Jackdaw

The feature-length debut of writer-director Jamie Childs, Jackdaw follows Jack Dawson (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), an army veteran who takes on a job to retrieve a mysterious package for local crime boss Silas (Joe Blakemore) to secure a new life for him and his brother Simon (Leon Harrop). Jack finishes the job, but he’s been double-crossed: there’s no money, and upon returning home, Simon is nowhere to be seen. Convinced that Silas is responsible, Jack sets off to rescue his brother, but old demons from his past stand in his way.

It’s a fairly straightforward premise, and Jackdaw’s writing plays it very safe. Despite being the lead character, Jack doesn’t have much personality or a particularly gripping arc, and while the feature has a more colourful supporting cast, they don’t get much to do, and the brisk pacing limits their ability to enrich the narrative.

This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing in an action flick like this, but Jackdaw has an unfortunate tendency to introduce an intriguing location or establish a promising action scenario, only to quickly deflate the tension before things can get going. When the film commits to a set piece, it does so effectively, with dynamic cinematography and inventive choreography, but for every exhilarating fight scene or thrilling chase, there are another two or so scenes where audiences may think, “Wait, that was it?”

It’s not all bad, though. Jackdaw’s camera work and lighting are striking, bringing out different facets of the North East England setting to make the environment a complex character in its own right, while the soundtrack livens up the atmosphere and creates some much-needed tension.

The supporting cast is also fun, with the livelier characters using Jack’s no-nonsense demeanour as something to bounce off. The standout performance is Thomas Thurgoose as Craig, Jack’s unlikely partner-in-crime, who steals the show as a comedic foil to the grim Jack. It’s also nice to see Jenna Coleman bringing her talents to the production as Jack’s old flame Bo.

From a technical standpoint, Jackdaw is a promising debut, boasting great visuals, an engaging soundtrack and strong acting talent. However, its creative and interesting parts have to grapple with an uninspiring central story and a somewhat self-sabotaging structure, evening out into an experience that gets a lot right but leaves plenty of room for improvement.

Umar Ali

Jackdaw is released nationwide on 26^th January 2024.

Watch the trailer for Jackdaw here: