Piggy

When the brother of mild mannered Joe is killed we are introduced to Piggy, a fresh dark hero for the vigilante genre. Death Wish in the new millennium. This is director Kieron Hawkes first outing directing a big screen movie and while it might not be perfect it's got a great plot, interesting dialogue and a good cast. It has as they say, got something about it.

The story revolves around twenty something Joe (played by Martin Compston) Joe is bored with his mundane life as a messenger in the West End. Struggling to find a place for himself in the world the one person that he can count on is his brother. However, even his brother (played by Neil Maskell) has trouble after Joe is on the wrong end of a mugging. One fateful night he does go on out and a string of events leads to the death of his brother at the hands of a gang. Distraught and felling he is to blame Joe is not hopeful of getting any justice. That is until an old school friend of his brother comes a calling one night. His name is Piggy. Piggy pulls Joe out of his funk and sets about getting justice for his brother. As the two get closer, Joe is drawn into a bizarre and violent world, where the lines reality and dream become even more blurred and Joe's new friendship might be more dangerous than he thought.

The story might not be that original, but Paul Anderson who plays Piggy puts in a performance of maniacal beauty and uncomfortable comedy. It's doubtful if Hawkes had marvel comics in mind when writing this but Piggy could be a poor mans Batman, a happy shopper super hero, and you will love him for it. Neil Maskell is as ever excellent, and the murder captures the mundane brutality of such a crime as it is in real life. The rest of the cast are solid. I for one- would like to see another Piggy movie.