10 Cent Pistol

This movie starts with a portion of the end story, then leads the viewer through different scenes backward in time. Very well crafted plot lines with an ugly undertone of violence lurking throughout. Good acting and an unexpected climax. While I viewed this film at home, I would not have been at all disappointed to have paid for a theater ticket. A main concept consists of the conflict sex and money, greed and violence bring to friendship. How these factors interplay over time is the core interest that make this story interesting on several levels. Don't worry if you get confused during the film, it will all come together. For a first time director, any director, the composition is slick. Watch closely and you can see how the "kitchen shot" changes from expensive and modern in the future, to old and blue collar earlier in time. Well done!

10 Cent Pistol is street slang for drugs laced with poison. It is also the title of another poor attempt to be a Tarantino type film and hides its flimsy story on a scrambled narrative which just makes the film appear confusing.

Two hoodlum brothers along with an aspiring actress get together and raid the mansion belonging to a gangster called Punchy (Joe Mantegna) who absconded with some government bonds and now they target his grown up son, Harris. The film opens with two cops investigating a silent alarm as a nervous Harris opens the door.

We then have flashbacks as to how these people got here including violent shootouts, double crosses as well as triple crosses. The film has to rely on heavy narration to make any sense.

I like movies "about criminals". Sorry. But they can be sort of fun a times. I know that crime is no fun, but watching a cool main character shooting, chasing, getting away, and then bringing them lawless criminals to justice is plain cool. But this flick was probably the worst one of them all for the following reasons: 1) The story line jumps all over the place and you quickly lose it BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHY IT HAS TO SHIFT LIKE THIS. 2) The sorry-mess producers of this useless flick appear to be suffering from a sort of an anti-Russian psychosis, since almost all of the movie's characters keep pointlessly complaining that "Russians can't shoot", "Russians can't aim", "Russians never won any wars", "Russian guns don't fire", etc. Evidently, anyone who is even partially in his right mind knows that this B$ carries no real sense. None. Whatsoever. If you don't think so, then go watch something about training 'them dragons or something. And grow up if you can. Thank you. Obviously, everyone who knows anything loves the Russian-made firearms. Everyone who deals with serious stuff knows that 'them Russians can shoot. And anyone who ever had even half of a real education knows that 'them Russians won some wars here and there. Duh. It's just this movie seems so Russian-hating that it starts to seriously stink of someone's personal issue.

Like, if one of the producers got refused by a dozen of Russian and then by a hundred of Ukrainian girls (who are also primarily really good looking), then he got all personally psychotic about being refused by all of them hot girls and decided to make this nasty movie. Get help you, there! It's for your own good. Anyways, this is one annoying, pointless flick, and I would give it "-100" points if I could.

How to describe this movie? Lots of set-ups and flash backs, a lot of characters to keep in mind, but a very focused plot. This was a fun and entertaining movie with very good performances from the cast. Frankly, I'm mystified by the negative comments and I'm wondering if they watched all the movie.

Director/writer: Michael C. Martin, did a wonderful job keeping the tension and mystery consistent throughout the story. Just when I thought I knew the next 'event' to happen I was given a twist in the action and the relationship between the two main characters, Jake & Easton becomes a story in itself. Both have a reason to go after a wealthy L.A. resident, Punchy, because of a trick he played on them years earlier that put Easton in jail and made Punchy wealthier. That is the main thread in this story!

How they get back at Punchy is a finely woven story with numerous characters and situations that must be carried out correctly or all will go wrong. Then there's the relationship between Jake & Easton, it hints at being more than just good friends. There's something very emotional going on between them and the viewers are left to decide for themselves what this is because in one scene there is a look of anger and jealously on Jake when Easton is doing something. (i'm not telling)

And then there's Danneel! The girl between Jake & Easton. Just what is she all about? A want to be actress or a girl who happens to see a golden opportunity? Then the Russian mob in the background. To keep all this clear is part of the charm of this movie as it demands your attention and at the end the payoff is worth it.

The acting is fine, story is convoluted, the flashbacks, narration and backstabbing make for a movie that forces you to pay attention, but is not strong enough to hold it. Truthfully I would give this a 4.5. Still, If you have nothing better, it's ok.