The plot is very clever, but Boyd weighs it down with too many characters and events, all intertwined and far too complicated to keep track of. We can follow it to a degree, and yet key scenes are confusing and therefore lacking in the punch that would make it all far more meaningful. Still, at the centre is a wonderful performance from Harris as a man watching his carefully built world implode spectacularly. His finely measured, subtle acting is terrific, especially as he engages with the other characters. And his specific story arc is terrifically moving in a way nothing else about the film is. Elsewhere, McGann and Mistry stand out with against-type performances that are truly vicious and frightening, hinting at a lot under the surface. All of the acting is far above average--the characters are believable and fascinating, creepy and surprisingly human. So it's even more of a pity that the film is so overloaded with meaning and plotlines and people and scenes that never all come together coherently. We spend so much time trying desperately to get everything straight in our minds that the raw punch of the material passes us by. And it ends up feeling like just another uneven British crime drama.