Matthew Briody heads straight to the bank for tense drama One Last Deal.
J. Paul Getty once stated, "My father said, 'You must never try to make all the money that's in a deal. Let the other fellow make some money too, because if you have a reputation for always making all the money, you won't have many deals'." Getty was an American oil billionaire who was believed to be one of the world's richest men when he died.
If anyone has taken this lesson to heart, it's Jimmy Banks (Danny Dyer), the agent who wheels and deals with intensity through his office in One Last Deal. The film follows Banks over one scorching hot London day while he makes a last-ditch attempt to land a valuable contract for a star football player. With the multi-million pound signings With multi-million-pound deals and lucrative contracts on the line, Jimmy is more than willing to do whatever it takes to claim his slice of the deal.
Director Brendan Muldowney has worked across multiple genres throughout his career. Since his 2009 debut feature Savage, or his impressive shorts before that, Muldowney has delivered thrillers, period dramas and horrors. Savage focused on a man attempting to deal with the aftermath of a violent and random attack. It is fitting that masculinity and violence are themes Muldowney continues to explore and extend into One Last Deal.
Another unifying thread is tension. Operating within the high-octane world of football, Jimmy is a bulldog, barking down the phone if he does not get his way. In the film's opening, a popular football player on Jimmy's book is on trial for an alleged violent incident, and of course the player denies all allegations.
Confined to Jimmy's office for the entire duration of the film, every interaction and character appears as a voice on the phone or a figure in a video. This distinct take is reminiscent of Steven Knight's 2013 Tom Hardy-starring potboiler, Locke; or Joel Schumacher's Phone Booth (2002) featuring our very own Colin Farrell.
This means Dyer's performance carries the film's dramatic premise entirely. It's a good thing so, that on top of embodying his usual brash cockney character, Dyer brings an unexpected emotional heft. He explores his character's darkness so well on screen, making full use of this solitary office as a performative space. Through colourful dialogue and unique physical personality quirks he reveals himself. During one memorable scene, Jimmy dances in his office while Three Lions plays. With his combination of range and commitment, Dyer is a deeply engaging presence on screen.
Muldowney's direction is spot on, and with each technical element, he raises the stakes. To add to the intensity of these high-pressure negotiations, Muldowney ensures that the camera is fluid and consciously placed. While Jimmy waits for an important call, we lean in close, the static framing of the phone bringing a tangible sense of anticipation that builds with each second of silence. Muldowney ensures the rich performances are captured with energy, while information is fed to Jimmy through via well-placed television clips, laptop calls and phone screens. This world feels whole and the action keeps moving without us ever leaving that office.
This marks an impressive screenwriting debut for Peter Howlett. The dialogue is razor sharp, themes unfortunately quite timely, and Jimmy's characterisation and emotional journey is very, very rich. When a friend asks how he is doing, Jimmy tells him that "I don't take cocaine for breakfast anymore so yeah, I suppose I'm cured." With every supporting character's input, Howlett is economical too, and introduces just the right amount of names and voices to elevate the plot without ever overpowering it. The balance of power swings back and forth, giving Jimmy an ample amount of chances to fire off his fast-paced remarks from a place of fear, celebration, brashness and regret. One memorable ritual Howlett writes for Jimmy is that he takes three quick breaths before making an important call, a point so central to the story that the film's original title was Three Quick Breaths.
Howlett, Muldowney and Dyer form a formidable creative trifecta, and in One Last Deal, their vision lands right in the net with precision.
One Last Deal is in cinemas 13th March 2026.
