Pimp

Pimp is a full-on stare into the seedy face of London’s sex industry through the eyes of Woody (Robert Cavanah) as the Soho pimp in the title and a Documentary crew that is following and recording his life for a week. This gritty first venture by Robert Cavanah as re-writer, director and lead actor into the darker side of London is a slice of British Film brilliance and deservers much more than the limited cinema release it is getting (in my umble opinion).

Woody works for a gangland boss Stanley (Danny Dyer) as a pimp and fixer, running the girls on the streets and in the porn industry. Woody agrees to be followed for a week by a Documentary team who film his every move. His life soon spirals out of control. Firstly, he is evicted and beaten up by his landlord and then he is set upon by the Chinese Triad that is muscling in on Stanley’s patch. This is compounded by the fact that Stanley has kidnapped one of the Triad’s illegally imported girls Bo (Gemma Chan) for their own sex industry and who are holding the woman’s son as collateral. Another of his girls Petra (Barbara Nedeljakova) goes missing after yet another of his girls is apparently killed in a snuff sex film. (Confused? Don’t be, it is not that complicated when you are watching). Woody desperately tries to find Petra while trying to come to terms with his own growing disillusionment of his life and his burgeoning attraction to Bo, who stubbornly refuses to be broken with her quiet dignity. The frantic search for Petra leads Woody to a startling revelation about who is behind the snuff films and when Bo is kidnapped the countdown begins towards the final climax.

Robert Cavanah is awesome as the grubby pimp Woody and Danny Dyer plays his usual self only better than usual. The supporting cast all play their part in highlighting the dark side of the sex industry, especially good are Gemma Chan as the dignified Bo and Robert Fucilla as Stanley’s younger thug brother Vincent. The dingy London scenes shot in this film really highlight the sleazy underworld portrayed and heighten the squalid atmosphere of the dank underbelly of forgotten London. This film will not be to everyone’s taste, most women especially will find this an uncomfortable viewing experience but one worth watching nonetheless. My view is that although this movie contains difficult subject matter and most decent people would like to sweep this side of London under the carpet, it is out there and should be highlighted. We as a nation should be forced to confront what is right under our noses and deal with it accordingly. Do not get me wrong, this film is pure fiction, not a real documentary of real lives. The reality is far more brutal than what this film portrays. This film, however, is British film making at its very best and definitely one to watch.