Essex Boys (2000) - Synopsis

Essex Boys (2000)

Young taxi driver Billy Reynolds (Charlie Creed-Miles) is hired by John Dyke (Tom Wilkinson) to drive for a local villain just out of prison. His passenger, Jason Locke (Sean Bean) is bitter that his friends and colleagues have got rich while he did time. This flame of indignation is fanned by his beautiful and ambitious wife Lisa (Alex Kingston). John Dyke also owes Jason a favour and reluctantly agrees to organise a shipment of drugs for him to sell.

Billy's driving skills, and his ability to keep his mouth shut, earn him a regular job with Locke's "firm"; earning him more in a night than he used to earn in a week. But his girlfriend Nicole worries about his new employers, and warns him about being unwittingly sucked into the criminal underworld.

At a party Lisa discovers her husband having sex with Suzy - a young friend of Billy's. Infuriated, she attacks Locke and they fight viciously. Shortly after she leaves their home, eventually setting up a secret love-nest with Dyke.

Locke takes delivery of a huge stock of ecstasy tablets that will make him a fortune. To celebrate he takes Suzy to Billy's beach house - popping the pills as they go. There is something wrong with the tablets though. Billy wakes to find Suzy throttled to death and Jason incoherent. At that moment Nicole calls round and, refused entry, suspects another woman is present. She vows never to see him again. Billy is given the job of disposing of Suzy's body. He now realises that he is in far, far too deep, but Jason has no intention of letting him go

The tablets were a disaster - hospitalising a host of teenagers. Locke's reputation is in tatters. When threatened, Dyke offers details of a million pound cocaine shipment as compensation.

Locke's gang plan to shoot not only the drug couriers, but also Billy and Dyke. But at the supposed rendezvous Dyke and his handyman, Henry Hobbs, ambush the gangsters and shoot them all dead.

Dyke asks Billy to work for him - driving Lisa and helping with an imminent shipment. Lisa moves smoothly into taking over the business and seducing Billy. Dyke, increasingly obsessed with Lisa, discovers this betrayal and tries to ambush Billy, but the young driver manages to escape with a consignment of drugs.

Scared and lonely, Billy arranges to meet Lisa at a local motel. While he takes a bath Lisa goes out to get clean clothes and disinfectant for his wounds. Later Lisa's mobile telephone rings. Billy answers the phone and Lisa simply says "Good-bye". A figure darts behind a hedge outside. Billy screams out for Dyke not to kill him.

It is a great relief to find the police, not Dyke, hiding in the bushes. Lisa has tied up all the knots: Billy is caught with a bag load of drugs, the only knowledge he can trade with the authorities is that of the Range Rover murderers. Thus Dyke and Hobbs are put out of the way too, leaving Lisa top of the criminal pile in the county. The Essex girl who beat all the Essex Boys!