Plastic

The opening credits inform that Plastic is based on a true story but a story about college students who are as adept as one Hannibal Smith in the accent-and-disguise department, it plays fast and loose with reality. This drama-comedy-thriller starts well enough but succumbs to moments of terrible nonsense on occasion.

Ed Speelers (Eragon), Will Poulter (We're The Millers), Alfie Allen (Game Of Thrones) and Sebastian De Souza (Skins) are an unlikely cabal of credit card scammers - think the improbable posh drug dealers from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Happy with small time scams like buying iPod docks, jeans and the occasional engagement ring with stolen cards, they do enough to pay the university fees and stay under the watchdog radar. When they rip off the wrong guy, an accountant for a Polish gangster (Thomas Kretschmann, Stalingrad), the group are forced into totting up two million worth of goods in two weeks. To do that means a bigger job, bigger than any they've put together before...

It's got a decent set up with four distinct characters (Allen taking a little of Game of Thrones's Theon and his womanising ways with him) bouncing off each other to good effect. The dialogue is sharp (ish) without being too Guy Richie and the air of realism keeps things believable.

But then it's hijacked by crap. Despite the guys understandably fretting and chewing nails over the dangerous gangster/small fortune issue at hand, that doesn't stop them having a mini montage of fun - complete with slow motion jeep smiles - once they hit Miami. Suddenly, it's all about artificial rivalries, unbelievable betrayals and Emma Rigby's bikini. The dialogue takes a hammering. Director Julian Gibley seems uninterested in any moral ambiguity as those duped by the four are bad people - nasty jewellers, assholes with flash cars, and overweight letches who love paying for sex. They deserve it, the film says, which is far far too easy. And it's not clear why the gang owe Kretschmann two million – where did that figure come from?

But Gibley, who impressed with the dark A Lonely Place To Die, does rally the troops for the final half hour. By that stage there's an acceptance of the all too fantastic developments and one is encouraged to go with the Mission Impossible-esque plan despite best instincts.