Breakdown

Former EastEnders hardman Craig Fairbrass may have roughed up Sylvester Stallone in Hollywood blockbuster Cliffhanger, but since leaving the BBC soap in 2001, he's carved out a career in a wave of tough, home-grown crime flicks produced in the wake of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Here, he flexes his muscles as Alfie, an ageing hitman haunted by his murderous past and heading for a meltdown. It's the last thing you need when you work for a brutal boss like Albert Chapman (a menacing James Cosmo) and bottle it during the torture of your latest victim, because Alfie and family are then on the top of Albert's kill list. A more contemplative offering than the usual geezer gangster fare, it's a solid if lengthy thriller with tense moments, as the increasingly frazzled Alfie heads towards a bloody reckoning with Albert and his sadistic minions. It's not the most original of premises, but Fairbrass proves a rugged presence and Cosmo is a terrifying villain.