The British 'B' crime movie of long ago updates itself here to the near future. It begins well: in a noir-lit backstreets world of gleaming grime, anarchy rules and teenage gangs roam unchecked. Crime of the month is ram-raiding: smashing through shop windows by cars which load up with goods and flee into the night. The police are an endangered species. Billy (Jude Law), released from prison, and greeted by his Irish girlfriend (Sadie Frost, with a mostly credible accent) in a stolen car, is resolved to re-establish himself as a joy-riding, ram-raiding kingpin. Tommy (Sean Pertwee), current black market boss, is set on defending his territory. On the fringes, Inspector Conway (Jonathan Pryce) waits, like a patient wolf, for one to dump the other into his jaws. Looking good, the film's poorly paced in between its bursts of action: the only thing that's constantly on the move is the camera, which doesn't help a lot. The actors give the predictably foul-mouthed dialogue their best shot right up to the equally predictable ending.

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