Three out of
Five stars
Running time:
81 mins
Enjoyably tense thriller with terrific performances by Burley and Hayes, though the script stumbles a bit in the final stretch and doesn't quite hit the intended target.
What's it all about?
Directed by Lindy Heymann, Kicks stars Kerrie Hayes and Nichola Burley (Donkey Punch) as Nicole and Jasmine, two Liverpudlian teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks who instantly bond over a mutual obsession with footballer Lee Cassidy (Jamie Doyle) when they meet outside his team's training ground. However, when it's announced that Cassidy is to be transferred to Real Madrid, the girls take drastic action and kidnap him, hoping to persuade him to change his mind.
The Good
The performances are excellent. Nichola Burley is superb as the wannabe WAG who lets her fantasies run away with her, whilst Kerrie Hayes delivers an equally impressive performance as Nicole, subtly hinting that her seemingly introverted nature might be masking something much darker.
Heymann creates a feverish atmosphere in the first half of the film, with the girls' obsessions feeding off each other and becoming more and more dangerous. There's also strong chemistry between both actresses that perfectly captures the powerful intensity of teenage friendships.
The Bad
In addition, the film makes some subtle comments about celebrity culture, particularly the ways in which being rich and famous gives you a dangerous power over people. The scene where Nicole and Jasmine discover sex videos on Cassidy's phone is chilling because it instantly recalls countless tabloid tales and the girls are horrified to realise that it could have been either of them in the film.
The only problem with the film is that the script, like the girls, doesn't know what to do with Cassidy once he's being held captive. This would be fine if the film was making a point about fantasy crashing up against reality, but it seems to want things both ways and the results (in terms of both sex and violence) are half-hearted and less than satisfying.
Worth seeing?
In short, despite a slightly disappointing climax, Kicks is an enjoyable British thriller that's worth seeing for the terrific performances by Nichola Burley and Kerrie Hayes. Great soundtrack, too.