6 Ways to Die

Sundown can be beautiful. Or it can be deceiving, because it's getting dark and you're not sure what you're seeing. Or it's just a character name ... is it though? One thing is for sure, the script tries to be very clever and the amount of people acting in this, that you might know from other movies is incredible.

So while this isn't Tarantino and it's not really magic, it is kind of entertaining if you let it be. As I said, the story is complex and the time-lines get a bit tangled up (some might actually watch it again for the whole experience), but overall it's a decent low budget effort with some quality actors in it.

I rarely rate a movie so low because... let's face it, there are few movies worse that this out there that I try to watch. I chose 6 Ways to Sundown because of Vinnie Jones and Bai Ling. Love them both, but guys, why did you do this to me?

From the very start one feels that something is not quite right. The dialogue is overly pompous, without adding anything to the story, the film is divided in chapters, the chapters are presented in a reverse order, there are flashbacks that need other flashbacks to explain and so on. The film is screeching "Wait for the twist! It's going to blow your mind". If you got this far into the review, trust me, it is not going to blow your mind.

Then everything is really really badly made. The people dancing in the club of the "most notorious drug dealer in North America" are dancing worse than I do. That's bad! The productions values are low. The acting is bad. Vinnie Jones spends all of his 5 minutes of acting in a car, Bai Ling is beautiful as ever, but she barely does anything, Tom Sizemore (which I really dislike anyway) dies in the first few minutes and Vivica A. Fox... why are they hiring her anymore is beyond me. And these are the best actors in the movie.

Bottom line: a complete and utter waste of time. It's always risky to watch something written and directed by the same guy, but this is not even so bad it's funny, like The Room.

This film may have a few name action stars such as Vinnie Jones, Tom Sizemore and Bai Ling, but it is a home made film written and directed by a nobody wannabe named Nadeem Soumah. The action is non existent and the murder for hire scenario(s) is about as dull as a plastic knife attempting to cut through concrete.

Vinnie Jones narrates the background story going back in time at 2 week intervals. If you have watched Vinnie Jones in the two prior Guy Ritchie writer/director films, the 1998 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels , and the 2000 film Snatch then you know what a good film looks like. I think the writer/director of 6 Ways to Die, Nadeem Soumah, may have used a ghost writer to write this MESSterpiece which he thought in his own mind would be an award winning film NOT!!!!!!

Avoid it because the film is a mess.

hard to follow,, overly complicated and more interested in looking good then telling the story. terrible set design, trying to be too cool and directed by someone who has no idea of cool. how it got funded and made and how the actors didn't leave the set before it was finished is a mystery to me. Vinnie Jones basically plays a car, i think he was welded to it. same scenes over and over again, truly horrible set design and ambiance. do not watch unless you enjoy having your time wasted. i have no idea if this was a true story or not, i can't imagine that someone like the protagonist existed and then acted in the ways portrayed in the movie. It was childlike and frankly a waste of my precious time.

This is a prime example where less is more. The movie executes multiple perspectives and subplots to the point of exhaustion. It follows John Doe (Vinnie Jones) as he sets intricate plans for revenge by hiring six different conmen or assassins. Each of them reveals a facet of the target, along with occasional flashback and branching story, all of which ultimately end in an uninspiring conclusion.

With six hit men following their own respective plot, this is basically six short stories woven together, but not in consistent fashion. It's not an intersecting story like Snatch or even Smokin' Aces, there are many perspectives and timelines, yet they don't mesh together that well. It even feels fragmented since each hit-man has limited screen time, not enough to establish their character for overall continuity.

Cinematography is done with too much focus on style, the movie repetitively pans over to the same shots of night club, flashback or slow motion gun shot. Prepare to see these scenes again and again throughout the movie as though it wants to be edgy so badly, instead it becomes tiresome later on.

The cast is pretty presentable, action fans would be pleased to see the Vinnie Jones or Vivica A. Fox. The characters are made to cater flamboyant lifestyle with extravagant personalities and attractive ladies. This might appeal to viewer who like exaggerated hit-man or noir style, although the movie could've worked better with lighter tone or more constructed plot.

It tries to produce intense display of a revenge tale as it delves into different aspects of the target's life, yet it's gradually becoming shallower as it progresses. Furthermore, the ending feels forced, making it a needlessly complicated and boring spectacle.