01/30/2026
British Filmmaker Mark Hampton releases Feature Debut “Unlicensed”
After serving time for insider trading, disgraced city broker Danny Goode finds there's no way back to his old life. Trying to reconnect with his estranged wife and son but short of cash and struggling with a secret gambling addiction, he enters an unlicensed boxing match with a cash prize.
Speaking about the inspiration and intentions behind the film, Hampton has stated:
“I wanted to do a different take on the traditional boxing movie. I've worked in the city, seen how some of those city traders live and I wondered what it would be like to take one of those guys, and strip it all away. I wanted to show a character whose priorities change from the material to the personal. I'm a dad and I know the emotional commitment that parenthood brings. He has to learn what's worth fighting for.”
I had the opportunity to do an email interview with British Filmmaker Mark Hampton.
Read on for our Q&A:
What inspired you to make the film?
I wanted to find a unique angle on the traditional boxing movie. The classic template is a kid from the streets rises up to greatness through boxing - but I wanted to try putting a different character at the centre. Someone who had it all and lost it. My character Danny Goode is a city-boy who , and when we first meet him he's coming out of prison, but still has some of that cockiness about him. The film is about a guy having to adapt to a new reality, one without the trappings of his old life, and as he tries to reconnect with his wife and son, who have been through hell because of what he did, he has learn that those material things are not what matters them. They never were.
How did you come up with the title?
Unlicensed has a double meaning for the film. The boxing match is unlicensed, which means it doesn't follow rules laid down by a boxing association or body, so there's risk. But it also represents the loss of Danny's license to trade - the one thing he needs to work in the financial sector. Trading is a game Danny can longer play, so the title also represents the new, uncertain reality for him.
You have many roles, director, actor and writer was there a role you enjoy the most?
Honestly I love all three of those roles. Obviously writing is the first stage in the creative process and you're free to create anything you want, but then when you get on-set you have to turn that script into reality. I'm equally happy in front or behind the lens and I find it very easy to switch between director and actor. I also edited the film, which is the third and final time you make the movie, and you have to let go of the movie you thought you shot because you only have what you actually shot. But seeing those shots come together to deliver the scene is really thrilling as well.
Tell us the process in making the film?
This film was very unusual in that it came together very quickly. I was writing the movie and doing pre-production at the same time. So I was booking cast and crew for a movie that didn't exist on paper yet. I was very fortunate that they believed in what I could deliver, so when I told them "There's no script, but there will be" they still came on board. In the end I finished the screenplay just three days before the read-through, so it was pretty intense.
Principal photography was 18 days over three weeks. Then when I had the assembly edit we came back and did a week of pick-ups and reshoots a full year later. So there are some scenes where the cuts are a year apart!
Where was it filmed?
Almost all of Unlicensed was shot in or around Cambridge, which is where I live. We were really lucky to get some fantastic locations in the area like Vanderlyle Restaurant, the gym and the venue for the huge boxing sequences. The locations really are characters in the movie. As well as locations we also used a lot of local talent both on the cast and crew. The exception was the prison where we open the movie, which was shot in Gloucester.
Tell us some of the highlights?
The very first shoot day was the boxing match. It was a huge event with a thousand-strong crowd and we were able to shoot the wides of the sequence with that massive audience. We had almost no control and only the interval, so the time pressure was massive. After the event finished we got into the ring and did our close-ups until 5am in the morning. It was freezing cold but we got what we needed. It was an insane way to start the shoot but it was thrilling to know that we already had already the finale in the can after the first day!
Aside from the madness of that night, I found working with such a great cast every day and seeing them bring the scenes to life absolutely magical. Even when things weren't going to plan I just had to remind myself "I'm making a movie", it's such a privilege and it made every day special.
What would you like people to take away from your film?
Unlicensed is ultimately a story about redemption. Danny is an addict and we learn that his addiction has driven his earlier actions, so I want audiences to come away with a renewed belief in people's ability to change, and how love and support from those around them can help someone turn their life around. Plus I hope they get a real thrill out of the boxing sequences!
You can find me on Instagram as hammyactor and Unlicensed is out now in the UK and Ireland on:
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0FSC43MVK/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
AppleTV:
https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/unlicensed/umc.cmc.56mt07mknw8lwaikymxif3sz7
And Youtube TV & Movies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgJ3UVtZDcw
