Although it lacks the distinctive style and empathy which made his award-winning Constellations so memorable, Nick Payne’s more conventional, often very funny follow-up to his highly praised two-hander proves enjoyably entertaining.
Set predominantly in the shabby Luton offices of Scorpion Claims (a two man legal firm which specialises in personal injury cases) it’s torn between being more than a touch sympathetic to the financially straitened who succumb to the temptation of pursuing false claims and despising the clients who manufacture them.
It doesn’t take much for Daniel Mays’ slightly shifty solicitor Andrew to be persuaded to pursue – on a ‘no-win, no-fee’ basis – a faked case presented to him by Marc Wootton’s working class Kevin (a loud, loutish old school buddy who thinks shorts are appropriate courtroom attire). But Kevin has a bigger plan to scam and Andrew, already under a career cloud, goes right along with it, whilst assuring his senior partner Barry (Nigel Lindsay excellent as a fundamentally decent man who’s had some hard – and insufficiently explored – knocks) that everything is kosher.
The dialogue is sharp, the performances first-rate – Peter Forbes’ Judge presides over his court with a wry tolerance, Monica Dolan doubles as a sleekly composed corporate lawyer and a dodgy accomplice, and Isabella Laughland impresses as the overworked supermarket delivery driver who freely admits to pranging someone’s car but not to racism.
The final scenes are less satisfactory, but John Crowley’s smooth direction almost manages to hide their weaknesses in this critique of today’s crash-for-cash compensation culture.
(This is London)
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