Cleanskin

Sean Bean in Cleanskin – UK – 2012

Although it looks at first like a generic macho action pic with lots of gory brainsplatter effects, there's a more finely pored, thoughtful piece of work lurking beneath the gritty surface of Brit pic "Cleanskin," writer-helmer Hadi Hajaig's sophomore effort. However, the script relies too much on painfully clunky if necessary flashbacks to explain how its British-born Muslim protagonist turned into a terrorist, and the material might have worked much better as multipart TV drama. Feature form makes this a more vulgar, rough-hewn creature that will play largely to a male demographic and clean up well on ancillary.