"Lock, Stock" star Nick Moran considers this the finest film he has made, while Uncut magazine called it the best movie of 2000. But few people have had the chance to see the curiously titled "Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry", which is only now receiving a limited release on the back of its appearance at last year's Raindance Film Festival.
Moran plays Christie Malry, a twisted, psychotic accountant with an obsessive habit of taking revenge on the world for every slight he believes he has suffered - a scheme more in keeping with Hannibal Lecter than the real-life terrorists of this world.
Malry uses the principles of double-entry bookkeeping to 'settle' these accounts against the world.
One can guess why distributors have steered clear of Paul Tickell's dark satire for so long. In the wake of September 11, it's hard to stomach a hero whose acts of urban terrorism include planting bombs at Westminster and polluting the water supply of thousands.
Flashbacks to 15th century Italy and the creator of double-entry bookkeeping removes any remaining semblance of reality, while the frenetic pace and manic overacting (typified by Neil Stuke's turn as Christie's workmate Headlam - "Bedlam to my mates!") frequently pushes the action into cartoon territory.
While you can admire the movie's energy, invention, and subversive irreverence, it feels overall like an irresponsible piece of film-making whose eagerness to shock quickly wears out its welcome.