A father, perpetually down on his luck, ropes his son into a job that will spiral into chaos in this tense Moroccan crime thriller.

Hounds opens appropriately, but nonetheless upsettingly, at the end of a dog-fight in which Dib (Abdellatif Lebkiri) sits collapsed by his bloodied and lifeless canine. Believing that the victor and his crew have cheated, it sparks a desire for vengeance in which no-one is without fault – there are no ’good’ people.

Jailbird Hassan (Abdellatif Masstouri) is eager to make money however he can and so takes Dib up on his offer to kidnap one of the crew, taking along his more streetwise and cautious son Issam (Ayoub Elaïd). But when the rental car for the job is delivered and is coloured red, apparently a bad omen, things are not destined to be that easy. There is a knowing black-humour that accompanies the more grim turns as the assignment becomes more involved.

Set in the darkly-lit underbelly of Casablanca, there is a grittiness that envelopes our men on a mission as they become more entangled: each situation hairier than the last, each hurdle that much higher. Hassan and his son will have to avoid the police, the rival crew and any potential onlookers as they scramble to fix their predicament. All of this whilst plagued by superstition.

Over the course of this one crazy night it will become clear that the central duo are the titular hounds, the underlings employed for the dirty work. The impressive cast are made up of non-actors, giving an authenticity that is helped by the documentary shooting style.

A simple, lean and suspenseful debut film from writer-director Kamal Lazraq.