User reviews

A corrupt cop Michael leads a team who tackle drug trafficking in London. But they act more like a gang of criminals themselves. Michael habitually cuts deals with the dealers but the arrival of two violent Albanian criminals, who not only traffic drugs but young women as well, presents him with a moral dilemma; while at the same time his team's corruption is threatened with exposure by an old colleague from his past who is assigned to work alongside them.

The hyena of the title is of course the bad cop Michael played by Peter Ferdinando. He is a pretty unglamourized central character. I was brought to mind of the film Pusher, particularly the remake set in London. Both films have protagonists who are engulfed in immorality and who are set on a downward spiral, while both also have scarily authentic ethnic gangsters from the south eastern Mediterranean providing the main threat of brutality. But maybe it's this very familiarity that is the problem, in that it seems like we have been here before with British crime flicks. What does stand out somewhat are the occasional moments of extreme grimness. On a few occasions we are presented with pretty visceral violence or the results of it, while there is also the repulsive sight of an overweight man having sex with a comatose girl to contend with. These horrible moments do hit home though and ensure this is a film that doesn't pull its punches. It's a film that is stylised at times, such as the opening assault of the neon lit club, and with an effective moody soundtrack from, of all people, The The. But it certainly isn't over-stylised which is something many other recent examples in the crime genre are, this ensures it has a grittier aesthetic overall which fits in with the story. On the whole though, there's nothing really new here though so in the final analysis it's a solid film as opposed to a very good one.

The plot is that a drug squad in London is seemingly as corrupt as the people they are trying to police. Michael (Peter Ferdinando) is the Detective Sergeant and he is the central figure with a taste for coke (the snorting variety) but essentially a good heart that is obscured by his own greed. 'The book' is for other cops in this film where the line between the law and law breakers is very opaque indeed.

Then their cozy World gets turned upside down when two Albanian low life's turn up and start to make things rather uncomfortable - that is when the line between good and bad goes from blurred to non existent.

Now there are some big names here; Stephen Graham and Neil Maskell both giving convincing performances as ever. The acting is all better than good; the direction and the production are superior too. Some of the scenes are very stylishly done, but the visceral depictions of violence (both on and off screen) makes sure that this does not become a 'classy crime flick'. The ending will leave some a bit annoyed but this is in most places a down to earth and realistically imagined film - hence my rating. Not one for the squeamish but one that shows a good Brit crime film can still be made.

Michael Logan is a police detective in London. His area is drugs and this brings him into contact with European drug syndicates. Logan is happy to turn a blind eye to their dealings, for a cut, or confiscate suppliers' merchandise for their own profit. So far he and his equally-crooked police colleagues have done quite well out of this. Then a deal he was planning with a member of a Turkish drug cartel goes sour and the balance of power swings to an Albanian gang, run by two brothers, the Kabashis. Logan quickly aims to provide the Albanians with the same service he provided the Turks, but they aren't easily lead. Meanwhile, he an his colleagues are being investigated by Internal Affairs. Just to make his life more complicated, he has been seconded to a vice task force, run by a former colleague whom he does not get along with.

Gritty crime-drama that blurs the lines between good and bad, criminal and cop. Very well done in this respect, as you never know who is on whose side, who's looking out for justice and who's just it for the money. Even figuring out who are allies on the criminal side of things is difficult.

All this leads to a wonderfully complex minefield or relationships, loyalties and intentions, and in the middle of it is our main character, Logan.

Just a pity about the ending though. The movie was heading for great climax, and maybe even a 9/10, when the director wrecked it with the final scene. Without giving too much away, it was very unsatisfying...

First of all, if you do not get what this movie is truly about. Don't watch it, bothering to comment on how you don't get the point. That being said, which might be a bit upsetting for some. This film was really an enjoyable experience, in the sense that it is quite rare to watch the guts pouring out of honest film making. The acting is brilliant, tone is consistent throughout the film, which is rare enough to be mentioned. It is quite graphic, since most people experienced breaking bad, it is OK. Soundtrack by "the the" adds to the magnetic feel of the film. The action is driven, captivating, edgy. This is how more movies need to be made. I won't even compare to other, bigger budget, commercially successful gangster films. I won't explain the end since I found it quite good. Bonus if you read the anecdote section. Liked this movie a lot as you can tell by now. Thanks if you took time to read this review.

Totally enjoyed this movie. It does have some plot holes that are bridged with some leaps. That said, it's an enaging, visual piece. It doesn't follow all the tropes, just some and that is a solid choice. Stephen Graham as ususal delivers in an understated, powerful way.

Really, when it comes down to it, I'm between a 6 and a 7 for this. It's fairly enjoyable, it just doesn't really do anything out of the ordinary until its ending. And if the mainstream likes this, they will absolutely hate the ending and everything it stands for. I don't say that lightly, they will definitely hate it and as a result hate the overall film. I do think the filmmakers should be given props for it, certainly did what they wanted and would rather make a great thematic point than try to just please audiences, and in that respect, they should be congratulated (and it also helps that it's the ind of ending that I usually love, so I wasn't displeased). The lead is really good and at times you really do wish that he was in a better film.

The following review is going to be quite negative; something I don't like doing, but in this case it's born out of frustration as the BFI, Film 4 and Tribecca are all behind 'Hyena' and it just makes me scream aloud WHY?! I'm clearly missing something. I know it's a low budget thriller and the fact any film gets made yet alone released is quite an achievement but seriously, why bother if there's nothing original to say or show when you aren't working under the overly regimented eye of a powerhouse studio? Director Gerard Johnson is also the screenwriter and this really needed a second stronger writer to edit it down and polish up some of the horrible or just too 'on-the-nose' dialogue that results in cliché. For a writer/director in his forties the script is very immature and the (visual) direction seems (probably intentionally) shot from the hip as 99% of it is hand-held close up or MCU work with countless shots following behind Gerard Butler lookalike Peter Ferdinando as he walks. Ferdinando here isn't a strong enough an actor to carry this, however his given dialogue could take a lot of the blame although many of his emotion and reaction shots look like the editor has cut in the bad takes. Mentioning the editing, the film has so much padding and could easily be relieved of a good 10 minutes from its over-long 112 minute running time. How many montage-style scenes were there of characters doing things (drinking and drug taking mostly) set to music that didn't really progress the plot? And what was with the male topless food fight? For a 'tough cop' movie there are a number of homo-erotic moments here that feel out of place. MyAnna Buring was there…. to collect a pay-check? Given NOTHING to do. The ending I won't talk about, although it doesn't work in this scenario. But then again I couldn't have cared less about any of the characters outcomes and the cut to black was in fact quite a relief. Sharing many of Ben Wheatley's regular cast members, director Johnson adapts a similar cinema verite-style as seen in 'Kill List' but overall it just feels like lazy filmmaking. As I say, I think I'm missing something. Or is mediocrity the new "it'll do"?

The film is about a corrupt policeman's investigation into a drug and trafficking ring and while undercover, trying to help one of the many victims. Writer/Director Gerard Johnson previously made Tony (2009) a brilliant pitch black comedy/drama about a suburban serial killer. This one is played pretty much straight and therefore more of a tough watch. It does have very graphic content including moments of genuinely shocking violence (including a brilliant moment towards the beginning depicting the aftermath of a murder which I gasped so loud at) and a very unsettling tone throughout. Johnson's main collaborator Peter Ferdinando plays the central character Michael Logan and he is absolutely fantastic! Performances all round are great and especially Elisa Lasowski's role as Ariana; a terrified individual who keeps her head down in order to not be subjected to the absolute horror of being sold to men again. She is the victim of atrocious abuse as shown in one harrowing sequence and you really want her to escape. Perhaps the downfall of the film is it's overly ambiguous and frustrating ending which in some ways is an indicator of just how gripping the film was up until then. It also feels long but I think that's the case as it is such an exhausting watch at times because of its disturbing subject matter. It is a haunting and relentless portrayal of a seedy underworld accompanied by a hugely atmospheric score by Matt Johnson

"Hyena" is a punishingly bleak, violent trudge through a London underworld of sex traffickers, drug dealers, rapists, gangsters, and police who are indiscernible from them. It's the kind of thing that makes you feel dirty. It reminded me a little of that Aussie flick, "Snowtown", except that had a reason for existing, other than just the dubious pleasure of wallowing in the mire.

Its protagonist is a crooked cop who cooperates, a little too helpfully, with gangsters involved in the traffic of sex slaves from the Balkans. At some point he may decide to redeem himself - or does he? It could be that that's just a cliché for movies like this, so we expect it, a la "Bad Lieutenant". He does try to help one of the sex slaves escape, but for the rest of the movie he is really just acting in his own interest.

The movie doesn't bring you close enough to the character to make him interesting like in that movie, though, or other gritty character studies like "Pusher", or of course, the daddy of them all, "Taxi Driver". He's just another scum bag. If there is goodness in him, that makes him worse than the others. They don't know any better.

The movie is continually violent and shocking, with dismemberments, decapitated heads, graphic rapes. It doesn't feel realistic or necessary. This movie is like a deliberately sick carnival ride going from one grotesque exhibition to the next. When it's over, the challenge is answered and you can get on with your day. It might shock you while it's happening but you won't be thinking about it for long afterwards.

Peter Ferdinando plays Michael, a bent cop trying to partially unbend himself. He's just made a deal with some very naughty Albanian gangsters, only to find they're being investigated by his division and he's being stitched up for a murder he didn't commit. He's up against it: His colleagues are a bunch of racist drunks; his arch-nemesis David (Stephen Graham) has just returned as his senior officer; and a clean-cut cop named Taylor (Richard Dormer) is on a mission to clean up the Met. Meanwhile, Michael takes it upon himself to rescue a trafficked woman named Ariana (Elisa Lasowski), while trying to keep his own girl Lisa (MyAnna Buring) from been chopped into little pieces. Laugh-a-minute stuff, then.

The film starts boldly with a heavily stylised raid, followed by a scene in which Michael's crew drink and snort and mouth off about "Pakis". The script is as visceral as the violence; unpretty but pretty authentic. The best of the dialogue – and the most engaging character dynamic – occurs between Michael and David, and the film could have done with more of their tense, skilfully acted showdowns, and slightly fewer scenes of people receiving terrible news by telephone. But that's not to deny the film's grip. There's a genuine sense of danger throughout, and the central theme of cops "crossing a line" is consistently observed throughout – even if Michael's shambolic descent is telegraphed from the start.

"This isn't the 80s," one character remarks, although the sophomore feature of writer-director Gerard Johnson owes more than a little to the crime movie giants of that decade. Its yawning cityscapes and blue hues are like Michael Mann on tour in London, while the street level stuff – all shadowed alleys and vice-filled backrooms – are straight from Abel Ferrara. Indeed, Bad Lieutenant comparisons are particularly noticeable. Its more recent influences include Gaspar Noe's stalking camera-work and Nicolas Winding Refn's doom-scored spasms of ultraviolence. If all that appeals then great, but don't go in expecting to see anything new or particularly refined.

Hyena is a decent gritty Brit-crime thriller, sophisticated in aesthetic if not in content. It's beautifully shot and lit, and the performances are strong – particularly Ferdinando in the lead, the underused Graham, and Kill List's Neil Maskell. Its preoccupations tap into (and exploit) modern fears of police corruption and immigration effectively. Yet all the way up to its ambiguous (read: mildly unsatisfying) ending it feels more like a set of long-established clichés updated to the twenty-teens than a bold new voice in home-grown gangster film.

the funny is that after so many years trying so hard to sit through all the crime genre films out of the British movie industries, none of them ever could hold my focus and most of the time, i just quit after tormenting and torturing myself for about 20 to 30 boring, uninteresting of my life. except kept hearing the modern curse word "Fxxking" this, "Fxxking" that, a word used to be "Bloody" couple of years ago in every British movie, there was nothing coherent enough to be recognized as a 'good' enough movie, albeit 'decent' or even 'great' one.

this 'hyena' is no exception at all. what a bore, man. full of unlikable screen personalities, bored to death scenarios and storyline, cardboard acting, non-exit direction, what we got here is nothing but another hyped hollow, snail-crawling crap out of London. the average ratings on IMDb are around 6+_, and on rottentomatoes.com even got a higher 7+ rating average, gee, are we watching the same movie of the same title? i really don't want to write a review of this typical British tasteless wax ball, but i just couldn't help myself, man. watching this movie is like when hiking on the mountain trail, i suddenly overhear a mountain goat 'Meh...meh...' behind some rocks.

Feel as though your recent bout of cop flicks haven't been hitting the mark when it comes to the gritty, grimy and downright dark factors? Then Gerard Johnson's Hyena is just the film your looking for! As degenerate and devoid of lightness as your likely to want to get, Hyena is very much so a British crime film painted in the same brush as those dimly lit genre specialties like the U.K's very own The Long Good Friday and in some ways grungy classics like The French Connection and while Johnson's film sadly never eventuates into a film of special power Hyena is a never the less engaging watch, even though its often far too dark for its own good.

Centring around drug squad cop Michael who operates under a special set of ethics alongside his team of crack snorting and extortion loving partners of the badge, Hyena starts off in the shadows and while briefly flirts in tiny moments with entering the smallest areas of light retreats as the runtime wears on into the underworlds of London and its criminal underbelly and with its unflinching depiction of violence and a particularly vulgar assault that is likely to offend many that lay witness to it, Hyena is a film not made for everybody and makes no apologies in being so.

After only one previous film in the form of the equally small scale Tony, director Johnson should be commended for sticking to his guns and draws out great performances from his leading man Peter Ferdinando as the somehow likable Michael and also the brilliant yet underused Stephan Graham as task force boss David Knight, with Graham once more showcasing just why his one of the industry's most reliable actors with his rare ability to go between charming and dangerous at the drop of a hat. Despite Johnson's and his main casts efforts however Hyena never fully gets going in a narrative sense and with a culmination that seems far too weak for what's come before, Hyena is likely to leave many a viewer cold in both an attachment and engagement sense.

Commendable with its depiction of a seedy London cityscape and with a noteworthy score from Johnson's brother Matt and some nice central performances from Ferdinando and Graham, Hyena is good quality material that could've been something special had it struck the right narrative balance in amongst all its limb chopping's, swear words and dirty back alleys of a city that hides a dark yet violently alive world.

3 angry Albanians out of 5

In the seamy underworld of London cops, everyone plays by their own rules. There is no one to trust. Police units are in league with criminals and competing with each other for increasing shares of the profits. Laws are not enforced so much as used for advantage over others. As vice cop Michael Logan, with a coke habit and indolent nature, attempts to carve out a larger share of the illicit income for himself, he gets trapped between a ruthless pair of Albanian brothers and his fellow officers who are trying to trap him. Those who should be protected by the law are instead neglected and placed in greater danger. The director and writer based the character of Logan on someone he knew personally. Despite shaky acting of some in the supporting cast, this is a compelling portrait of police officers who are indistinguishable from criminals. The betrayals and back stabbings are underscored by a dark soundtrack by Matt Johnson and The The. Seen at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

The movie is about the immigrant gangs consisting of Turks and Albanians and drug addicted cops, taking place in England. A so-called protector of the law, in the lead role, who is losing his sense of "ethics" gradually. It is a maze with trap within trap, an event triggering the other, this time even more complex. Being 'Big John' is disappearing in every second; It becomes then blurry who is protecting the law, and even makes you forget the definition of the law, in a pretty dark atmosphere.

Nicholas Winding Refn described the movie as the future of noir genre. Les Arcs owns the prize for the best actor in Edinburgh - also has two nominations for the best British film and Sitges best film.

Great performances but the terrible ending, the director tried to be over smart and too creative than what he is by messing up the ending so bad that the audience feels the whole movie to be a total waste of time.

Starring a corrupt police officer working in narcotics in London, this film portraying Turkish and ruthless Albanian crime syndicates was truly captivating to watch.

Themes such as immigrant crime syndicates, corrupt police officers, and a dysfunctional law enforcement system were portrayed in an extremely realistic manner.

The only downside I can mention about the film is that it didn't feel entirely satisfying. But, this doesn't detract from its enjoyment as the pacing and flow are quite engaging, owed to its impeccable acting and realistic atmosphere. However, the screenplay lacks significant action for a police drama. Perhaps, at the expense of some realism, I would have preferred the screenplay to have more significant events. I respect the director's choice to leave the ending ambiguous; it's a bold decision. However, it leaves a sense of something missing due to certain aspects of the plot not being resolved.

Nevertheless, for those looking to watch a dark, gritty yet highly realistic crime thriller, I highly recommend this great film.