Knockaround Guys

Almost all of my recent reviews have been very negative, but this movie is worth watching if you are a Vin Diesel fan.

Summary: Matty is the son of Benny, a mobster and he is as bad as they come. As a kid he is put to the test of killing someone, but fails, therefore his father keeps him away from the life of a mobster, but now as a grown up, Matty can't get a job anywhere due to his father's reputation, which gets on his last nerve. So he decides to talk to his father about letting him work for him. Benny puts him on a task, to collect some money in a bag and to come back with it. Doesn't sound so difficult. Matty meets up with his childhood friends, Scarpa, also a son of a gangster, but trying hard to concentrate on his restaurant, his cousin Marbles who has always been the screw up and Taylor, the guy that everyone brings in when they need to scare the heck out of someone. So Marbles has a plane, he gets the money, but in Montana he lands for gas, only there are 2 hillbilly cops there, that intimidate Marbles, as he feels they are on to him and during his panic he puts down the bag of money with other luggage that is being put on another plane. Only he is too late to retrieve the bag so he calls upon his friends to help find the missing bag, which didn't make it to the other plane...so who took the bag?

Seth Green plays the messed up Marbles, who wants responsibility, but doesn't know the meaning of the word. Vin Diesel was great in this movie as a tough guy Taylor, he played his part perfectly. John Malkovich was the ruthless right hand of Benny and he was great! As for the roles of Matty and Scarpa, they were ok. The plot was a little weak, but got better after the first 20 minutes or so.

I rate this movie 7/10.

Born the son of a powerful, fearsome Brooklyn crime boss, wannabe mobster Pepper recruits low-rent pals Diesel, Green, and Davoli to make a routine delivery, impress his old man, then finally go into business with him. Unfortunately for the young man and his pals, they get stuck in a bleak little Montana town where violence, mayhem, and every other thing that can go wrong eventually does. It's no Goodfellas, but this watchable, well-crafted little mob story is easy to take, and goes a long way on its appealing cast and dark, profane sense of humor. The only major let down is the story which, while interesting, lacks momentum and builds toward a familiar conclusion. A not bad showing from the film's young and old cast alike, especially Pepper and Diesel. **½

Patience is the key element in watching a mafia movie. "Knockaround Guys" didn't require any patience for me, and I was hooked at the first scene. This movie gives a formal description of friend and enemy. Who exactly is the real "bad guy" in a mafia movie? In most mafia movies it is quite obvious who the bad guy is, but this one will keep the viewer guessing. Berry Pepper plays the son of a well-known gangster. He, however, does not want to follow in the footsteps of his father. Peppers character's name is Matty Demaret, and he wants to be a sports caster. He has no luck finding a job because people know of his father's past. So, after a bombing interview , Matty decides that working for his father may be the only way for him to make a living, but Matty's father and uncle beg to differ. They believe Matty doesn't have what it takes to be in the mafia. After he convinces his father that he's got what it takes, his father gives him a job. Matty tells his father that he and his friend Johnny Marbles (Seth Green) will go out on their mission to collect money. Marbles flies planes, so he will be able to fly to collect the money. He was given strict orders to come straight back to Matty with the cash, but Marbles gets side tracked. He stops to get gas at a small airport, and leaves the bag unattended. The bag ends up getting into the hands of the sheriff, and he wants to keep the money for himself. Matty then calls his other two friends in to help. Chris Scarpa (Andrew Davoli)who is a sweet talking mob wanna be, and Taylor Reese (Vin Diesel) is the only one is the whole movie who actually looked and acted like a real gangster. The four boys travel to a small town in hopes of finding the money. Matty knows that if he doesn't get that money back, his father will be dead, and he will be a failure. This movie makes the viewer not want to take their eyes off the screen. I was very surprised at who was the real bad guy behind the plot. I think that anyone who watches this movie will be shocked at all the twist and turns. I would recommend this movie to anyone, because it was very easy to follow. I enjoyed this film.

You can feel about two ways when you're watching this movie. Either you make yourself very angry about all the stuff this film steals shameless from other classics in the genre...or you can just sit back and enjoy and don't bother about all the rip-off elements. When I saw it, I was in a 'sit back and enjoy'-mood so my thoughts on this are rather positive. This film is well made and contains all the elements you expect. Like I said, some things are stolen obviously ( the execution GoodFellas-style, the True Romance shoot-out at the end...) but there are at least as much good things to tell about it as well. This film may count on a class A cast. Especially the older generation is great. John Malkovich, even when this guy is acting half as good as he usually does ( like in this movie ) he is still very entertaining. And naturally, Dennis Hopper and Tom Noonan are good as always. There's also a lot of talent in the younger generation: Barry Pepper, Seth Green. And this is even Vin Diesels best film ( besides Saving Private Ryan, but I'm not counting that one) Vin doesn't have too much lines, so that's positive. Overall, this film will be forgotten soon, but it's enjoyable while it lasts

With the negative response from critics for this movie I was concerned that this would be rubbish, especially when it was released straight to video in my country (UK). As a Diesel fan I had high expectations for this film but was aware he had a supporting part.

However I was actually pleasantly surprised that the film was actually fairly enjoyable. The story is basic, about a mobsters son (Barry Pepper) who has grown up disparaged by the life of crime his family are involved in, but in his adults days he is unable to get the sort of legit career he wants, as a sports agent, because no-one will hire him for the simple reason that he is related to Dennis Hoppers character. Anyway he resigns himself to the fact that he can't go legit and that working for his dad is the way forward, but since his father only has enough faith in him to pick up his sandwiches, Matty is frustrated and begs his father to give him some more responsibility, he gets support here from his uncle Teddy played by John Malkovich. He gets his responsibility of course but things go awry, by fault of Matt's friend Marbles played by Seth Green. Half a million pounds has now gone missing in a small town, with some fairly clichéd hicks. Matty takes two of his friends over to assist Marbles in getting the money back, and on ensures a tale of deception and murder, with dirty cops, double dealing mobsters, and unwelcoming locals.

It's a fairly simple film that is nicely placed and very well acted. There are comical moments and some moments of character depth, particularly with central character Matty. There are really any surprises in this flick but it is on the most part entertaining. Barry Pepper is very good in the central role as is Vin Diesel as his best friend Taylor, who offers support and advice as well as muscle when it's needed. John Malkovich and Dennis Hopper are good in their small roles although they are cruising really but it is Tom Noonan who steals the show in a delightfully seedy role as the bent small town sheriff Decker.

All in all this is worth a rental, if you're a fan of Diesel like me you'll appreciate his performance in a role that has more depth to it than XXX. 6/10