Edwin Boyd: A Lenda do Crime

This was a pretty good bio drama, granted it lost itself at times and focused more on the human story than the usual shoot-em up gangster style movies. It actually reminded me a lot of 'Public Enemies' in the storytelling style. Scott Speedman was impressive in his conflicted portrayal of Edwin Boyd (Canada's very own John Dillinger) showing a quiet level of PTSD, strong love for his family, frustration and the excitement and cockiness experienced during the robberies.

Inspired by real events the story follows WWII veteran Edwin Boyd who, upon returning to Toronto after the war is disillusioned by a lack of opportunities. Frustrated by his job as a bus driver and embarrassed to still be relying on his father to help support his British war bride and two children. In time he turns to robbing banks, becoming one of the most famous criminals in Canadian history.

The period detail is well done here along with a bleak and cold filming style. I enjoyed Kevin Durand who plays fellow inmate/prison escapee and gang member Lenny Jackson. Brian Cox was also great in a smaller role as Boyd's judgemental (retired policeman) father.

I also liked the love story, as from beginning to end we see we see how much Boyd loves his wife Doreen, initially only robbing banks to support her and the kids but ultimately losing them in the process. The ending surprised me. It's entirely possible I crossed paths with an aged Boyd as he ended up living in the same province, you just never know. Worth checking out. 8/29/15

Toronto was seemingly a nice and secure town after the World War II, and no or poor security measures in prisons and banks made gangs' ideas and plans easy to fulfill and proceed. Moreover, radios and black-and-white newspapers were not much of help in engaging co-citizens for identification and informing about criminals. Such was the surroundings where Boyd and his fellows lived their life; not as brightly as their U.S. counterparts before and then, which is probably the reason why the depiction is not that catchy and even robberies resemble asking money nicely in the presence of guns... Pre-robbery scenes are too long and only loosely connected with the remaining story, and the ending is rather awkward. The cast is uneven as well, with non-Canadians performing more versatile (Kelly Reilly as Doreen Boyd and Brian Cox as Glover); those presenting the Boyd gang seemed not catchy to me.

Thus, an above-average story based on real events and characters, but not a must-see movie.

Edwin Boyd is a fast-paced roller coaster film that proves fact can indeed be stranger than fiction. It is filled with poignant, heartbreaking moments. Boyd longed to be a Hollywood star and he would no doubt have a joyous tear in his eye to see this beautiful portrait of his life on the big screen.

First-time filmmakers can certainly take notes and learn a thing or two from Nathan Morlando here. Morlando (also the screenwriter) executes this ambitious true story period piece on a low budget with such excellence you'd think he's been making films for years.

The flow and tone of the film don't scream "period piece" -- which is a great thing and a conscious decision. It feels modern and slick, for instance, with the hand-held camera, particularly during the bank robbery scenes, which really place you right in the middle of the action. The soundtrack is also genius. Morlando mixes up the old tunes of that era with the jolting sounds of modern bands that feel like they could be from another time and place in history (i.e. The Black Keys). It's totally unexpected and completely exciting while watching. Brilliant work.

The overall aesthetic look to the film is stunning. Shot on film, giving it warmth and life, it still has this cool grey almost newsreel type of look to it, only using flashy, vibrant colours where necessary; making them all the more gorgeous.

Scott Speedman plays the title role and he truly shines in the tricky part. He shows off tremendous range as an actor. From the inner frustration and sadness simmering just below the surface, to the eventual angry blow ups, to the fun-loving gentleman-thief dancing around the banks and flirting with tellers; Speedman shows us he is capable of great things.

The supporting cast is outstanding as well and they all play their parts just perfectly in showing off the different faces of Eddie Boyd (big praise to Morlando as well for fleshing out each character so well in the script in order to get deeper into the psyche of our lead character).

The interactions with the fellas in the Boyd gang are so exciting and fun to watch, especially during their prison breaks and bank robberies -- you're placed right in the middle of the action, feeling like the fifth member of their gang. The scenes with Eddie and his wife Doreen, played by Kelly Reilly are beautiful and poignant. Completely in love at first, their relationship becomes strained over the years due to Eddie's lifestyle decisions, despite the love for each other always being there. Brian Cox does a great job playing Eddie's father (a retired police officer), adding a sad tension and insight in their tattered father-son relationship.

Overall, Edwin Boyd is an extremely well-crafted film. Not just for a first-time director, but for any filmmaker; it's solid all the way around. Morlando handles the tricky, ambitious material of a real-life figure with total poise and precision. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll be on the edge of your seat.

Definitely consider checking out this film. I can't wait to see it again.

"Citizen Gangster" from 2011 is an interesting film directed by a first-timer, Nathan Morlando, who also wrote the script. He does an excellent job telling this story.

Set in Canada, Eddie Boyd (Scott Speedman) is a good-looking war hero with a wife (Kelly Reilly) and two children. He's a bus driver, and his wife works as well.

One day, after helping a veteran in a wheelchair onto his bus, Eddie walks away from his job. He heads to Lorne Greene's (yes - the star of Bonanza) acting school seeking film work.

Not having the money for the classes, unable to support his family, and about to lose his home, Eddie decides to become a bank robber. He disguises himself with makeup and successfully robs a number of banks, all the time telling his wife he has acting jobs. He becomes a folk hero and revels in his publicity.

Finally, he is caught and sent to prison. There he meets other inmates Lenny Jackson (Kevin Durand), Willie 'The Clown' Jackson (Brendan Fletcher), and Val Kozak (Joseph Cross) who have a plan to escape, which they do, becoming The Boyd Gang.

Fascinating story, all the more fascinating because it's true. There is actual footage of Loren Greene on the Canadian network's first broadcast talking about the search for Eddie.

Scott Speedman does an excellent job of portraying Eddie - in the beginning, he looks like the '40s-50s actor Guy Madison, very handsome. He definitely captures Eddie's desire for fame and his lack of interest in the consequences on his family, though he claims he's doing it all for them. Well, not really.

Reilly as his long- suffering wife Doreen who can't help but love him is wonderful, as is Brian Cox as Eddie's ex-police officer father, who warned Doreen about his son.

What happens to Eddie later on is amazing - the film covers some of it but by no means all. I suggest the Wikipedia article for some really surprising facts.

A dark film about a post-war dark world. Morlando's first time effort should be applauded.

"Your dreams, you made them ours. I believed you. I didn't think it would be like this Eddie." Eddie Boyd (Speedman) is living day to day as a bus driver trying to provide for his family. When a rider boards his bus one day he rethinks his life. With his house facing foreclosure and barely being able to scrape by he goes to a director in hopes of becoming a movie star. When all else fails he resorts to robbing banks. I knew very little about this going in and was actually surprised when I found out that this was a true story. This movie is very very similar to "Public Enemies" in story and pacing. While this was a good movie that is worth watching it is feels very long and drawn out. Speedman does a pretty good job in this as well as most of the other cast. The only real problem I had with this was the same I had with "Public Enemies". I felt it hard to stay focused on it the entire time and was losing interest off and on. This is not a bad movie but be prepared for it. Overall, as close to a remake of "Public Enemies" you can get. Good, but long. I give it a B-.