Ready 2 Die

I caught this movie on Netflix the other night and decided to write a review after thinking about it for a few days. I am always interested in films that take place in the hood and the cover caught my eye.

Obviously this is a small budget film and some of the special effects leave something to be desired. However, the actors do a good job in their respective roles. The pacing is a bit uneven and lags at times but overall the action sequences are pretty solid.

I liked the stylized, gritty look of the film it kind of reminds me of the look of "Man On Fire" only on a smaller budget.

Not to give too much of the plot a way, the story is about a group of friends, some ex-military, who decide to rob a bank. The film uses flashbacks to establish the backstory of each character to explain what got them to this point in their lives.

If you are in to "urban gangster" films this one should be in your library.

If it wasn't for, agreed, the cool-looking getaway car Ready 2 Die would have had no redeeming values at all. It could have been fun if done right, in the end it just ended up being unpleasant and ineptly done. The scenery and lighting look dull and the effects are cheesy and rather amateurish, but the camera work and editing do them no favours. In fact, the movie's visual look was one of its biggest flaws, it is shot so cheaply and in such a rushed way that it is enough to make one feel nauseous. The dialogue is riddled with clichés, doesn't even try to make sense and is horrendously stilted, the constant joking at horrible things like shooting people in the face were I feel in very bad taste. The story and characters are a huge issue as well. The story has no fun, excitement, suspense, momentum or any sense of danger, instead it's plodding, predictable and tasteless with very little happening in the storytelling, events that you can smell a mile off and the joking that makes you hate the characters more. The characters are incredibly shallow and you never get to know or identify with them, instead they are very obnoxious and have no redeeming qualities(no humanity at all seemingly) at all basically. They are also so similar that even figuring out who is who and who's the main one is difficult. The acting are a painful mix of annoying over-acting and some not even trying, it's not worth bothering naming standouts because there's not a single good performance among the cast. You know that's something wrong when the getaway car upstages the lot of them. The direction is on par with the camera work in ineptness, particularly in the action scenes which are incoherent and lacking in pretty much everything. The music is at best forgettable and is often repetitive and overbearing. All in all, apart from the car there is next to nothing good about Ready 2 Die, there are worse movies around, but that is no consolation and certainly no excuse for this level of badness. 2/10 Bethany Cox

This film has no redeeming features. The acting, script, music, cinematography, story, direction, editing, lighting, special effects, even the tattoos are rotten. The worst film I've seen in ages. An embarrassment to everyone involved. Excruciating to watch.

The first thing that strikes me about Ready 2 Die is how well director John Azpilicueta utilizes limited resources and makes this feel like it had a much bigger budget than it probably did. The cinematographer in particular places you right in the action, as if you're a character in the film getting pulled through the action. This documentary feel was a smart choice for the story, as it ups the intensity, especially in the action scenes (which include one of the best car chase sequences I've seen in a long time). Not all of the acting is top notch, and there are some sound problems that would prevent this film from landing a perfect score, but there's enough good about it that it ranks as "very good- excellent" and is more than worth the watch.

I was looking for a new crime filled movie (lets admit it gangster flicks are always a blast) when I stumbled across Ready 2 Die. The plot is pretty straight forward with a bank robbery gone wrong as they are trying to get somewhere safe after stealing quite a load of money. Of course the cops are after them as you would expect but to top that off they also have to avoid rival gang members who want the money for themselves. The characters within aren't people you are going to necessarily like but if you love to watch people getting away with (quite literally) murder this is a joyride you aren't going to want to get off of.

The plot is a pretty standard robbery flick with a low budget but but the action really stood out as gritty and fun. Honestly the budget is what hurt this film as if the filmmakers had more to put into the effects I really could see this as something that could stand out. As it is if you are in the mood for some pure violent fun this one would be worth your time!