Luck of the Draw

I took a gamble by renting this one DVD - it certainly had potential, with the good storyline and great actors (Madsen, Hopper).

After 15 minutes however, things really went downhill and it became obvious that this is a total Tarantino ripp-off. The story is very similar to True Romance and the music reminded me of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction - except that these weren't the original tracks from the 70s :)

It's really a b-grade ganster movie with none of the subtle filming or dialogue we get in Tarantino's movies.

4/10

Developed a bad habit of checking these reviews before watching a new flick. Glad I didnt get suckered in by the bad press. Strong cast carries the story. I mean, how can you go wrong with Hopper/Madsen/Ice- T/Roberts/Forsythe et.al. And if you think these guys are miscast you're missing the humor. Eric Roberts is hilarious as an obvious southern transplant that leans heavily on his best guinie accent when he tries to be menacing. And Sasha Mitchell from the old "Dallas" clan is hysterical as a hulking moronic bonebreaker. You gotta believe that Ice-T's not acting when he threatens to go to work on a couple of the boys with a "blowtorch and vice-grips." I loved it. OK, this film begs for an alternate ending but otherwise a fun ride. Doesnt deserve the criticism 8/10.

This film truly had a great line up of actors, sadly that did not make up for the fact that this film is a big bomb. once again I watched this film purely for the actors involved, Michael Madsen, Eric Roberts, Dennis Hopper and so on, the only reason I finnished watching this film was because of those brilliant actors.

I hope to see those actors in many more movie's yet to came.

4 out of 10.

Good entertainment! The script must have been written in one week or so. They probably only had money to hire Madsen and Hopper for a couple of days. The romance line is pretty weak. We don't get to know who the brute is. Hopper is changing his accent midway in the movie. The shoot-out is just plain boring. Plus that Sweeney fellow had the facial expressions of a well groomed hipster but... I liked it! Hopper and foremost Roberts are not taking their acting real seriously, and it shows, but they seem to be having a good time. My opinion: enjoy this film but don't take it to seriously. In other words: don't see this movie without alcohol.

Luck Of The Draw is one of a zillion straight to DVD, second tier crime thrillers that aren't about all that much besides a gaggle of cops, criminals and whackos all chasing some elusive valuable property, in this case some counterfeit money printing plates. What makes this one stand out is its unbelievable cast if heavy hitting tough guy actors, all subtly sending up their own image with some wily antics and breezy, cheerfully violent fun. Twin Peak's James Marshall plays "", an ex con kid looking to go straight. But of course the movie has other plans for him and soon he's caught up in a heated collision course involving several unsavory characters. Volatile mafioso Gionti Ponti (Dennis Hopper on the ham train to scenery chewing city) lost the plates in a messy robbery/heist. Eric Roberts is a hoot as his enforcer Carlo, his dumbfounded reaction to being shot for the first time is priceless. Dogged federal agent Max Fenton (an amped up, excellent William Forsythe) has a shady agenda of his own. Ice T shows up with his usual laughable sneer as a grouchy boxer. ""'s only friend in this mess is a perpetually hungover Michael Madsen as Zippo, the archetypal S&M porn producer with a heart of gold. Patrick Kilpatrick wanders around in a turn of pure comedic gold as a calm, cool Irish contract killer who, after seeing the film like five times, I'm still not sure who works for. It all snowballs together into a mish- mash, Reservoir Dogs style confrontation, but but the journey getting there is half the fun with this one. You could get this cast together for a game of lawn bowling or a live read of an ikea instruction manual and it would still be a great time. Fun bit of trivia: Mickey Rourke was originally cast in Madsen's role, but walked off the set in a huff because (get this), the producers wouldn't let him hold his chihuahua during the filming of his scenes. Classic Mick. Anyway, this one's worth a gander, if you can wrangle up a copy from some obscure corner of the universe.