The Big I Am

Highly talented actors give this production their tough guy act best performances, and together make for a high energy romp. It doesn't quite have the hidden menace or black humour of Tarantino, or the surprise-in-your-face ultra violence of Guy Richie, but is certainly landing squarely within the genre. There's a good soundtrack, effectively used to back the action, of mostly rugged hip-hop or working class ballads, that also set it apart from my earlier comparisons. This is a good London criminal thriller, full of executions, intrigue and potty-mouth threats. Definitely not suitable for children.

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

Small time crook Mickey (Leo Greggory) is in deep debt to ruthless drug dealer Robbo (MC Harvey) and is generally down on his luck. Then, by chance, he is found by big time gangster Barber (Vincent Regan) and given the opportunity to enter the big league, where he crosses paths with American gangster Martell (Michael Madsen) and is drawn to Barber's temptress wife Liza (Beatrice Rosen.) But the higher he climbs, the deeper he gets and when he finds himself caught up in a lucrative human trafficking ring, he finds it may all be a bit too much.

There's a whole plethora of British acting talent about at the moment, and The Big I Am showcases a lot of it, with lead star Greggory, and a supporting cast including Harvey, Paul Kaye and Terry Stone, as well as the more well known likes of Madsen, Steven Berkoff and Gerad Butler dead ringer Regan. The premise of the story is a bit implausible and the pace is a bit weary which makes it drag a bit more as it gets closer to the end. Still, director Nic Auerbach handles things with enough flare and substance to get things by, with a slick urban grime soundtrack, an appropriately dark and hard hitting tone in places and a hip and convincing cast to carry things along. ***

Review: This is another one of this British gangster movies about a guy who is down on his luck and finds himself in a impossible situation after stealing the wrong car. As usual, there's sex and violence throughout with your everyday cockney bad language. As this film came out at 2010, there was quite an audience for this type of movie in the UK, but there's just way too many of these films in this genre nowadays. Michael Madsen made the movie a slight more interesting, but the film wasn't anything out of the norm. On the plus side, the storyline isn't that bad and there is enough material to keep,you interested. Average!

Round-Up: Leo Gregory is his usual cockney self in this movie and the switch from owing people money to becoming a crime boss, was played quite well. I would like to see him play another type of role because he seems to act the same in all of his movies. The same goes for Vincent Regan who plays a crime boss, like he does in many of his movies. Basically, the film is what it says OK the tin so don't expect anything that amazing.

Budget: $5million Worldwide Gross: N/A

I recommend this movie to people who are into there British Gangster movies about a guy whose down on his luck until he helps a crime boss. 3/10

Accurate and realistic UK urban story, great camera with a mixed UK-USA cast !! Leo Gregory, an actor who has always been second lining, finally got a chance to prove him self and play important role in his acting career.

Nic Auerbach a newly arrived UK director showed us something we have forgotten after Guy Ritchie real movies "Lock, Stock.." and "Snatch", Nick Love's "The Business", De Rakoff's "The Calcium Kid" - "Dead Man Running"... and related UK criminal genre movies.

It appears that Hollywood producers spend BIG money to make films for their audience only - making sure to make a 1001 cliché !!! Give Nic Auerbach a job to make a movie - he will do it right.

And of course I almost forgot excellent Vincent Regan !!!

-review by Scooper

It was OK. I mean, I get it, the plot, and the characters, but what I didn't understand was the chemistry that the film tried to create between Skinner and Vincent Regan's girl. Although she was apart of the human trafficking. I still didn't see the relevance in making her character fall for this guy. And what was deal with Madsen? Good actor and all, but it seems like the story was trying to take you some place, but it never quite actually got there. Skinner's character should have been more aggressive, especially when it to the got the part his sister. There could have been more to that. Over all the movie was watchable to the end.