AFTER several years in the making, London Irish gangster film Jack Mulligan premiered before a jubilant audience at BAFTA in Piccadilly last Thursday.
Written and produced by Andrew Nolan, it's the second short film from the multi-talented co-founder of the band The BibleCode Sundays after his 2013 effort Tax City.
Dean Smith excels in the lead role as reformed criminal Jack Mulligan, who returns to his old stomping ground in west London to inflict revenge on his former gang boss Jimmy Callinan, convincingly played by former world champion boxer Steve Collins.
Brutal scenes of decapitation and gun violence are not for the faint-hearted, but the plausible nature of the plot leaves viewers curious as to whether such a criminal underground actually exists in the London Irish community.
However, there's a constant stream of comical one-liners to lighten the mood, while cameo appearances from the likes of former professional footballer Shaun Derry add to the intrigue.
Meanwhile, pub scenes – many of which were filmed in The Churchill Arms in Kensington – are sure to resonate with Irish viewers, with both joyous and mournful moments captured to a tee.
Having been in the pipeline for some time, Nolan thanked various members of London's Irish community for their support in the making of the project, which will now be entered into major film festivals with the aim of converting it into a full feature film, or a pilot episode for a TV series.
The public will get a rare opportunity to see the film for themselves at the Beck Theatre in Hayes on June 10, 2016. Tickets for the second premiere at the 600-seater venue can be booked for £12 plus a small booking fee here.
