The Level

I just watched this movie on Showtime. It was entitled D.O.A. (Dead). I had no idea what to expect, so I watched it with an open mind. The first thing that caught my attention was the voice of the lead character, Paris Campbell. It was resonant, clear and articulate. Even though I had never seen him act in anything else, I could tell immediately that this was a seasoned actor, and that drew me in initially. I am not a fan of excessive violence, but despite that, I was well entertained by the level of acting done by the two lead characters. The whole movie is told through flashbacks, and even flashbacks within flashbacks. I am not a gangster or a criminal, but I could find myself identifying with both of the lead characters, and actually cared what was happening to them as the story unfolded. I loved the camaraderie they displayed, and at no time did I feel like they were just "acting". Everything seemed so real, albeit gory at times. I couldn't step away from the screen until the movie was over, and that is a rarity for me. I was grossed out, but thoroughly entertained. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and just about the time I thought I knew what was going on, they would throw in another twist. 10 out of 10!

First of all let me thank everyone who has said good things about this movie (on this site and others). My brother and I made this movie on a shoestring budget so that we could do what we wanted. We shot it on short ends and cut the negative in my bedroom with nothing but take-up reels and a frame counter.

I know this film is not for everyone but we're really proud of it. The US distribution deal went into limbo and it seems most people are seeing the pirated version through bit-torrent sites. Whatever. Believe it or not, we made this film because we wanted people to watch it. It has been amazing that it has been seen by people all over the world. That's what it's all about anyway.

Some of the criticism is justified. No film is perfect (especially The Level). But for those who have complained about the low-budget feel or the level of violence I would just like to say, "kiss my ass!" Low budget means someone sweated blood to make it and if you were offended by the violence, then you were not the intended audience.

Again, thank you for all the support. The response we've gotten from around the world has been amazing. It's the life-blood of independent film.

I'm writing this because as it stands it has been given a rating of 4.9 after less than 200 votes. This is absolutely unfair, as this is definitely above average, especially as there are no big names in it and the whole film has a very low budget feel to it. Film makers who clearly have a low budget should be applauded for making films of this quality when there is so much dross around which have millions of dollars spent on it.

Of course, this won't be for everybody. For a start, it is very, very, very violent. The opening five minutes packs a rather nasty punch but should be enough for the viewer to know whether this film is for them or not. If you are put off by the violence, you will hate this movie. If you say 'wow' then you will not be disappointed by the rest of this movie.

The two heavies this story revolves around play their roles superbly and at times, too convincingly. The viewer never knows what actually occurred with different versions of the truth being played out. It culminates in a fairly grizzly finale, but one which is plausible and pleasing (especially for the sick among us).

It's funny, but all the reviews on IMDb are positive. So who are these people downgrading it? And for the record - I'm in no way affiliated with this film, as a lot of reviewers are on IMDb. Check out my other reviews to prove it. This is a tour de force of realistic violence with a good story and excellent acting. A must for gangster film buffs who like their violence grittily displayed.

Get ready for another gangster movie with flash-backs and tough -talking bad guys, get ready to enjoy it. The cover with a wife-beater wearing beating mook tied to a chair surrounded by gun-waving gangster and gun-molls says it all and didn't disappoint. This movie had more beatings than a UFC card. Everyone gets a chance to sit in the beat seat as this movie unfolds. Its starts off with one beating Hench-man sitting in a chair telling why he had to another goon to a chair and beat him. It kept you guessing even though you've seen all these scenes before, but never like this. The gangster final words are as true as ever and his acting is superb, you realize we've all been taken for a ride. I wanted a nice little cheaply done gangster movie to wash the disappointing "HERO WANTED" out of my retinas these YAHOO's did it. They have a story line which is far superior than their budget.

Casting: these weren't actors these were tough guys impersonating actors acting like tough-guys. I don't know if real life they were COPS or Thugs, i just know they handed a lot of people a lot of misery and told their victims "Just doing my JOB!".

Special effects, no more CGI shoot-outs, unless you're Steven Speil-berg.

I saw some of their other movies and trust me they're carving out a nice little resume for themselves. They're are coming into their own.

If you like this one try "TURN LEFT"

I was surprised at how enjoyable this movie was. Clearly not a big budget film, it ended up being quality entertainment.

The story keeps you interested and guessing, so that in itself makes for better than a lot of movies of any budget.

The acting is actually pretty good, especially considering there are no high priced actors, I think we'll be seeing more from a lot of them with this on their reels.

There's definitely some brutal stuff, and some funny stuff.

All in all I don't see anyone who is not expecting an Oscar worthy film being disappointed with watching this.