‘Jackdaw’ review: Dir. Jamie Childs [Fantastic Fest 2023]

Having helmed episodes of television shows such as Doctor Who, The Sandman, and His Dark Materials, writer and director Jamie Childs has finally made his first feature film, Jackdaw. The film stars The Invisible Man’s Oliver Jackson-Cohen as a former motocross champion and army veteran who must track down his missing brother after getting tangled up in his hometown’s criminal underbelly. 

From its opening moments, Jackdaw is electrifying. There’s a charge surging underneath every scene, and whilst it doesn’t have a breakneck pace, something keeps momentum moving ever forward. The story begins with Jackson-Cohen’s Jack Dawson – Jackdaw – agreeing to collect a package for local dealer Silas (Joe Blakemore). A man of honour, Jack agrees to the job purely to help keep a roof over his head and also his brother Simon. He soon realises however, that the package belonged to another party, one with whom Jack has a long and twisted relationship. Returning home to find Simon missing, Jack begins a bloody rescue mission. 

Whilst Jackdaw’s plot might not be the most original, following the beats of most revenge thrillers, it has a spark to keep the viewer invested. Jackson-Cohen is magnetic as Jackdaw. His stoic performance simmers with brooding strength. As Jack tries to track down Simon he retains an air of calm. This is not the typical hothead fixated on retribution, he’s a thinking man and as such is more calculated about his approach. It is a clever move from Childs that helps place Jackdaw apart from recent similar thrillers such as Bull. 

Given the type of story Jackdaw is telling, there is an obvious presence of violence. It is not central to the plot however. This is not an English John Wick, but instead a more stylised and subdued take on something like Shane Meadows’ Dead Man’s Shoes. Jackdaw contains plenty of aggression, Childs just opts to not coat the screen in blood. This allows the few moments of more extreme violence to sing, their impact reverberating throughout. 

Jackdaw has some of the best cinematography of the year. Every pixel of Jackdaw is beautiful to look at. Filmed in Hartlepool, County Durham, and Tee Valley, cinematographer Will Baldy effortlessly blends countryside and industrial structures. He contrasts man-made constructions against nature with stunning effect. The colour palette – a mesh of oranges and blues – bathes the film in a beautiful light. These intense colours swathe the imagery, adding just enough to garner an otherworldly vibe. A standout shot arrives in the wake of Jack’s task and shows gorgeous inky blue skies against sun-bleached grass, which is in turn illuminated by a sole streetlamp. In the background are rows of pylons. This is the Britain that most only glimpse as they pass by on the motorways, and as such it sets up the idea that this community is isolated and removed from societal norms.

The score is equally moody and industrial, reinforcing the messages within Baldy’s imagery. The combination of both audio and visuals conjures up a lush foreboding atmosphere. It mirrors the emotion that Jackdaw exudes whilst also granting an out of time feel. So many of England’s small towns and communities are stuck at some point in the past. This is especially true for Jack’s world. He has returned from a long stint away to discover that hardly anything or anyone has changed. The soundtrack further affirms the staticness of the community as it blends together music from the eighties, nineties, and beyond to create a rather unique melting pot. 

For a first-time feature, Childs has averted many of the typical pitfalls. In Jackdaw he has created an assured film that is raised by the depth and breath of the talent involved across the board. A fantastic central performance by Oliver Jackson-Cohen is complemented by some interesting socioeconomic analysis around small town Britain. This is a thriller with teeth and brains, making it a very deadly prospect indeed. 

Jackdaw was reviewed at Fantastic Fest 2023.