Charlie Casanova review

Hollyoaks star plays sociopathic businessman

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An opinionated motormouth reveals sociopathic tendencies in an Irish micro-budgeter that’s the very definition of a hard slog.

Hollyoaks star Emmett Scanlan gives a bravura turn as the title character, a middle-class businessman who, after a hit and run, lets all his subsequent decisions hang on the turn of a card.

The problem is he is such an alienating jerk we soon can’t tolerate his company, or comprehend why his wife and pals deign to have him around.

Does writer-director Terry McMahon fancy himself as the new Neil LaBute? If so, he’s as misguided as the Wicker Man remake .

Freelance Writer

Neil Smith is a freelance film critic who has written for several publications, including Total Film. His bylines can be found at the BBC, Film 4 Independent, Uncut Magazine, SFX, Heat Magazine, Popcorn, and more.