Ten Dead Men

Inspired by the DIY initiative of Robert Rodriguez and the hard-hitting but playful style of Quentin Tarantino, Ten Dead Men is passionate genre film-making and despite some weaknesses it's well worth a look.

One of a growing number of British action movies, Ross Boyask's follow-up to 2004's Left for Dead revisits many familiar themes but shows a great deal of maturity. Left for Dead was dense with action but was easily forgotten, but there's something about this film that lingers.

Made for genre fans by genre fans, Ten Dead Men has much in common with equally gritty British action flicks such as Underground and The Silencer, as well as the likes of Ultimate Force, a vehicle for UFC fighter Mirko Cro-Cop Filipovic.

Brendan Carr stars as Ryan, a reformed gangster whose darkside is reawakened when he returns, apparently from the dead, to avenge the murder of his girlfriend. It's a good set-up and the supernatural element is commendably underplayed.

Carr seems a little young to play the role but gives it his all. Like Arnie in The Terminator or Kurt Russell in Soldier, Ryan is almost entirely a physical presence, a force of nature. His lack of dialogue keeps the viewer unsettled and he's impossible to relate to. But that seems to be the point.

Aside from the action the most notable feature of Boyask's film is the use of voice-over. The contribution of fan favourite Doug Bradley is this film's greatest asset and unfortunately it's also the biggest weakness. As The Narrator, Bradley explains the story and speaks for the hero, but this is intrusive and seemingly added only to give cohesion to some of the more throwaway sequences. Bradley's voice too often distracts. Unfortunately it's an interesting idea that only highlights shortcomings in the structure and execution of the story.

That criticism aside there's much to praise. Boyask's bold non-linear approach is intriguing and there are an inventive variety of shots, which compensate for an overuse of freeze frame and fade to black devices. Aside from the diverse camera-work, the Cage Rage and speedboat sequences add some nice production value. Plus, you can't help but be amused by the incongruous presence of Lee from one-time pop sensations Steps.

Most importantly this is an action movie and Ross Boyask delivers some solid action with the help of experienced Hong Kong stuntman/action director Jude Poyer. His quick edits get maximum impact from some brutal martial arts action and stunts. Standout set-pieces take place in a garage and a derelict house, as the plot builds steadily in intensity toward a satisfying climactic duel with Transporter 3, Dead or Alive and Black Mask 2 heavy Silvio Simac.

Shot on digital video, a format popular not only with budget-conscious filmmakers but also the likes of Michael Mann and Mike Figgis, Ten Dead Men is best described as art-house action. A restless and fragmented experience with some memorable moments that may disappoint those expecting Hollywood production quality but will entertain and intrigue those with an interest in action films and independent film-making.

This flick was sold at a horror convention due the name Doug Bradley. Horror geeks do know who he is, pinhead from Hellraiser. Naturally, by using his name the producers thought it would sell well. Doug isn't in the flick at all, he's just the narrator.

It even got nothing to do with horror, it is more a mafia flick were one is taking his revenge for killing his girlfriend. 1O people were there so ten men had to die. This is a British production and by doing so you have to dig the accents used. But it's all understandable. The last year I have seen a few revenge flicks coming out of the UK but this one here isn't that brutal. It's rough and merciless but I have seen rougher flicks like for example A Day Of Violence. Still, due the merciless fight scene's it isn't for the easily offended. The red stuff do flows but the torture is done off screen. So it's easy to see that it was a low budget. Personally I expected a little more from it but it fits in the line of British mobster revenge flicks. And there's a bit of relieve of fight scene's due the goofy couple Parker and Garrett.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0,5/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 1/5

I could only get about 3 minutes into this video. Most of the reason for this is because it is, in fact, a video and not a film. This is an important distinguishing feature, because the use of a video camera here has made the piece look amateurish despite some decent camera work and far above average editing. Everything is there to make this a mediocre film... except the film. A better camera and an actual professional sound crew would have made this video something worthy of the video rental vending machine I got it from. Unless you are a film student and want to view this from the point of view of a director/ editor, then I strongly recommend that you avoid spending any money on this at all.

I was hoping that "10 Dead Men" was going to be as good as "Rise of the Foot Soldier." The premise/plot is a decent yet typical tale of revenge while the fight choreographing is superb. The acting, dialog, cinematography and editing are horrible (i.e. terrible directing).

The small budget excuses the poor cinematography and editing however it doesn't excuse the bad acting, dialog and overall horrible directing.

The film seems more a vehicle for sadistic homo-erotica than serious story-telling with lots of violent BDSM, torture, transvestites, and big burly men.

As a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fan I was offended by the film's portrayal of MMA competitors as brutal, blood-thirsty, mindless goons.

The entire film is summed up in one scene halfway though the movie. Two of the main characters are mindlessly watching TV on the couch. The supporting actor channel surfs past an MMA fight to a porn channel which bores and annoys Ryan (the main character). Ryan then takes the remote and returns to watching the MMA fight and is visibly excited by the action.

If you're looking for a film featuring homo-erotica, BDSM and MMA to watch with your guy buddies then this is the flick for you. However if you are looking for a good action film like "Rise of the Foot Soldier" look somewhere else.

Don't be fooled by a high IMDb rating of this film. I watched it as it had an IMDb rating of 8.1/10 with 156 votes. After watching the film I am very certain that the entire cast and everyone they know voted a 10 for this movie.

I rated it a 4/10 as the fight choreographing is superb.

I watched 10 Dead Men following some of the comments I had read here on IMDb. I agreed with some of them and found this to be a (very) low budget revenge film albeit with some interesting scenes, (mostly the fight scenes).

10 Dead Men borrows from quite a few gangster films e.g. Reservoir Dog in the use of costume and flash backs as this is not necessarily a bad thing.

The makers have tried to add parts to the movie such as using Hellraisers Doug Bradley as a narrator that I felt were a surprise and welcomed.

This is by no means the best acted film ever but at times shows promise, (without giving too much away). Worth a watch if you can find it but probably only the once.