Bonded By Blood review

A return to the Essex gangsters story, and it's still proving unfruitful...

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Despite compelling true-life foundations, Sacha Bennett’s re-telling of the 1995 Rettendon murders (in which three Essex drug lords were gunned down in a parked car) remains sub-par Brit-crime fare.

Everything from script to performances goes through the motions, with only Vincent Regan’s Mickey registering in more than one dimension.

What really rankles is the failure to follow through on the title – far from a tight-knit group whose betrayals might have some emotional heft, these blokes don’t seem bonded by anything much besides their mutual love of dropping f-bombs.

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Emma Didbin is a writer and journalist who has contributed to GamesRadar+, The New York Times, Elle, Esquire, The Hollywood Reporter, Vulture, and more. Emma can currently be found in Los Angeles where she is pursuing a career in TV writing. Emma has also penned two novels, and somehow finds the time to write scripts for Parcast – the Spotify-owned network that creates thrilling true crime and mystery podcasts.