leerichards_reviews

'Conversations With Dead Men' is a look behind the scenes at the making of UK low budget action film 'Ten Dead Men'.

The best way to describe the film is a mix between 'Overnight' (the making of 'Boondock Saints') and Full Title Boogie ('From Dusk Till Dawn') and much like those other films, Conversations is a brutal, honest and compelling documentary. A real must see for any aspiring independent film makers out there looking to undertake a film for very little money...

Films stars such as Lee Latchford-Evans, Doug Bradley, Brendan Carr all make appearances as do the films production team.

If you are interested in how films get made or are a filmmaker yourself this is must see territory.

So before Reservoir Dogs came Boyz Gone Bad. Well not quiet but the two films, made a few years apart, do share more than a few similarities.

This is the first major film from UK action team Ross Boyask & Phil Hobden. Low on budget but high on atmosphere and balls this film is one of the reasons I love the UK movie scene.

Independent through and through this film takes you to a dark place that makes you believe that there is talent out there other that the foppy haired moppets at Working Title's Cutis factory.

And whilst it ends up as a Reservoir Dogs homage, the film has enough strength in performance and direction to stand on its own.

Special note to the car park scene which is superbly shot using hand held free form camera, brilliantly moody and darkly themed… this is one of those special moments that can help define a career.

The cast is uniformly excellent but special kudos goes out to Glenn Salvage. Salvage is deeply menacing as the lead bad guy, a psychotic gangster with a gun who leads the group down a dark path of death and self destruction. He is most defiantly someone I wouldn't want to end up meeting in a dark alleyway.

If you can find this film (and it's not easy…) it's well worth a look.