When 19-year-old Adam agrees to do a day's driving for his mum's gangster boyfriend Peter, it takes him on a 24-hour journey into a nightmarish world of murder, sex trafficking and revenge, in the company of aging hit man Roy.
Occasionally the black comedy does crack a decent joke, but at some stage they really should explain how a distinctive car (a Ford Granada) can be present at every gory crime scene in the north of England without attracting police interest.
Here, between Roth and O’Connell, there is an amusing chemistry – though the script lacks the sheer aggression of Sexy Beast or foul-mouthed word play of In Bruges, two other fine examples in this arena, to be ranked alongside either.
Alas, this busy set-up requires a lot more skill to pull off than director Craig Viveiros seems able to bring to it and, in the end, the results feel like a less confident Ben Wheatley film.
Overall, well worth a look when one might have thought otherwise.
Promising talent all round, including director Craig Viveiros.
John Wrathall's script promises more than it eventually delivers, but there's some knockabout fun along the way.
The movie, directed with insufficient faith in the writing by Craig Viveiros, sells out character development in favour of garish contrivance.
It doesn't entirely work, but The Liability has some offbeat flair.
Like Sightseers shorn of its laugh, this is bleakly effective British fare that's not shy of asking tough questions.
A slow start leads to a pleasant trot but never develops into anything that could be called a gallop.
My inspiration for The Liability: Cohen and Tate and its brilliant screenwriter
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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