I Will Make It Worth Your While

A restaurant owner believes that he has found an unexpected opportunity to support his struggling business.

Declan (Chase) has a fancy restaurant which is facing difficulties, following a health inspection. In an attempt to get himself out of trouble he turns towards his staff, firing them and wrongfully blaming them for issues in his establishment. Things take a sudden turn when a customer leaves her violin behind when she leaves the restaurant to get money for her bill. A couple sitting at a table inform Declan that the customer with the violin is actually a famous musician and her violin is worth a lot of money. Seeing a chance to help his restaurant, Declan makes a deal with them to acquire the valuable instrument and sell it to them.

This is an enjoyable short comedy which is funny and suspenseful at the same time. The narrative begins by showing what a despicable individual Declan is, as he informs an employee that he is being made redundant (unnecessarily) and does not even provide him with the required notice. Things then move on to Beatrice (Warboys) and her violin, with Declan doing his best in order to secure the precious violin and get that much-needed cash. The plot is quite intriguing and the screenplay does a great job in making the viewer wondering how things are going to turn out and the ending is definitely quite satisfying.

All the main cast deliver strong performances, however Chase is the star of the show thanks to his vivid and comical portrayal of a ruthless, cunning, selfish and manipulative individual. His face expressions are a pleasure to watch and he never loses his magic touch. Although he is the main character, he is an unlikeable anti-hero and the audience will probably be against him. Significant praise also goes to Jones for his performance as an angry waiter who protests against his dismissal.

Director Fowler utilises a lot of face close-ups and slow motion and parallel editing are used to great effect. Commendations also go to Ben Thorn for the tense music that includes violin melodies and accompanies the scenes rather effectively.

This is an intriguing story about an egocentric person who seizes what he believes is a chance to make a great deal of money. The plot is centainly engaging and that and Chase's performance make this short an amusing experience.