Black Mass: The Comeback That Never Quite Panned Out

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

This film recounts the life of ‘Whitey’ Bulger, here played by Johnny Depp.

This film always feels like a shame to me. Not because the film is bad but because it could have been the start of a big comeback for Depp and yet it never panned out.

I think that this is one of Depp’s finest roles, he manages to capture the ruthless killer whilst also making us somewhat like/understand him. The character that Depp brings to life in a nuanced and multi layered way reminds us that no character is simply good or bad but shades in-between.

Moreover, this film is also strengthened by a terrific supporting cast with Benedict Cumberbatch, Jessie Plemons and Joel Edgerton all giving terrific performances and really helping to bring the film together. Cumberbatch in particular steals the show here.

I also think the score of the film adds a lot and serves to nicely compliment the film and reflect the emotion of the scenes. I would say of all the gangster films I have seen this one’s soundtrack was the only one to stick with me after watching.

My main criticism of the film would be the pace, the film takes a long time to get where it is going. Though his early life is interesting the film spends far too much time there and not nearly enough time on his later life.

Overall, a strong Johnny Deep fronted gangster film.

Pros.

Deep

The supporting cast

The score

The ending

Cons.

The pacing

A very slow start

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Rampart: The Film Known For One Disastrous AMA

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A crooked police officer, played by Woody Harrelson, finds his various crimes catching up with him.

I found this film to be quite hard to get through mainly because Harrelson’s character was so utterly loathsome. I understand that the character is supposed to be bad, you are not supposed to root for him or warm to him, but he is so unpleasant that it becomes hard to follow him. If anything maybe the film does too much of a good job in making his character hateable, which then backfires of them.

Harrelson himself was fine, personally I don’t understand all the praise he gets for this role- I have seen him be better elsewhere. I think another issue this film has is that it is so dedicated to Harrelson’s character that it ignores the rest of the supporting cast and gives them nothing to do. This is a huge issue when said supporting cast has the likes of Brie Larson and Robin Wright. A huge missed opportunity.

I would have liked for the ending to be a little bit more conclusive rather than as ambiguous as it is. Though that is a personal taste thing on my part.

Overall, Harrelson is trying however the character is so unlikeable that the film is hard to watch.

Pros.

It is an interesting premise

I enjoyed the escalation

Cons.

Harrelson

An incredibly off-putting lead

Wasting a great cast

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RocknRolla: Rockstars Are Only Ever Really Famous After They Are Dead

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A group of criminals get tied up in an underhand business deal between a local crime lord and a Russian mobster.

I really appreciate the style of Guy Ritchie, his films may be similar, but they are always consistently good and deliver on what they promise, namely slick gritty fun.

For the most part I really enjoyed this film, however there was one aspect that I thought was a little off. There is a sub-plot about one of the gang being homosexual and the other members response to it. I understand this was supposed to be comedic, and they do end up accepting him in the end, but it feels like they linger on this plot line for far too long and it does border on homophobia a little bit at times.

To return to a more positive footing, I don’t think anyone does pacing quite as well as Ritchie. His films always stay consistently entertaining throughout, there is never a lull or a slow moment it is all so slick, there really isn’t any other word for it.

I enjoyed the performances across the board, everyone had their moment to shine and was used well. If I had to pick a favourite it would probably be Idris Elba as Mr Mumbles, I thought he was easily the scene stealer and the most interesting of the group.

I just want to draw attention to the dancing scene during the party which should feel odd and out of place considering the nature of the film, however it works really well and is a nice moment of comic relief, which provides us with some of the most unique shots of the whole feature.

Overall, a strong Ritchie film not quite Snatch but definitely up there.

Pros.

Elba

The pacing

The ending

Entertaining throughout

Cons.

The homosexual subplot is too drawn out and a little homophobic

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Snatch: Brad Pitt’s Best Performance?

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A couple of young gangland thugs, Jason Statham and Stephen Graham, must recruit a traveller boxer, Brad Pitt, to fight for them after he puts their other fight in the hospital over a caravan dispute.

I think this film really shows the best of Guy Ritchie. It is snappy, brutal and comedic in a snarky dark sense. Moreover, it highlights some of the best British acting talent at the time, Graham, Lennie James and Jason Flemyng; not even I will make a case for Statham being an ‘acting’ talent.

However, the clear standout of this film is easily Brad Pitt. Pitt sinks into the role so well you begin to question whether he might actually have been an Irish traveller all along. He entirely leaves behind any Hollywood airs and graces and truly becomes the character, this may be one of his best performances for sure.

The best thing about this film is how well it flows; the pacing simply is top notch. All of the separate stories are woven together in such a way where they all end up at the same point and nicely compliment each other along the way. Furthermore, the film never inflicts a slow moment upon us it is go, go, go keeping us entertained and giving us a few good laughs along the way as well for good measure.

The only thing I could criticise it for is that the ending is too neat, and I would have preferred a little bit more ambiguity or perhaps even a few unanswered questions, though that is just my personal taste.

Overall, an incredibly strong British crime film and maybe the best film of Brad Pitt’s career.

Pros.

Brad Pitt

The best of British’s talent

A few good jokes

Incredibly well structured and paced

Cons.

The ending was a little neat for my taste

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Vendetta: Pulling Silly Faces As You Torture People

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A special forces interrogator, played by Danny Dyer, returns back to the country to track down and punish the gangland thugs that murdered his parents.

Dyer is a British national treasure, that simply is a fact.

This film is hard to watch, yet it is impossible to look away from. There is something horrifically fascinating about watching Dyer’s character dispatch all of these troubled youths whilst pulling silly faces, which he does surprisingly often.

Moreover, I thought the army backstory that Dyer’s character has was intriguing and also laughably far fetch. I liked how all of these senior army people seem to think he is some sort of unkillable warrior god. Moreover, the armed response police officers find him just so charming that they just let him go at the end of the film, despite the fact that he could have killed a police officer.

I do think this film revels in its violence a bit too much, perhaps even to an unpleasant degree. Some have labelled this film ‘torture porn’ and there is a good reason for that. I have no issue with some gore, but this film takes it a bit too far an in my opinion enters the realm of bad taste.

Overall, a grizzly film to watch that whilst satisfying at times is also laughable and iffy taste wise.

Pros.

Dyer

Hard to look away from

The ending and how laughable it all is

Cons.

Bad taste

It tries to hard to make Dyer’s character a hero, when he is more likely a psychopath

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The Liability/ The Hitman’s Apprentice: Driving A Murderer

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A young man, Josh O’ Connell, unwittingly becomes the assistant/driver to a hitman, Tim Roth, after angering his gangster step father, Peter Mullan.

In many ways this film is typical of the British crime genre, that is not a compliment. The biggest issue with this film is that it is deeply generic, it is not a bad film per say, it is just one that you have seen many times before dressed up in different skins. The plot unfolds in a way that you would expect it to, and it wraps up just the same, there are no surprises throughout you can accurately guess what will happen and when.

Moreover, I did not find Josh O’ Connell’s lead to be particularly likeable or even interesting. In many ways this film would be far more entertaining if Roth’s hitman had killed him and then the film followed him and his daily activities instead. As of right now I am struggling to see why everyone rates O’ Connell so highly as a performer, he is okay in some roles and perhaps miscast in others; maybe I am just missing that one outstanding performance.

I thought Tim Roth’s hitman was easily the best thing about this film, sadly he is mostly wasted and given a back seat to O’ Connell’s milk toast lead.

Overall, deeply generic.

Pros.

It is watchable

Tim Roth

Cons.

It is generic

It is predictable

The ending is weak

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Rise Of The Footsoldier: The Worst Parts Of Britain

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

We learn the story of Carlton Leach’s rise to power in the Essex underworld.

The issue with this film along with many others like it is that it glorifies these loathsome and frankly evil human beings. These films try and make us relate or even root for the protagonist, as they rise to power, and though in some cases rooting for a bad guy can be fun with the real world implications of this film it just seems wrong.

Furthermore, unlike something like Vendetta that I reviewed recently, this film does not have a charming, if slightly goofy, performance from Danny Dyer to make it slightly more enjoyable. No most of the performers here are just trotting out the same collection of macho man, tough guy cliches and weak gangland tropes.

I found numerous scenes in this film hard to watch and thought that the film has a bad habit of overly indulging in grim and needless subject matter. I understand what sort of film this is, and yet this film often does go that bit too far, especially with how it treats and frames female characters that honestly not only feels needless but also feels quite exploitative.

Overall, watchable yet you will need a shower after it is over.

Pros.

It is watchable

The split choice ending/mystery is interesting

Cons.

It is overly grim

The way it treats women

It glorifies bad people

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No Sudden Move: HBO MAX Are Desperate

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Usually Steven Soderbergh crime films are an interesting gift to audiences, however something is not quite right with this one and it ends up being anything but. I can’t help but feel like people knew this film wasn’t good as it was not marketed at all, anywhere.

For the talented cast involved you would expect something good, however the whole affair is just very mediocre. The acting was all fine no one really blew me away. However, the thing that really stood out to me was how predictable and thrill-less the film was. Everything is very clearly signed posted from the get-go and the story only gets more obvious as it goes along.

The real issue here is that this film does not feel special. It feels like a hundred other crime films that are churned out year after year, there is nothing to make this film standout and ultimately it doesn’t. Watching this it could have been any number of other films. The film is watchable don’t get me wrong, but it is deeply generic.

Overall, I found this film very hard to finish as it was so bland that it almost put me to sleep.

Pros.

It is watchable

It is nice to see Brenden Frasier back on our screens

Cons.

You have seen this film before

It is boring and predictable

There is no passion here it just feels like it was churned out to fill out the catalogue of content for HBO Max.

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Lansky: Even Mass Murdering Gangsters Have A Sensitive Side

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

In many ways this is a deeply average crime/biopic film. There is nothing about the rise to infamy story told here that you have not heard before. However, there is something of an emotional nuance here that really takes the film in an interesting direction. We see the character as not just a cold blooded gangster but also as a man who cared deeply for and ultimately was unable to help his disabled son. There is a duality here, the film allows us to see outside the black and white and see a more accurate grey in regard to the situation.

Sam Worthington has not been in something in a while, or at least that’s how it feels to me, the last time I remember seeing him on screen in a big way was Avatar. However, this is not the comeback film or performance fans of his would want. Worthington is entirely forgettable here, and just about anyone could have played his role. Harvey Keitel fares better as the titular Lansky, it is nice to see him on our screens again and he does manage to leave an impression with his performance: proving once again why he is such a big force in the genre even now.

Furthermore, the film has pacing issues but not the ones you would expect. Indeed, the issue with this film is that it feels rushed, there is a lot going on and then bang it’s the credits. It all just feels rather abrupt and skipped over, there are a lot of unanswered questions left behind and the whole thing feels sloppy pacing wise.

Overall, Keitel and some nuance manages to push this film into being a slightly above average gangster affair that fans of the genre will fine pleasing.

Pros.

The emotional nuance

Keitel

The ending and the emotion

Cons.

Worthington

It feels rushed

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The Birthday Cake: What Is In The Box?

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This film is the best gangster/crime film I have seen in a while. The pacing of this film is terrific, and it takes you on one hell of a ride. There are scenes in this film where I was on the edge of my seat, I know that is a cliché, but for once it accurately describes the situation.

I enjoyed how this film places so much emphasis on its titular cake, always making sure to feature it in every sequence throughout the film. Moreover, the final reveal involving the cake makes the film, or at least it did for me, it was so perfectly built up to and it truly delivers.

Furthermore, the acting is strong across the board with every actor bringing their A game to this project and being memorable as a result. I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite moment from the film as the whole of it is so good and each actor really has their own moment to shine.

My one criticism of this film would be that it could have better used Ewan McGregor, as he is barely in the film though when he does appear he steals the scene. I would have liked the film to further explore the relationship between his character and Gio as clearly he is somewhat of a mentor to him, but we don’t really see this happen on-screen and can only imply it as an explanation.

Overall, perhaps the best gangster film of the year.

Pros.

The cast is terrific

The cake payoff

The tension

The pacing

Cons.

Under-using McGregor

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