Snow in Paradise

Unusually for a contemporary London-set gangster film, Snow in Paradise paints its native East End wide-boy hero as a dying breed, slowly squeezed out by gentrification and more immediately outnumbered as the city becomes more and more multicultural. Based on the real-life experiences of co-star and co-writer Martin Askew, it stars newcomer Frederick Schmidt as Dave, a small-time crook who accidentally leads his best friend into mortal danger when a drug deal goes wrong. So far, so familiar, but things take a turn for the spiritual when Dave discovers his local mosque, which offers a safe haven when even his own family threatens to turn against him. From here, the film dispenses with the usual vicarious thrills of the genre and focuses more on Dave's redemption, which, when it finally comes, could pack a little more punch. Still, such understatement is far better than overkill, and the film's subtle, underlying air of menace is nicely sustained throughout.