“A
dark and at times uncomfortable film
about human trafficking that never
letsup;
the fast-paced and moderately
violent Freight has been called Britain’s
answer to Taken and demonstrates a
rare triumph for modern British films...”
ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE A VIOLENT WORLD behind him, the streetwise Gabe Taylor
(Billy Murray: Eastenders; The Bill; Call Of Duty) has settled down as
a family man looking forward to the marriage of his only daughter Julie (Laura
Aikman: Not Going Out) to fiancé Zaf (Stephen Uppal).
But he is inconvenienced by the theft of some portaloos from his rental business.
Not that he has nothing to go on, because Zaf is locked inside one of the cubicles!
Gabe has rounded up the local toughies, including his friend Jed (Craig Fairbrass:
Rise Of The Foot Soldier), and is tracking the loos via Zaf's mobile
phone.
Zaf is knee-deep in muck and bullets. Well, muck actually. The bullets come
later. The thieves are heartless Eastern Europeans who are involved in human
trafficking. The bullets fly as Gabe recovers his property, killing one of the
Romanians in the process.
A former East-End gangster and contemporary of the Krays and ex-SAS, Gabe has
stirred up a hornet's nest. Ruthless Romanian mafia boss Cristi (Danny Midwinter:
Dead Cert) is bringing young couples into the country, forcing the women
to work in seedy night clubs as pole-dancers or prostitutes and their husbands
to fight for their promised (and ever-elusive) freedom in front of an audience
of bloodthirsty spectators who place bets on the outcome.
Among the fighters is Fryderyck (Zsolt Nagy) who is worried about his wife Ewa
(Natalie Anderson) and young daughter Doloreta. Ewa is being held at a club
run by Carla (Aleksandra Kobielak) and Cristi has even more alarming plans for
Doloreta.
The stakes are high for Cristi. Having already left a trail of bodies in his
wake, he is not about to allow some upstart Englishman to interfere with his
business. After threatening to decimate Gabe's family, he takes his revenge
by abducting Julie.
But he has underestimated Gabe, who finds himself in the middle of a turf war.
Desperate to free his daughter while ensuring the safety of his wife Rhoda (Jean
Heard), he begins to flush out the callous criminals in order to put a stop
to the human 'freight'.
But tragedy strikes and Gabe's family will never be the same again. Will he
finally rescue his daughter from the chilling Romanian trafficker and help Fryderyck
to save his family? Freight is a terrific, absorbing, non-stop action
British movie with a creditable cast.
Set in the criminal underbelly of contemporary Britain, Freight shines
as a fast-paced, controversial, gritty action movie exposing the horrifying
and hard-hitting realities of human trafficking in the UK. Freight is
set in and filmed entirely in Yorkshire, UK.
After a limited theatrical run in the UK and a series of film festival premieres
around the globe, the DVD release of Freight is highly anticipated. Winner of
the Best Actor and Best Director Awards at the Brackenridge USA Film Festival,
Freight was awarded the prestigious Silver Palm at the Mexico International
Film Festival 2010 and received several nominations at the Los Angeles Action
In Film Awards, including Best Special Effects and Best Foreign Film, outside
the US.
The controversial and gritty Freight also features: Sam Kennard as Steve
Taylor; Matt Kennard as Sonny; Luke Aikman as Karl; Andrew Tiernan as Stanni;
and Joe Eggan as Emil. Music supervisor Original Score: Bradley Kohn; Additional
Music by David Gowenlock; Composer is Mark Blackledge. Director of Photography
is Carl Summerscales; Produced by Luke Aikman, Billy Murray, Josie Tomlin and
Andy Thompson; Executive Produced and Produced by Martin Campbell and Stuart
St Paul; Written and Directed by Stuart St Paul.
• The
uncompromising political thriller Freight is released courtesy of Icon
Home Entertainment on Monday 18 April 2011. BBFC Certification: 18 (UK & ROI)
| UK DVD SRP: £12.99 | Film Running Time: 92 Minutes | Special Features Running
Time: 112 Minutes | Total Running Time: 204 Minutes. Some nudity and content
of a sexual nature.
Special Features (Includes Behind The Scenes/Making-of material):
7 Cast Interviews: Billy Murray; Craig Fairbrass; Danny Midwinter; Laura Aikman;
Andy Tiernan; Zsolt Nagy and Natalie Anderson | 13 Featurettes (Looking at the
film's locations and controversial subject material): Vortex | Body guard |
Boxing Gym | Building Site | Burden Head Farm | Container | Fight For Freedom
| Kill All | Sex Traffic | Silks | Underground Fight. Audio Commentary With
Producer/Director Stuart St Paul, Composer Mark Blackledge and actor Billy Murray
| Expanded Photo Gallery.
"Freight is a terrific, absorbing, non-stop action British movie with
a creditable cast" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
"Freight is an uncompromising insight into people trafficking and gangland
brutality. Making gritty use of locations around Leeds, writer director Stuart
St Paul raises several troubling issues in depicting a seedy side of city life
that few will know exists. St Paul stages the combustible action with an emphasis
on the ferocity of the violence, while Midwinter delivers a snarling display
of ruthless cruelty that contrasts tellingly with Murray's more urbane brutishness"
— David Parkinson, Empire Online
"Billy Murray gives an uncompromising performance as Gabe and Danny Midwinter's
Cristi is genuinely chilling. The direction is tight and economical and the
action scenes are expertly handled. Freight is a roller-coaster ride, an action
thriller the likes of which British filmmaking has seemed unable to create"
— Raindance Film Festival Review
Freight is unashamedly a political film that tackles a very real global problem.
It highlights how many people in the UK think about their country, its politicians,
the police and the laws on immigration. It is also a delicately balanced film
showing a tolerant, multi-racial country of people who will fight for justice.
It is estimated that 12.3 million people (around half believed to be children)
are in forced labour around the world, generating around £9.5bn in annual revenue.
“A
dark and at times uncomfortable film