A Reservoir Dogs opening starts the film as we find Tobias Hargate (Andre Pierre) tied to a chair in the backroom of a factory before being approached by a pair of heavies. The head honcho is Angus Villiers-Stuart as Vincent Cromwell who interrogates the bloody and beaten Tobias.

The film then flashbacks back to explain how we got to this situation. At Birmingham train station, we see criminal “contractors” Doyle and Dima (Sam Malley and Nisaro Karim) hunt down Tobias before they begin a fast-paced chase across city streets.

There is a real kinetic energy to the editing of this action sequence. Quick cutting shows the intensity of the pursuit and the filming is clear to show where everyone is in relationship to each other. No easy feat in this day and age but it’s a superbly frentic sequence to pull you in.

The frantic pace of these fight scenes contrast well against the slower discussions before Vincent offers Tobias an offer to chase down the “chasers” as he seeks revenge on some of his crew.

A suitably styled crime credit sequence echoes James Bond’s intro sequence (although strangely arrives 10 minutes into the film) with good orchestral music from Yunus Khan.

From here we switch to Doyle’s home-life as he wakes up and works out which although shows the bruising nature of his crime life, still feels slightly like filler. Yet through a radio report and Doyle remembering the brutal fight that caused his injuries, the film again uses various techniques to pass its story points to the audience. Which is hugely to its credit. 

The Chase therefore demonstrates a great use of plot structure. Flashbacks and time jumps certainly help to create a more intriguing mystery than a straightforward linear narrative. Putting the puzzle pieces of the story together definitely helps maintain interest in a genre often full of clichés.

A kitchen chat between Doyle and his mum (Tamsin Hunt) provides a little backstory and heart to a brutal tale, as Doyle hides the true reason for his scars. But he is soon back with his partner and the scary reality of having to “take out” their next target is a daunting prospect to the first timer.

However, after spotting their prey, Doyle rushes through parks and alleys in another well-executed foot chase and fistfight with mighty kudos to editors Idriss Assoumanou and Luke Galloway for their punchy energy in the cuts.

Director Malley has said the aim of this pilot is as a showcase to create more “episodes” and there is a lot of promise here to suggest that will happen with a suitable cliff-hanger ending too. The film has a few minor flaws but its mix of action, twisting narrative timelines and good performances, makes The Chase an unadulterated and impressive calling card for Malley’s crime thriller series.