In Security

'In Security' (aka 'Armed Response') is about two guys who own a home security firm which is slowly failing. Therefore, they hit upon the idea of robbing houses in the area in order to boost their business. It's a simple enough premise and in works... to some extent.

Okay, so it's never going to be a classic, but it has its strong points, namely the two main guys play off each other well and are a believable pair of 'normal' blokes. The story is also solid and has a lot of potential and you may be forgiven for thinking that this is going to be a comedy. It has all the makings of one, but, somewhere along the line, it was like the writers never bothered to include any actual jokes.

I watched the whole film without laughing once. The first half may raise the odd half-smile, but that's about as close as you're going to get to any hilarity (in fact... during the first half there was a bit that actually made me jump – something that doesn't even happen when I watch horror movies!). But, like I said, the story rolls along and, despite the lack of humour, it's still entertaining.

Then, in the second half, things lose all hints of comedy and actually get quite dark (think murder and torture). We're introduced to quite a nasty villain, but, if you saw either Ving Rhames or Vinnie Jones' names in the cast list – don't go expecting them to burst onto the set and save the day. Their addition amounts to little more than extended cameos.

By the time I got to the end of the film I'd forgotten that the whole thing was actually told by one of the guys in a bar. This all seemed a bit pointless by this time as it's never mentioned during the film's runtime. However, I didn't feel like I'd wasted my time watching the film. It's an enjoyable enough little film, just don't go expecting too many laughs and be prepared for when it goes dark about half way through.

Review: I wasn't that impressed with this film. The storyline is ridiculous and really hard to believe. The acting wasn't anything amazing and I was surprised to see Ving Rhames, Alan Arkin and Vinnie Jones making an appearance because the script couldn't have been that good. The director didn't show the true ending so he left it up to the audience to make up there own mind about what really happened, which was a bad choice. As I didn't hear that much about the film when it got released, I wasn't that disappointed, but I was expecting something slightly interesting and entertaining. Disappointing!

Round-Up: I haven't heard of the main characters before so I can't comment on there previous work and after seeing this movie, I'm sure that I won't be seeing them again soon. Ving Rhames hasn't really starred in any big blockbusters since Pulp Fiction and he seems to be popping up in small independent movies every now and again. I've always rated Alan Arkin as an actor and he's really come to light in the latter part in his career with movies like Little Miss Sunshine and Argo. He only makes an appearance in one scene, which was a shame, but Cary Elwes, who plays the baddie, showed some professionalism in his role. Overall, the movie isn't that funny and it's very unrealistic. 

I recommend this movie to people who are into there crime capers about a couple of security shop owners who steal from people's homes to get business. 2/10

"We're talking about robbing these people blind. I'm on bored with that." Kevin (Embry) and Bruce (Gladis) are best friends and business partners. They own and run a small home security service in a town that is the safest place in America. Facing the possibility of having to close their store they come up with one last ditch effort to save the business. They want to make people feel like they need the security system, so they begin to break into everyone's houses and then sell them the systems. Things are going great until they rob the wrong house. First off this is just simply a fun and entertaining movie. Nothing deep or thought provoking but also nothing mindless either. The idea is funny and the cast is great and really pulls off the necessary timing needed for a movie that goes as dark as this does. The best part of this movie is Cary Elwes. He started off huge in the Princess Bride and Robin Hood but since then hasn't been getting much mainstream work. His turn as a drug lord/mob boss in this is one of the best casting choices in recent years. This is nothing that amazing but it is very much worth seeing, especially for Elwes. Overall, a good movie that kept me entertained and laughing all the way through...even when it went super dark. I give it a B.

It's bad but it's good, funny with all its exaggeration, amusing ... Regular ...

"Armed Response" is a very, very funny and enjoyable movie! There isn't a dull moment - the editing is great - and it keeps your attention from beginning to end! Michael Gladis is absolutely hilarious! We do not want to give away any of the clever storyline or unexpected end of the movie but we highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys clever, creative, unique comedies! (Wish mainstream comedies were as funny as "Armed Response"!) All the actors were great! We would love to see a sequel reuniting Michael Gladis and Ethan Embry in the home security business! We rent a lot of independent films and mainstream films and can honestly say that we enjoy the independent films much, more more, especially comedies! "Armed Response" will not disappoint comedy fans!