Perrier's Bounty

Perrier's Bounty is a gangster flick packed full of fantastic actors like Jim Broadbent . Brendan Gleeson and Cillian Murphy so why has nobody heard of it? I'm not totally sure why this passed everyone by when it was released in May because it's a pretty decent film. It has plenty of action , it full of humour and Broadbent and Gleeson are on top of their game. The only criticism i can really give it is that the story is uninspiring. It's as if the director got the best actors around yet forgot about the plot. It can be compared to the likes of Lock, Stock and two smoking Barrels but without the cutting edge. Despite this I'm sure most people will enjoy it , that's if anybody can get hold of it!

An Irish gangster crime comedy. Well, Irish, gangster and crime are all accurate but whether it's a comedy, drama or thriller that's up to you to decide. Perrier (Brendan Gleeson) has a bounty for the head of Michael (Cillian Murphy). Poor lad, he owes money to some local thugs.

With the help of his beautiful, slightly crazy and suicidal neighbour Brenda (Jodie Whittaker), they accidentally kill a thug, and then with the encouragement of his might-be-dying father (Jim Broadbent), they go on a crime spree.

It's a comedy of errors where the errors lead to many murders, some accidental but some because there's nothing better to do. It's violent for the sake of being violent with a few uneasy laughs. Add Gabriel Byrne as the voice of the narrator/The Reaper expounding on the philosophical virtues of life, death and the ocean, just to make the film more well-rounded. I'm assuming that's the purpose, and also that the contradiction between philosophy and gangster crime is supposed to be hilarious.

"Perrier's Bounty" could be a brilliant fusion of all genres into a gangster crime film. But it's missing some vital cohesiveness and substance to make this more than a weirdly funny, violent crime spree through an Irish night. Which isn't all that bad, but it's no "In Bruges".

This film is about a man who owes gangster money. He causes the death of a debt collector, therefore the gangsters issue a bounty on him.

"Perrier's Bounty" may sound like a good idea, but it is poorly executed. The characters are cardboard cut-outs that have no chemistry with each other. I frankly do not care about any of the characters at all, so watching them run around for 80 minutes is not so much fun.

The plot is plainly told in a mundane way. Imagine the dullest speaker telling a story with a hypnotic voice, that's how "Perrier's Bounty" tells a story. There are desperate attempts at humour, but they fall completely flat. The frequent use of 'man' is so unnecessary and is so irritating. The filmmakers try to make the film artistic and atmospheric. I admit the cinematography and scene composition is often good, but that does not enhance the enjoyment factor of a crime thriller. "Perrier's Bounty" is so dull and irritating, please do not watch it.

Apart from a very strong cast, this also has some very fine moments throughout. Like a french phrase that gets repeated. Offbeat things like that make this movie stand out from some other movies who try hard to be distinguishable. But in the end, there are quite a few things, that don't quite work in it's favor.

While the story as it is, is told pretty fast (so that you can't think too much about some logical errors/plot holes I guess), sometimes you'd want some time for the characters to breathe. Especially the things the female lead goes through in a short amount of time, are very improbable, not to mention her emotional journey, which is just a bit too rushed. Still lovable, but with an ending, that though planted, feels a bit off in a wrong way.

Once again a much hyped up Irish movie with an excellent cast is wasted by a disjointed shabby storyline which goes nowhere. It's one of those that you want to be good but only keeps your interest by some good acting by the leading men, especially Gleeson who was badly under used but was brilliant. Jim Broadbent with an Irish accent... I don't think so & why the hell is everyone in the movie using the word MAN at the end of every sentence. I have lived in Dublin a long time & that word in that context can only be associated with junkies. Yet it's an everyday word used by the majority of people in this movie (I was expecting the dogs to bark out the words MAN!). Plot holes too were everywhere, especially regarding the police... where were they? One of their cars is stolen & the thieves are able to drive around at their leisure... what about the two helicopters they have? Shootouts everywhere & no police. The overall storyline went round in circles & when it was over it was a relief & a huge disappointment! Come on MAN... Make better movies MAN!