Flutter (2011)

Flutter: Directed by Giles Borg. With Joe Anderson, Ricky Tomlinson, Laura Fraser, Autumn Federici. Chancer John lives for playing the odds – and he’s always willing to take a calculated risk. But when he meets the mysterious and beautiful female bookie Stan, he discovers there’s much more to gambling than just greyhounds and horses. Lured by her huge payoffs, John finds himself sucked into a surreal and dangerous world ruled by money, power and control. The question is how far will John go for the ultimate last big win?

“It starts with a voice over from protagonist Joe Anderson who sounds uncannily like Marc Warren (he of Hustle fame) and, Iu0026#39;m afraid, I canu0026#39;t stand the accent. Although I loved the series, I hated his character. So with such associations still burning deep, Flutter gets off to a very poor start for me.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCoupled with the protagonistu0026#39;s disheveled/scruffy look and his u0026#39;jobu0026#39; as a professional punter (and the way he goes about it is not at all how professional bettors work) itu0026#39;s unbelievable that the lovely Laura Fraser could ever fancy him. Well, beyond my suspension of disbelief.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHaving said all that he plays a good part as a chavvy gambler although I doubt thatu0026#39;s the original idea.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere are cameos from Billy Zane and Anton Lesser (who must be desperate for work). The femme fatale is Anna Anissimova (or Anna Schafer as she seems to be known now) who has an absolutely brilliant part but doesnu0026#39;t quite manage to pull it off. Whether thatu0026#39;s her or the director, who knows but she just doesnu0026#39;t have the depth, menace or gravitas.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe plot is far from original. Most reviewers quote Cheap Thrills (although Flutter preceded it) but there are other similar storylines, too. There are several little plot holes if you watch with more than one eye, and the ending is unsatisfactory at best and a cop-out at worst.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo, overall disappointing and really should have been better. You mighty enjoy it, but Iu0026#39;m not betting on it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSee what I did there…?”