| Essexboys -
Film |
ESSEX BOYS - Long Synopsis
Billy Reynolds (Charlie Creed-Miles) is an Essex "wide-boy".
Young, good-looking (or handsome enough to get by), he's willing
to make money however he can - although driving for the local
mini-cabfirm will never make him rich. He's done some jobs before
for John Dyke (Tom Wilkinson) - a local well-to-do gentleman
with a dubious past - mainly delivering parcels with no questions
asked. He's only too delighted to help Dyke for a couple of
days driving one of the most famous local villains, Jason Locke
(Sean Bean), who's just got out of prison.
He soon realises that this will be no ordinary driving job when
Locke immediately visits one of his erstwhile "colleagues"
to settle an old score. In a rabidly violent attack Locke beats
the man to the ground and throws acid in his face, before abducting
him and leaving him in the middle of nowhere. Still, at least
Jason likes Billy! Billy's girlfriend Nicole isn't so sure about
his new employer, and warns him about being sucked into the
glamourous world of violence and organised crime.
It is not only the unfortunate with the new face with whom Locke
is angry. He believes that he took the "rap" for his
friends, and they have got rich while he did time. Encouraged
by his beautiful wife Lisa (Alex Kingston), Locke seeks some
compensation from his "workmates" - Chase (Michael
McKell) and Lovell (Larry Lamb). They have both prospered in
the meantime through a "security business", or more
to the point they control the security men on the doors of the
local night-clubs. Not only do they get paid for this, but it
also allows them to run their own exclusive drug operation within
the premises - effectively excluding any other dealers. When
a club is in the control of one of their competitors, they simply
take it by force.
Locke is impressed by the £5.000 his mates have given
him, but Lisa claims it is derisory - a thousand pounds for
each year in prison. Lisa wants more.
Billy's driving skills, and his ability to keep his mouth shut,
earn him a regular job with Locke. But the unconventional hours,
and the unconventional duties, leave Nicole sorely unimpressed
- even if he is earning more in a night than he used to earn
in a month.
On Lisa's advice, Locke goes to visit Dyke at his faux country
mansion (where he lives with his handyman Hobbs). Dyke owes
Jason a favour from prison, and now it's time to call in that
debt. Dyke is unwilling to go into business with Locke, mainly
because he is currently shipping drugs into the country for
Locke's main competitor Perry Elley. However, to repay the debt
he finally agrees to arrange a shipment.
Chase throws a party for Jason's "coming out". The
mock Tudor, mock splendour, mock congeniality ... all paid for
by Jason's prison term, infuriates Lisa. She doesn't get on
with any of the gaggle of wives and girlfriends she is forced
by convention to mingle with. The whole event angers her, but
at least she gets to speak to Christou, the equivalent of the
local bank manager for the criminal fraternity. With a typical
mixture of ambition and business sense, she all but promises
herself as collateral for a loan to Jason.
And how is she rewarded? At a party attended by everyone she
hates, she discovers her husband having sex at the bottom of
the garden with Suzy - a beautiful 18 year old friend of Billy's
(Billy has already warned her to stay away from Locke, but to
no avail). Infuriated by the ignominy she attacks Locke and
they have a bitter, vitriolic and very public fight. Filled
with rage, Lisa returns home to pack her belongings and leave.
Thanks to the loan from Christou and Dyke's contacts, Locke
takes delivery of a huge stock of ecstasy tablets that will
gain him a £250,000 clear profit. Once they have delivered
the drugs to the clubs controlled by his firm, Locke also takes
delivery of Suzy and they drive to Billy's beach house - popping
some of the tablets as they go. But something is not quite right
with these pills. Suzy begins to panic at Locke's irrational
behaviour, but because of the effect of the "Es" Billy
can do nothing to help her.
Billy wakes in the morning to find Suzy throttled to death.
Jason is right out of it. Suddenly the doorbell rings. Nicole
and her daughter have turned up, but of course Billy cannot
let them in. His girlfriend immediately suspects that there
is another woman in the house and departs vowing never to see
him again.
Chase and Lovell show up with the news that the tabs were all
rogue. There's 20 kids in the hospital and their reputation
is in tatters. No one but Billy seems concerned about Suzy,
they are more interested in why Dyke has apparently double-crossed
them.
Billy is given the job of disposing of Suzy's body. He is helped
by Dyke, who tries to console the young driver. Billy now realises
that he is in far, far too deep. He wants out, but Jason has
no intention of letting Billy go.
Locke, Chase and Lovell pay a visit to Dyke, shooting his beloved
gun dogs and threatening both him and Hobbs at gunpoint. They
want their money back, plus the profit they were going to make
... or else. To make matters worse for Dyke, Perry Elley has
heard that he did a shipment for Locke and has cut him out of
their business arrangement.
Unbeknownst to Jason, Dyke and Lisa meet up regularly in a sleazy
hotel for illicit sex sessions.
Facing up to his situation Dyke offers to double-cross Elley
and provide Locke's team with details of a million pound airlift
of cocaine. Locke and the boys make arrangements to meet the
shipment, kill the couriers and make off with the booty. They
also secretly plan to kill both Dyke and Billy, to leave no
loose ends. But at the supposed rendezvous Dyke and his handyman,
Henry Hobbs, ambush the gangsters and shoot them all dead.
The police are obviously suspicious, but as only Dyke, Billy
and Hobbs know what happened they feel safe. Dyke asks Billy
to work for him - driving Lisa (who he still lusts after, but
cannot have until a suitable "mourning" period has
been observed) and maybe helping him with a shipment due soon.
In the meantime Lisa spends her energies taking over the business,
and some nights later she seduces Billy.
As the young driver lies in Lisa's arms he gets a call from
Dyke ordering him to drive to a deserted farm to collect a new
shipment. Unbeknown to Billy, Dyke is actually ringing from
just outside the motel. Angered at what he sees as a sexual
betrayal, Dyke tries to ambush Billy. But, although shot in
the shoulder, Billy manages to escape with the drugs. Without
another friend in the world he calls Lisa and they arrange to
meet back at the motel.
Lisa puts Billy into the bath and then goes out to clean his
clothes and get some disinfectant for his wound. Later Lisa's
mobile telephone rings in the other room. Billy answers the
phone to hear Lisa say "Good-bye" and ring off. A
figure suddenly darts behind a hedge outside. Billy panics and
screams out for Dyke not to kill him.
It is a great relief to find the police, not Dyke, hiding in
the bushes. Lisa has tied up all the knots: Billy is caught
with a bag load of drugs, the only knowledge he can trade with
the authorities is that of the Range Rover murderers. Thus Dyke
and Hobbs are put out of the way too, leaving Lisa top of the
criminal pile in the county. The Essex girl who beat all the
Essex Boys! |
| Contact : bernard.omahoney@bernardomahoney.com |
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