Hackney's Finest

It is really great to see a British independent movie, we get so few British films these days and this one has some gloss. Although I heard this was quite a low budget film, at no time does it give the impression there was a budget. The film is slick and glossy, some really great stunts and was very polished. I loved the way the characters were introduced at the beginning of the film, really nice directing. This is not your run of the mill action movie. Parts of this film are shocking reminding me of how I felt when I first watched Train Spotting. There are some really graphic images but presented in a comedic way. It shouldn't have worked but it did, I found myself laughing and then felt guilty. The cast has been well selected for the characters they play. Great characterisation! I personally loved the Russian gangsters. Evil as they are I couldn't help laughing and even liking the leader of the Russian gang. The Welsh "Yardies" are very entertaining and added humour to the film but equally they looked the part. The story line has a good pace and some cracking one liners. Some great location shooting giving this film a really gritty and realistic edge. Might need to provide ear muffs for the over 50's (language a bit ripe for me but to be fair the language was used in a humorous way so , after the initial shock I accepted it and felt it added to the atmosphere. Would make a great film to watch in a group over pizza and some beers! Would be good to see a sequel to this.

Great film! Dark in the right places, comical at the right time. Characters well planned. Perfect amount of plot surprise. A lot of the film reminded me of Snatch.

It looked promising at the outset but 20 minutes in and it was plainly obvious all the hackneyed stereotypes were here in full bloom - tired plot, cardboard characters, generic dialogue. There was a little potential shining at the first, but it quickly dissipated. We entertained ourselves by predicting the dialogue and the plot moves with pretty good accuracy! The characters were so shallow and undersketched, we didn't care about any of them - instantly forgettable - despite their desperate moves to be cool and hip. Those old tired cliches ran overtime here - you know - where the cool rock music blares loudly on and the action goes into slow-mo anytime the "good guys" are on. Not sure how we got to the end of the film - but toward the end a buddy asked, - "what happened to the knitcap wearing guy?" - and we all laughed when I answered, "does it really f*** matter?" As someone else here also noted - ignore the obvious film staff reviews here - all plants. You just can't trust any reviews here in IMDB anymore.

Overall this film is just like it's AKA title "Hackney's Finest" - it's the true definition of hackneyed - "lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite."

In a nutshell - empty, predictable and boring.

Following in the footsteps of a Great British love affair with heist and gangster movie, Hackney Finest hits the bullseye.

The grim story is seasoned by just the right amount of (dark) humour. In this regard, it definitely echoes some of Guy Richie or Tarantino's moments of brilliance.

The characters are, if not lovable, definitely charismatic. The eastern European gangsters are just as hilarious as they are scary.

Hackney Finest is not trying to revolutionise the genre: it embraces it, and definitely delivers.

Another side thing I liked, especially in regards to the current attitude of "spoiling trailers", is that Hackney's Finest trailer stays true to the spirit of film without giving away the very best bits. Refreshing

Very much enjoyed the movie. It kept me thinking and made me laugh. The characters all worked well and the movie delivered what it said it would on the cover. Hats off to the film makers and cast cos they have made something very enjoyable and credible. More power to them all. It's great when a film allows you to get lost in another world and wonder what's going to happen next while making you laugh at different times too. I look forward to seeing future work from people who made the film as I found their work authentic and well crafted. They certainly have a lot of potential to go to greater heights and I look forward to seeing that arc in their careers.