Conleth Hill does a lot better job at being nefarious and stealthy in Game of Thrones!
The basic premise is interesting, especially how his addiction to the adrenaline-fueled buzz of shoplifting is somehow connected to the childhood experiences which are foundational for the book he writes (in theory) and brings him success as a writer, instructor and TV personality. I actually wish they had explored the roots of his shoplifting obsession more.
But the plot is undermined by the basic fact that blackmailers using audio or video tapes can---and probably almost assuredly do, if they have any brains---make extra copies of the goods so the victim can't just break into their apartment and steal the evidence. Beyond that it's incredible beyond belief that the victim will play burglar, dress all in black and break into the blackmailer's pad to steal the evidence and then forget entirely that it might be wise to wear a mask since the blackmailer is a SECURITY GUARD whose already demonstrated his skills with video surveillance!
Killing the blackmailer and dumping the corpse into a body of water, now that's a smarter move, especially when it's made clear the blackmailer has no friends and has most conveniently written a note which would presumably satisfy his employer as to the reason for his sudden disappearance. However a deus ex machina kicks in and the victim-now-murdered finds the cord wrapped around the corpse to be also wrapped around his own foot and gets dragged down into the water depths... poetic justice indeed for a writer with very bad writing habits!
The actor doing the blackmailing does a very good job. He's not over the top and he conveys well the sense that he doesn't really understand why he is not establishing a legitimate friendship with his victim.
The basic premise is interesting, especially how his addiction to the adrenaline-fueled buzz of shoplifting is somehow connected to the childhood experiences which are foundational for the book he writes (in theory) and brings him success as a writer, instructor and TV personality. I actually wish they had explored the roots of his shoplifting obsession more.
But the plot is undermined by the basic fact that blackmailers using audio or video tapes can---and probably almost assuredly do, if they have any brains---make extra copies of the goods so the victim can't just break into their apartment and steal the evidence. Beyond that it's incredible beyond belief that the victim will play burglar, dress all in black and break into the blackmailer's pad to steal the evidence and then forget entirely that it might be wise to wear a mask since the blackmailer is a SECURITY GUARD whose already demonstrated his skills with video surveillance!
Killing the blackmailer and dumping the corpse into a body of water, now that's a smarter move, especially when it's made clear the blackmailer has no friends and has most conveniently written a note which would presumably satisfy his employer as to the reason for his sudden disappearance. However a deus ex machina kicks in and the victim-now-murdered finds the cord wrapped around the corpse to be also wrapped around his own foot and gets dragged down into the water depths... poetic justice indeed for a writer with very bad writing habits!
The actor doing the blackmailing does a very good job. He's not over the top and he conveys well the sense that he doesn't really understand why he is not establishing a legitimate friendship with his victim.