Writer: Peter Howlett
Director: Brendan Muldowney
The two worlds of Danny Dyer meet in new single (visible) actor film One Last Deal and across its 90-minute running time it is like watching his career unfold in microcosm. Essentially a sports movie about a gruff manager type dealing with an unfolding real time crisis, there are some interesting ideas in here about the extremes to which sport infrastructure must go – in football particularly – to protect the cash cow of a successful player whatever their indiscretions, but the sometimes ludicrous plot aside, the morphing of the central performance from classic-era Danny Dyer film star to more subtle theatre-led portrayal of a man accepting his moral reckoning head on is a reminder of just how far Dyer has come.
Aggressive football manager James is facing his last chance in the business with a player about to sign a lucrative new deal in court on charges of misconduct, If the verdict goes his way, James’s client will be exonerated and the deal will be signed, propelling James back to the sphere of influence within the game. But trapped in his office, a blackmailer threatens to release incendiary audio files that will ruin everything, leaving James trying to figure out who is out to get him before he is forced to pay the money.
This opens in classic Dyer style, an aggressive, sweary bloke’s bloke yelling down the phone at various people including members of his own family, clients, lawyers and business associates. It is part of the film which, depending on which era of Dyer’s work you enjoy, may be wearing, even disappointing, a backwards step for an actor who has worked against this cliché for more than a decade now. But bear with it because what follows is more akin to a one-man play which allows Dyer to use his range, although the film always demands a big performance and a big character.
Where the film really engages is later as the plan goes wrong and Dyer’s character has to face churning emotions as well as some intense passages that include abusive behaviour towards women that rely on the actor’s visual reactions from shock to disgust and disturbance to guilt and remorse. – something that develops as the story evolves and results in an opportunity to unpick the confidence that character has shown at the beginning. So, there is direction and a sense of change across the film that gives Dyer more opportunity to showcase his skills, taking him closer to the more nuanced roles he plays these days.
As an insight into the business of football, there’s nothing terribly new here and this is certainly a vehicle for its lead actor, but as a microcosm of Dyer’s career and the theatre roots he is proud of, his fans old and new will find lots to enjoy.
One Last Deal is in cinemas 13 March.
