ODYSSEY

(director/writer: Gerard Johnson; screenwriter: Austin Collins; cinematographer: Korsshan Schiauer; editor: Ian Davies; music:Matt Johnson; cast: Polly Maberly (Natasha Finn), Guy Burnet (Dan Hayter), Kellie Shirley (Safi), Tom Davis (Troy), Mikael Persbrandt (The Viking), Charley Palmer Rothwell (Spike Palmer), Jasmine Blackborow (Dylan Rose), Ryan Hayes (Will Hayter), Ben Shafik (Douglas Kelly), Daniel De Bourg (Dom), Rebecca Calder (Sophie Graves), Peter Ferdinando (Cowboy); Runtime: 110; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Isabel Freer, John Jencks, Patrick Tolan, Matthew James Wilkinson; Stigma Films; 2025-UK-in English, Swedish)

“Works as a neo-noir film.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Brit filmmaker Gerard Johnson (“Hyena”/”Tony”) directs and co-writes with Austin Collins this atmospheric black comedy/thriller set in London, a follow-up to his “Muscle” film.

It opens with an attention-grabbing close-up tooth extraction of a wisdom tooth, that sets an unpleasant mood for this crime drama.

The struggling London real-estate agent Natasha Flynn (Polly Maberly) returns to her office after the dentist visit and with her two real-estate agents she employs, Spike (Charley Palmer Rothwell) and Safi (Kellie Shirley), she’s training her new intern Dylan Rose (Jasmine Blackborow).

Natasha owes gangsters money she doesn’t have from living a lavish lifestyle and having a coke addiction. To satisfy the gangsters, she watches over a kidnap victim for them. She also tries to keep her criminal activities and lack of funds from her staff.

Natasha’s a shady, fast-talking real-estate agent who cheats her clients.

Maberly plays the self-delusional real estate agent as someone craven who fights for survival by joining the criminal underworld.

Maberly would do anything to survive, which oddly makes her almost a sympathetic character if you can accept her weak sob story as a reason for becoming so vile.

This gritty character-driven tale works as a neo-noir film.

It played at the SXSW Film Festival.

REVIEWED ON 5/5/2026  GRADE: B
dennisschwartzreviews.com