Mob Land

A film we have seen a variation of a bunch of times, it really never gets old, if done well. Similar to No Country for Old Men, this time in Georgia and with a cast that mostly drags this out a bit much. Fortunately there are some interesting settings and set pieces that are a bit out of the norm and add a level of realistic grime, such as all the worn out vehicles still on display. There are really no protagonists here to get behind, but I liked Stephen Dorffs character and performance the most. His script was on the nose for the character, and although predictable, seemed the most convincing. Good show, but has some odd plot holes scattered around and then also the camera work was a little too hand-held for my personal taste. Im not big on wobbly/shaky frames, even if because it has to be done on the cheap.

First off, I'm not a John Travolta fan, but watched this just for him - and it was worth it. Other reviewers who say he's old and out of shape, well, aren't we all at some point?

This is a good ensemble film. Nothing great, but an interesting watch and get a lot of down home southern homilies - they are a type of religion in the south.

The problem was, that everyone was a philosopher.

There were some surprising performances, quiet, smooth. My favorite was Timothy V. Murphy - who played Sheriff Ben. Not a big part, but he was a great foil for Travolta.

It's not the best film around, but it has good music and it's worth the watch when there's nothing else that tickles your fancy.

I have to give Mob Land a lot of credit. For a Saban film it actually had an advertising campaign, a trailer with a slowed down cover of House of the Rising Sun, a theatrical poster, and even a theatrical release! That's awesome! They're really stepping up their game. When I saw the trailer for Mob Land I figured I'd have to get this from RedBox but I'll be darned, it actually came soon to a theater near me.

And ya know what? It really wasn't a bad movie! Which unfortunately kind of plays to the audiences detriment. It's not bad enough to be fun and not good enough to be fun. It's a middle of the road picture that grasps at some really interesting ideas but doesn't have the finesse to make them work effectively.

For example our lead character is an out of work mechanic with Parkinson's who is at his wits end on how to provide for his family (interesting!), his solution is to rob a local drug dealer with his scumbag uncle (not very interesting). When the big boss hears about the robbery he sends his top head smasher to go recover the stolen loot and deliver the punks responsible. It's been done a lot.

The acting is good, actually. Stephen Dorff and John Travolta give a solid effort and have the charisma and depth to add nuance to their characters. Kevin Dillon plays that moocher, kinda scummy uncle we all have. There are decent performances here. It's the script that squanders their potential to push the movie out of mediocrity.

Mob Land is a movie very much in the same vein as No Country For Old Men, The Place Beyond The Pines, and Hell or High Water. Yes, those films had staggering budgets and a plethora of Grade A talent but most importantly they had wonderful scripts. The difference between Mob Land and those other pictures is that when characters have philosophical conversations about their motives, or meandering questions about their situations, it's interesting. They're building to something. Through misdirection and unconvention these films grip the audience and never let go.

I feel like Mob Land tries hard to be a character study disguised as a crime drama but it doesn't know how to examine itself. It's a vacuum sucking up all this inspiration from wonderful films but it just sits there with the pieces.

Also, Mob Land suffers from some pacing issues, that meandering, philosophical dialogue I mentioned earlier? There is a lot of it here. And we're sitting in cars listening to it, sitting in diners listening to it, sitting in garages listening to it. But philosophy turns to redundancy; it simply never goes anywhere.

Unlike the camera in this movie which goes everywhere! I've coined a new term for how this movie was shot: "Chimp-Cam". 95% of this movie was shot handheld with a stomach-churning shaky cam that is crotch level looking up at the actors. I literally, in my mind, pictured a chimpanzee shooting this movie. And it made it better. 20% of that 95% were tracking shots that were tracking shots just to be tracking shots. Do we need a nauseatingly shaky tracking shot to watch a guy walk from his car to his front door? What's the point?

I don't want to rag on this movie, truly. It's a massive step in the right direction for Saban Films. I feel like they've made an actual film in Mob Land.

If this script could've had one or two more passes that took those longer dialogue exchanges and cut them down to be leaner and more tense...shoot this would be so much better. If they could've given a little more dimension or originality to our lead character's development, hot dang this would be a different review. If they would've hired an actual director of photography and not a half trained chimpanzee...

I really wasn't expecting to enjoy this indie B-film as much as I did, but thanks to the great casting and excellent performances, this turned out to be an enjoyable little gem. No, it's not perfect, and as much as this type of story has been done many times before, new filmmaker Nicholas Maggio got more things right that overshadowed most of his rookie filmmaking mistakes, and that managed to make this film, his own. In his first ever writing and directorial debut, Maggio created an engaging atmosphere with constant intrigue and suspense, enough to keep me watching and occasionally forgetting to breathe. This film was gritty and thrilling with some sharp dialogue, enough to pay homage to the independent top crime films of the past.

Aside from just a few plot issues, the pacing could've been a little faster and the 111 min runtime could've used at least 10 mins of trimming. The shaky cam at the start was too obvious and annoying, but got better (or I got used to it) as the film progressed. Nevertheless, for a first time filmmaker, Maggio directed his entire cast perfectly, had a decent score and soundtrack (not the usual loud, overbearing and unfitting score that's typical in every B-film), good cinematography, and kept a constant and effective tone and atmosphere throughout the entire film - a feat that even some seasoned filmmakers sometimes can't get right.

This film is certainly no 10/10, but underserving of anything under a 5/10. As an independent B-film, it's a solid watchable and recommended 7/10 from me, plus the extra bonus star that this was put together by a first-time filmmaker - I mean they have to start somewhere, right, and if this is Maggio's first ever film, I'm excited to see what he comes up with next. Mad props to him and all the crew and cast that helped pull and keep this together - you can tell the top actors weren't there just for the paycheck. To see how I rate and review films, click on my username, and you'll also see more of my 1,700+ reviews and 3,000+ ratings.

Checked this one out because of the 'heavyweight' cast, but sad to report the script and screenplay don't match the talent on show.

A badly aging John Travolta headlines with typical aplomb as a smalltown redneck sheriff, with Matt's bro Kevin Dillon also putting in a decent turn as the film's pivotal catalyst to disaster. However, it's the oft underrated Stephen Dorff who steals the show as a New Orleans mafia enforcer. Dorff is off the hook and carries his weighty bad guy role with typically sinister yet cool-calculated nastiness. He will keep you watching if nothing much else will.

The story itself however is a letdown. It's slow, lacking in tension, originality and continuity, while you really have to shake your head at Travolta's continual failures to connect the dots.

On the plus side there are some decent shootouts, driving scenes and reasonable character development, but the bottomline is this is a rather predictable, low-budget b-movie that fails to ignite, or be quirky/original enough to push it into 'cult' movie territory like an early Cohen Brothers flick for example.

In summation then a one-watch rainy night film at best. Y'all come back now y'hear...