20 Funerals

20 Funerals was a good drama from relatively new director, Anghus Houvouras. Mark Mench played Sean Kietel, a cop who had had enough of criminals getting the upper hand while more cops were getting the short end of the stick. The real standout in this movie was D.J. Naylor, who played Marcus Chase. Naylor resembles a more hardcore, buffed out & tattooed Vin Diesel. His charisma carried the movie and, to be honest, it needed it. Like other reviewers, I would like to see more of Naylor in the future. With the right coaching, he could be one of the next big action stars.

Other than the original plot, which consisted of four cops being fed up with the system, decide to go into business for themselves and stop playing by the book. Instead of arresting criminals, they killed them, not having to worry about lawyers, bad juries and judges putting them back out into the street. I liked this idea very much, but the movie turned into nothing more than a countdown of the top 20 criminals being hunted down with unoriginal gunfights, interrogations & dialog. The original idea along with the ending is what makes it stand out for me, otherwise, I would have rated this movie much lower.

At times, the camera work and the inability to throw convincing punches reminded me that I was watching a straight-to-video movie and detracted from the experience as a whole. That, and the weak story brought my overall rating down. Recommended if you like low budget cops vs gangster movies. 6.5/10

20 Funerals is the latest film to hit DVD from Wilmington, NC filmmaker Anghus Houvouras (Fearsome, Thugs Got Game). It's the story of a group of cops who -after the death of a fellow officer- decide to use some unconventional methods. Twenty names make up their list of scum that must be removed from the street in order to clean things up. The plan comes with a strong set of rules in order to keep things organised, but some rules are made to be broken. Things begin to turn sour when the cops are inevitably called upon to investigate the cases they're creating themselves.

It's a clever concept that could easily have been created by the mind of Quinton Tarantino and has some impressive dialog to match. This film is a must see for anyone with a dark sense of humour or love for violence, action, hip-hop, or simply, independent cinema.

Being an independent filmmaker myself with many influences and heroes, I know how easy it is to stick nods to personal favourites into a script. Quite often these can come across out of place and character. But in 20 Funerals the writer/director manages to tie in references to pop culture and Greek mythology and use them to the scripts advantage. He is able to add depth and realism to the characters and the world they live in.

Clocking in at just less than eighty minutes, the film is a tad on the short side. However apart from adding three of four more funerals, there's little that could be done with this. The film tells its story in a clear and cool way but does come with a few faults. Sadly the opening sequence doesn't come across too strong, but this is soon forgiven and forgot when the film sets itself on track. What follows is a set of great performances from the leads, including DJ Naylor, Mark Mench, and the majority of the supporting cast, backed up by a solid Hip-Hop soundtrack, and great visuals.

I was hooked from the moment the 20 Funerals plan came into play and stayed gripped throughout. With plenty of plot twists, character developments, and outside party intervention, the film kept me on the edge of my seat. While watching you get a strong sense of the fun and hard work put in by the cast and crew which makes the whole experience even more gratifying. I look forward with great anticipation for this exciting filmmakers next piece 'Dead Heist'.

Overall, this is an entertaining flick and good look at some possible new talents. Alex Tsiros and Thym Kennedy (and Naylor) do some great work with, at times, a mediocre script. The story is a great idea, but it falls flat in some places. It seems to be a function partly of writing and partly of editing - there are some scenes that don't quite connect to the rest of the story, and others where one wonders simply "Why?" Despite these downfalls, there is some wit to the script, and this is definitely not a waste of time for anyone who likes the gritty cop dramas or even just film noir. The rap stars have small roles as bad guys, but it really works well - it was a great job of crossover for the musicians. Overall, not a bad flick for something that went straight to video!

I got a screener copy of this movie and it's very good. The acting is solid, with a few fresh new stars in the making. The plot is interesting, and realistic. The pace keeps the movie going, and kept me from getting bored. The writing manages to be both dramatic and witty. The guest starring rappers actually turned out better than I expected. The only downside I found was an excessive use of profanity. It could have benefited from just a little less in some instances. The cast is primarily male, and mostly newcomers and music industry celebs. Considering this is a Cop vs. Gangster movie that's understandable. The addition of a female gangster or cop would have made it more interesting, but it doesn't detract from it's current status. I think it could have very well have been a TV Show on a cable network, providing the opportunity to delve further into the lives and motives of the characters. All in all it was worth the time spent watching it, even though it was shorter than an average movie. I definitely recommend that people check this movie out when they have a chance, especially if you're bored with the Hollywood hotshots and big name blockbuster action flicks that spend more money on big explosion effects than on hiring actors or writers with actual talent. It was a breathe of fresh air, despite the gritty city feel. I predict that we haven't seen the last of DJ Naylor, the star of the movie, or the director, Anghus Houvouras. I know that I, for one, am anticipating seeing both again as they have quite a bit of talent.