North v South

If I could leave zero stars I would. I cannot believe any read this screenplay and thought it was a good idea. The story is potentially good, but the execution is just dire. I cannot believe how bad a job the makers have done hear. It is absolutely garbage. I am writing this and there are still 10 mins left, so perhaps it might redeem itself with an epic ending, whereby all of the previous "faults" can be excused.

Somehow I doubt it

I was taken to see this at a preview with a professional colleague and I went mainly on the strength of the cast present, I have to say it was extremely enjoyable, well shot, well paced and while not without its faults one of the better efforts by far of the recent deluge of gangster flicks.

A fairly simple premise, to rival firms, one from London and one from the North, agree a truce and meet up to discuss the terms, but things go awry when one of their number kills a relative of one of the leaders and pretty soon all out war follows. Meanwhile there is a Romeo and Juliet sub plot between two of the younger members of the opposing clans which will lead to greater jeopardy for all involved.

While the film isn't an especially original take on the tired genre it has many things going in its favour. Several heavy weight cast bring gravitas to their roles including Bernard Hill, Steven Berkoff, Oliver Cotton, Geoff Bell and surprisingly Keith Allen who has grown into an incredibly watchable mature actor and this film makes me want to see a great deal more of him. Freema Agyeman also excels in a role she can get her teeth into and Brad Moore is one step away from insane as the catalyst for everything spiralling out of control. The screenplay adds some unusual twists and characters, one being in the form of a French Transvestite (a nice debut by Dom Monot) hit-man/woman and there is a good sense history with these characters - In this world, they feel believable. The film is also shot in a style that looks and feels well considered, with a clear effort to bring mood and originality to the way the film. So my compliments to Kyle Heslop in this regard.

The film does have some weak links however they let it down a little. The romantic subplot feels a little implausible and also unnecessary and while Steve Evets is an actor that holds his own well on screen with any of his co-stars his endless voice over in the film starts to feel far to frequent. I actually wanted to see the film with no voice over at all. The film clearly didn't have the budget to match the scale in which the film is set - so it felt more like town vs town, rather than North Vs South, but it tries very hard and succeeds on many levels.

This film really deserves an audience, far more so than anything with the word 'Hooligan' or 'Essex' in the title that has been made in the last two years and for what it was I really enjoyed it.

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

For decades, rivalries between the criminal gangs from the North and South of England have been kept under wraps by means of open talks and civility. But crazed Londoner Gary (Brad Moore) has just killed Northerner Alf (Steve Evets) over a disagreement over a drug deal, which tears the whole truce apart. Meanwhile, young pretender Terry (Elliott Tittensor) has fallen in love with Willow (Charlotte Hope), the daughter of London crime lord Vic (Steven Berkoff), which further inflames matters. With Gary running around trying play both sides off against each other for his own personal gain, it sets the ball in motion for a devastating and bloody turf war.

This latest addition in what is hardly an unfamiliar plethora of cheap and easy British gangster flicks was lucky enough to enjoy a little run at the cinema, but that's probably the only thing that serves as a distinction between it and the countless other films of its type out there. There's a pretty even split between those set in the North and South, and so its an interesting idea to pitch what would happen if the two were to collide, but sadly this formulaic, by the numbers effort, with ideas above its station, doesn't make the most of it.

A host of familiar faces to the genre are splashed on display, with veteran Berkoff as the Southern boss doing his usual over emotive, raging villain act, while other established performers such as Tom Bell and even Keith Allen also make their presence felt. But the script sadly cannot match their veracity, coming off very Goodfellas lite, with young star/narrator Tittensor providing voice overs explaining how things are working and what his role in it all is. Too many characters and plot lines are thrown in all at once, and they all prove too inconsistent to care about.

The obviously low budget would be easier to overlook if all the other faults weren't so apparent, but as it is, it's cheap and cheerless. *

I have just wasted an afternoon off watching this tripe. Poor acting. Abismal plot. Shocking in every way. Please do not watch

I would rate it 0/10

From the first scene the movie throws a bunch of gangster antics with strangely abrupt moments of general shootouts. It's hectic to say the least, and while there might be one or two developments that work decently, the majority is convoluted banters. There's simply too much bravado and subplots to create any solid connection to the characters.

Like the title suggests, this is a story of two gangs vying for dominance. It has a lot of embellished characters shouting profanities and some betrayal schemes or whatnot. The issue with this cumbersome build-up is they are posing for what seems to a promo of wrestling events, for so many of the pressures feel overly theatrical. They large cast doesn't help either since they are divided by the typical brutish enforcer or old godfather role.

Many of them will not be memorable, in exception for a couple of the subplots, even those are rather conspicuous and forced. Its crime thriller aspect simply done in excess and honestly not that engaging, however if one comes for action there might be something here. It delivers occasional shootouts and fights, although the choreography is passable at best.

For all for the machismo displayed, the movie feels uninteresting and superficial.