• Consequence
  • Music
  • Film
  • TV
  • Heavy
Menu Consequence
Menu Shop Search Newsletter
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Live
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Cover Story
Advertisement
  • Reviews
  • Film Reviews

Film Review: Hyena

B-

Directed by

  • Gerard Johnson

Starring

  • Peter Ferdinando
  • Stephen Graham
  • Neil Maskell

Release Year

  • 2015

Rating

  • R
Advertisement
Don R. Lewis
May 7, 2015 | 1:15pm ET

    There’s an old adage that if you lie with dogs, you get fleas. And you know, the older I get, the more I find this to be true. If you hang around a bunch of no-good, day-drinking, messy-haired losers, it’s easier to sink into that lifestyle. Hang around a bunch of career-chasing, Dockers-wearing, gym-going nice guys, and you’ll likely get sucked into that world as well. Secretly, we hang with the crowd that makes us feel the most at home subconsciously, for whatever reason. Maybe we think it’s what we deserve. In the case of Michael (Peter Ferdinando), the lead character in writer/director Gerard Johnson’s London-based Hyena, he’s a cop who wants to be the hero who fights evil-doers. But at the same time, he uses his badge and gang of equally corrupt cops to knock over drug dealers and steal their stuff to fuel epic, late-night parties and pad his bank account. As Michael soon learns, you can’t have it both ways.

    Moral platitudes aside, Hyena is an interesting and frequently intense look at a bunch of seedy guys doing seedy things until real-life consequences show up to bite them in the arse. While the film opens on Michael and his crew sharpening up and delivering a bit of the old ultraviolence on a drug ring before stealing the contraband and partying down, we soon discover Michael has bigger plans than just raiding local drug rings and splitting the spoils for the rest of his life. No, he has a bigger score in mind, and it involves siphoning a big chunk of cash and product off a group of Turks who are major traffickers in the area. The only issue is these Turks are not to be screwed with, no matter who you are. Their business is nobody’s business but their own.

    Hyena is a decent entry into the well-worn world of shady police working both sides of the line. The strongest character in the film is Ferdinando’s Michael, who really does a fine job being pushed and pulled by the strong dichotomy of the life he’s chosen. His sad eyes and pudgy, exhausted face tell the story of a man who knows right from wrong, but keeps trying to do both and finds that not only can you not work both sides of the moral fence forever, but that there are severe consequences for those who try. Yet it’s difficult to want to stay involved in his plight when what Ferdinando’s going for is so atmospheric and subtle, while the film and the surrounding cast are much more stylized and over the top. It’s also more than a little challenging keeping up with the heavily accented dialogue.

    Advertisement
    Related Video

    That being said, there are some well-done scenes of violence here. If you like ass-kicking onscreen, this is a film for you. It also gets incredibly gory and difficult to watch as the plot spirals into intense disaster for literally every character we meet, save the Turks. Yet the gore and intensity never feel self-serving or done for exploitation’s sake. Rather, it was to show just how far in over his head Michael and his merry band of miscreants have found themselves. And it’s deep. Ironically, in terms of Michael wanting to have his cake and eat it too, Hyena often seems like a seedier Guy Ritchie knockoff by way of Scorsese, but then tries to go the art film route as well with open-ended questions, motivations, and scenes. Overall, Hyena is a worthy watch for fans of violent films and the aforementioned directors, but in the end, it’s a bit all over the map.

    Trailer:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

More on this topic

  • Criminal News
  • Drama
  • Peter Ferdinando
  • Stephen Graham

Subscribe to our daily email digest for the latest headlines.

Advertisement

Popular Stories

Michael Scott in The Office

TV

The Office Reboot in the Works with Greg Daniels: Report

Stevie Nicks 2024 tour dates tickets

Music

Stevie Nicks Announces 2024 Tour Dates

Advertisement

Corey Taylor: Beyond the Mask Merch Bundle is 10% Off at the Consequence Shop

Corey Taylor: Beyond the Mask Merch Bundle is 10% Off at the Consequence Shop

monday night football chris stapleton snoop dogg nfl cindy b. santana listen stream

Reviews

Monday Night Football's "In the Air Tonight" Cover Is So Bad I Don't Even Want to Hear the Drums

matthew McConaughey maury povich woody harrelson retirement brother dna test

Pop Culture

Maury Povich Offers to Unretire for Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey DNA Test

Latest Stories

B
A Haunting in Venice

A Haunting in Venice Isn't as Scary as It Seems, Thankfully: Review

September 15, 2023

A-
theater camp review ben platt

The Hilarious and Authentic Theater Camp Takes Center Stage: Review

September 14, 2023

B-
Dumb Money Review

Dumb Money Takes Stock of the Gamestop Squeeze in Droll, Empathetic Fashion: Review

September 14, 2023

A
Cassandro Review Gael Garcia Bernal Amazon

Cassandro Review: Gael García Bernal Soars in Stunning, Inspirational Biopic

September 14, 2023

B
The Equalizer 3 Review

The Equalizer 3 Is a Lot of Fun, Even if You've Never Equalized Before: Review

August 29, 2023

B
Strays Review Movie Will Ferrell Jamie Foxx

Strays Review: A Slightly Unhinged, Strangely Funny Dog Comedy

August 17, 2023

B-
Blue Beetle (Warner Bros. Pictures) DC Comics Superhero Movie Review

Blue Beetle Puts Latin Culture At the Forefront of Its Charming Superhero Antics: Review

August 16, 2023

B+
Heart of Stone Review

Heart of Stone Review: Gal Gadot Goes Full James Bond for Netflix

August 10, 2023

Advertisement

News

  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture

Reviews

  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Features

  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week

Live

  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear

Heavy

  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts

More

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Wellness
  • Giveaways

Other sites

  • Heavy Consequence
  • Consequence Media
  • Modern Drummer
  • About
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertising
  • Work For Us
  • Terms
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Download our app

  • Get it on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Consequence
Current story

Film Review: Hyena

Menu Shop Search Newsletter
Consequence
News
  • News
  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews
Features
  • All Features
  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week
Live
  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear
Podcasts
  • The Opus
  • Kyle Meredith With...
  • Stanning BTS
  • The Story Behind the Song
  • The What
  • Going There with Dr. Mike
  • The Rome and Duddy Show
Videos
  • Interviews
  • Two for the Road
  • First Time I Heard
  • When I Made
  • Battle of the Bandmates
  • Peer 2 Peer
  • Essays
  • Fan Theories
Heavy
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts
  • Premieres
  • Culture
  • Beyond the Boys Club
  • Mining Metal
Shop
  • Shop
  • Giveaways
Hometowns

Follow Consequence

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Close
Close