Broken Law

Character psych doesn't always appear to track smoothly, feels more like a story than a study and the summation is a touch too moot for me, but the good points counterbalance all this well. Especially for a crowd-funded indie. The point's clear enough, some really good musical choices, solid casting, etc.

I was actually going to pass on this one due to the low rating, but chose to search online for the trailer first (not sure why there isn't one on here) and it looked pretty good. I also clicked on the Rotten Tomatoes link and then decided to give this one a go after seeing real critics have this at 100% fresh. I'm sure glad I did.

So this little B-grade gem is a crowd-funded indie film by newb (only a few short prior films) Irish filmmaker Paddy Slatter, who makes his first full length feature film debut as writer, director and producer. I have to say, the selection of good films during these turbulent times is slim to none, and Slatter sure stepped up with Broken Law. This film was so well put together, I had difficulty finding much negative to critique. For that matter, it was better than some films I've seen lately with Hollywood budgets, A-list actors put together by seasoned filmmakers.

Right from the start, I noticed the great soundtrack and score. The pacing was decent for its 85 min runtime and the suspense flowed constantly and smoothly start to finish. Cinematography and camera shots were on point. The directing seemed it was from a seasoned director. The casting of mainly novice actors I've never heard of was great, and every single actor was convincing in their role. Now the writing... yes, these type of stories have been done before, but this one has some nice "wow" and "umm" moments. I even laughed out loud a bunch of times at the light but just right humor. The story felt very real and the constant twists and suspense had my anxiety levels high the entire film. Being written by a newb filmmaker makes it that much more impressive.

Paddy Slatter deserves high praise and mad respect for wearing many hats and being able to pull off such a little gem. He certainly is an up-and-coming filmmaker to watch out for. It's a well deserved 9/10 from me. To see how I rate films or see more of my 1000+ reviews, click on my account name.

Route Irish

Great Britain has a healthy legacy of what they call Geezer Films - typically main characters are from the wrong side of the tracks. They usually get caught up in some nafarious activity, mostly cast as victims of circumstance rather than shapers of it.

This is from the other side of the river - Ireland. This is as classic a tale as you can get - a geezer flick with 2 brothers on opposite sides of the law, heck could be a Bollywood film.

The direction is tight and the characters flawed so it is watchable - just about.

Theres not much by way of location photography, majority of it indoors and all that.

Still worth your time and a look into how the other half lives beyond the pretty architecture and clean streets.

As an Irish person im well used to seeing Irish movies being overhyped by Irish film industry and press. And this movie isn't an exception. The script and actions / behaviours of the characters in this movie are beyond implausible. Its like it was written be a 12 year old child. Some dramatic scenes really created a high degree of tension indicating what this movie could have been instead of what it is. Bits and pieces hold your attention but lose it with a ridiculous plot.

A very well made movie, not the usual run of the mill story, very relatable and brilliant acting on a 150,000 budget.