White Collar Hooligan 3

Arguably one of the more frequently maligned Hoolihoodie franchises energetically continues unbowed in the well tasty 'Meet The Firm: Revenge in Rio', wherein grief-stricken Eddie (Simon Phillips), deeply mourning the death of his best pal Mike (Nick Nevern) at the hands of an evil Russian oligarch Dimitri (Akbar Kurtha) galvanizes Eddie to formulate a method to avenge Mike's death that dramatically sends him and Mike's half-brother Damien (Josh Myers) all the way to picturesque Rio, currently caught up in the tumultuous throes of World cup fever to enact a bitter revenge. Likeable character actor Simon Phillips is a fun watch as the heroically hapless hoodlum Eddie, this rotund rapscallion's plan, while relatively uncomplicated, fatefully leads poor Eddie and twin-fisted thug Damian on quite the rough and tumble route to revenge in Rio!

I think it's pretty fair to say that if you mostly enjoyed the first two amusingly hectic instalments of the blithely bellicose 'White Collar Hooligan' series then you are quite likely to appreciate the third, as it varies the thuggish modus operandi not one iota, only upping the glamour quotient since it is blessed with such a cinematically exotic setting as Rio, and talking about delightful sparklers, lucky barsteward Damien's holiday bunk-up is with an especially juicy-looking jewel, the beautifully bronzed Brazilian brass Yasmin (Sephora Venites). With its quality bants, knock about action and a few boozy, old school barneys, Paul Tanter's boisterous Brazilian ruck is a giraffe and a half, mayte! And even if you couldn't abide the earlier films, in this specific instance there's far more intentional humour than you might have thought possible.

Arguably one of the more frequently maligned Hoolihoodie franchises energetically continues unbowed in the well tasty 'Meet The Firm: Revenge in Rio', wherein grief-stricken Eddie (Simon Phillips), deeply mourning the death of his best pal Mike (Nick Nevern) at the hands of an evil Russian oligarch Dimitri (Akbar Kurtha) galvanizes Eddie to formulate a method to avenge Mike's death that dramatically sends him and Mike's half-brother Damien (Josh Myers) all the way to picturesque Rio, currently caught up in the tumultuous throes of World cup fever to enact a bitter revenge. Likeable character actor Simon Phillips is a fun watch as the heroically hapless hoodlum Eddie, this rotund rapscallion's plan, while relatively uncomplicated, fatefully leads poor Eddie and twin-fisted thug Damian on quite the rough and tumble route to revenge in Rio!

If you are like me, you forgot about the other films. There is no character build up for Eddie (Simon Phillips) but there really doesn't need to be as it develops nicely. There are flashbacks to the earlier films in the beginning, but it didn't really help me, and I have seen the films. It isn't until they mention the credit card scam, that I recalled the movies, which really wasn't necessary to enjoy this feature. Phew!

Eddie helps Mike avenge the killing of his wife by going against Russian mobster Dimitri (Akbar Kurtha). Not to give too much away, but Mike dies in the first scene. Damien (Josh Myers) who claims to be a friend of Mike's wants Eddie to tell him who was Mike's killer. Eddie balks at the idea, but then the title "Revenge in Rio" kinda lets you know what happens...like naming a book "Return of the King."

Be that as it may, Simon Phillips plays a great Eddie, reminding me of a British Paul Giamatti. The film is best described as an entertaining light crime drama.

Parental Guide: F-bomb, sex, nudity (Sephora Venites.

I think it's pretty fair to say that if you mostly enjoyed the first two amusingly hectic instalments of the blithely bellicose 'White Collar Hooligan' series then you are quite likely to appreciate the third, as it varies the thuggish modus operandi not one iota, only upping the glamour quotient since it is blessed with such a cinematically exotic setting as Rio, and talking about delightful sparklers, lucky barsteward Damien's holiday bunk-up is with an especially juicy-looking jewel, the beautifully bronzed Brazilian brass Yasmin (Sephora Venites). With its quality bants, knock about action and a few boozy, old school barneys, Paul Tanter's boisterous Brazilian ruck is a giraffe and a half, mayte! And even if you couldn't abide the earlier films, in this specific instance there's far more intentional humour than you might have thought possible.