Brit crime thriller almost pays off

March is traditionally an off-season for mainland filmgoers, but the British crime film Blitz, to be released on March 16, promises some thrills.

English actor and former national team diver Jason Statham leads the cast as Detective Sergeant Tom Brant, a hotheaded police officer from a turbulent South East London police station.

He partners up with homosexual officer Porter Nash, played by Paddy Considine, to capture a serial cop killer played by Aidan Gillen.

The film features British acting and humor, while London looks wild and dark. The action is intense and the characters well drawn.

There is also enough depiction of the characters' personality.

Statham shapes a police officer who is not only gritty but also full of self-knowing humor. The interaction between this sexist who refers to gays as "poofters" and his homosexual partner will amuse many.

The script has many holes and cliches, especially the subplot involving an undercover colleague that adds unnecessary flab, but the three lead actors' professional performances almost overcome these faults.