasting a who’s who of Britain’s finest up-and-coming talent isn’t enough to plaster over the many problems Plastic contains under its sleekly finished surface. Not only is every inch of the narrative – and its many twists and turns – utterly predictable, but the characters are nothing more than one dimensional decorations (none more so than former Hollyoaks star Emma Rigby, who spends the majority of her screen time sporting the skimpiest of clothing) and the dialogue reprehensible. If there’s anything positive to be said about Plastic, it’s that it’s mercifully short, clocking it at a 102 run time. But even that doesn’t excuse the fact that it’s pitifully underwritten and dreadfully unimaginative.