TAINTED

Directed by: Brent Cole

Starring: Alan Van Sprang, John Ralston, Shawn Roberts, Sara Waisglass, John Rhys Davis

Lance is an ex-con who had strong ties with the Russian mafia. Whilst in prison, he had to align himself with the Aryan Brotherhood in order to survive. This makes him useful again to his old boss, Gregor, who is being forced to retaliate against the Brotherhood by his bosses.

Tainted is one of those slow-burn thrillers which draws you into its characters' lives before delivering an emotional gut-punch.

It starts in a very strange manner though. I was convinced that the opening scene was another case of "in media res", a particular bug-bear of mine (when a film starts with a scene from the middle or end of the story then jumps back to show how it got there). The scene provides so little detail as to what has happened and who the people its happened to are, I was certain we were going to suddenly jump back in time.

However we soon learn that this event is the catalyst that sets things in motion - the start, rather than the conclusion. The Russian families are unhappy with the Aryan Brotherhood getting above their station and want them eliminated. They put the obligation on Gregor because they know Lance has tenuous connections to the Brotherhood and sports a swastika tattoo.

As it turns out, Lance is not proud of his affiliation. Yes, he has the tattoo but early in the film we see him try to get it covered over (an unfortunate, awkward scene for all concerned) and ends up taking a more extreme approach using a steam iron. It’s clear that Lance affiliated himself with the white supremacists purely out of the need to survive 15 years in prison and has made no attempt to rejoin with them on the outside. One of Gregor’s men scoffs that if he were in Lance’s position that he would have toughed it out and gone solo but Gregor knows the truth of the situation. Lance isn't particularly happy to see Gregor but there is obviously a lot of history between the two and Lance knows that he can't refuse the task he's been set.

Gregor is an interesting character. A pillar of the local community, he runs a local bakery which he uses as a front for his drug dealing business. His wife is oblivious to his “real” job and he likes it that way. In fact he’s happy with the way things are and is annoyed that his bosses are pressuring him to clear up a situation that he had no part of. You also get the impression that Gregor knows Lance better than he knows himself.

Although Lance is very good at what he does (the Aryan compound scene is great), he's perhaps not good enough and leaves a witness. This sends the Russians into "purge" mode, putting anyone Lance is in contact with in danger. This chiefly means Anna, Lance's neighbour, who is a musician playing regularly at a local bar. Anna's ballsy  attitude has slowly drawn out Lance into having conversations with her about her music, but has also put her in the firing line when Lance's mission takes a wrong turn.

Other than that rather obtuse opening, Tainted is a very well put together film, depicting a man trying hard to escape his violent past but winding up deeper than before. Anna is his tenuous link to a brighter future, even if its by vicarious association, and she becomes his personal mission. The fight scenes are short and brutal, with realistic fighting techniques. The gunplay is of a similar nature and I was glad to note that attention had been paid to the sound effects of the gunshots (in fact one moment in the plot revolves around the distinct sound of a particular weapon).

The film delivers some very tense moments. The set-up at the Aryan compound is great, there is a cool standoff/restroom brawl at the bar and a scene inside a van in the middle of a snow-covered wasteland which will have you on tenterhooks.

One interesting aspect of the film is that Lance is a big fan of a Blues singer called Billie Jean Waters, and compares Anna favourably with her style. However when I searched the internet I couldn't find any reference to a real Billie Jean Waters and must conclude that the film-makers conjured her up for the film!

THE VERDICT

TAINTED is a solid if low-key thriller with some interesting character beats. If you want something fast-paced, this isn't your movie but if you want some nuance along with your action, this is definitely recommended, despite the dodgy artwork.

7 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)