The Big I Am

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Small time crook Mickey (Leo Greggory) is in deep debt to ruthless drug dealer Robbo (MC Harvey) and is generally down on his luck. Then, by chance, he is found by big time gangster Barber (Vincent Regan) and given the opportunity to enter the big league, where he crosses paths with American gangster Martell (Michael Madsen) and is drawn to Barber's temptress wife Liza (Beatrice Rosen.) But the higher he climbs, the deeper he gets and when he finds himself caught up in a lucrative human trafficking ring, he finds it may all be a bit too much.

There's a whole plethora of British acting talent about at the moment, and The Big I Am showcases a lot of it, with lead star Greggory, and a supporting cast including Harvey, Paul Kaye and Terry Stone, as well as the more well known likes of Madsen, Steven Berkoff and Gerad Butler dead ringer Regan. The premise of the story is a bit implausible and the pace is a bit weary which makes it drag a bit more as it gets closer to the end. Still, director Nic Auerbach handles things with enough flare and substance to get things by, with a slick urban grime soundtrack, an appropriately dark and hard hitting tone in places and a hip and convincing cast to carry things along. ***

Review: This is another one of this British gangster movies about a guy who is down on his luck and finds himself in a impossible situation after stealing the wrong car. As usual, there's sex and violence throughout with your everyday cockney bad language. As this film came out at 2010, there was quite an audience for this type of movie in the UK, but there's just way too many of these films in this genre nowadays. Michael Madsen made the movie a slight more interesting, but the film wasn't anything out of the norm. On the plus side, the storyline isn't that bad and there is enough material to keep,you interested. Average!

Round-Up: Leo Gregory is his usual cockney self in this movie and the switch from owing people money to becoming a crime boss, was played quite well. I would like to see him play another type of role because he seems to act the same in all of his movies. The same goes for Vincent Regan who plays a crime boss, like he does in many of his movies. Basically, the film is what it says OK the tin so don't expect anything that amazing.

Budget: $5million Worldwide Gross: N/A

I recommend this movie to people who are into there British Gangster movies about a guy whose down on his luck until he helps a crime boss. 3/10

It's funny, sarcastic even, a parody of gangster movies. And as such it works for me. I loved the cast, the music, had a good laugh.

A truly awful film this. I was lured in by the excellent Vincent Regan (who as usual is great), and Michael Madsen, who is on autopilot and presumably was brought in to make the film more marketable to the US market.

There are some good performances from Phil Davis and Leo Gregory even if they are very typecast actors, but these are offset by dire showings by Paul Kaye and a ludicrous cameo from Stephen Berkoff at the most ridiculous auction of trafficked sex slaves ever. The assorted gangsters are stereotyped and badly acted.

It is probably worth noting that the movie is essentially a vanity project for Robert Fucilla, who is absolutely dire throughout, and probably wouldn't have got made without his personal funding.

I never normally write reviews, but was so disappointed by the film that I felt compelled to do so. It may be worth noting that the movie also has a very strange washed out look to the colours which I also felt detracted from what should be a dark gritty tale.

Badly directed and filmed throughout - do not waste your time.

After stealing a getaway car with a local crime boss in the trunk, Mickey (Gregory) is thrust into a world of human trafficking and ruthless killing. When the crime boss Don Barber is let go by Mickey he suddenly realizes that Mickey is a man he wants on his payroll. Mickey is tasked with trying to find out who attacked Don and to extract revenge. Since "Snatch" came out it seems like everyone is trying to make the next one, or be the next Guy Ritchie. Since "Snatch" I think that "Layer Cake" is the only one that can be compared to it. This movie is very violent and bloody, that's where the similarities end. I just really couldn't get in to this one. Some parts were pretty good, but they were few and far between. It didn't hold my attention. I give it a C-.

Would I watch again? - Nope