Un jour en tant que lion

This felt like a cross between a high-school drama class production, and a vanity project for writer and lead actor Scott Caan to have his shirt unbuttoned or off wearing only underwear as much as possible. The writing, and especially the dialogue, was borderline infantile, and I'd say at least 80% of it was nonsense filler. There were only a few hits at humor, but it was mostly misses. The story did have some heart to it, but it was down-played and overshadowed by a lot of nonsense. Even Caan naming his character Jackie Powers was borderline cringe. Grillo's and Simmons' talents were underutilized and they both deserve to be in better films. Although they were the draw to this film, Marianne Rendon as Lola shined the most, and stole every scene. She was the only reason I even finished the film, because her character and performance were outstanding, and the reason I'm being generous with my 6/10. Swab's directing was decent given the flaccid script he had to work with, but with a more experienced screenwriter, this film could've been great.

The good: solid direction, great acting performances and a lovely, quirky story, with likeable characters and true to life dialiogue. I would have setttled for less!

I love these kind of quirky gangster comedies. It's been awhile since I have seen a good one and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start till finish.

It's not a Quentin Tarantino wannabe, but it has got the same reverance for the characters as is the case in all of the Tarantino movies (or in any great gangster movie for that matter). Because in every great gangster movie (comedy or dramatic) one needs true to life characters, whom I can sympathize with.

And the characters in this movie are to die for! However "gangsta" the characters all might seem to be on the outside, they all have a gentle, loving heart (hilarious, but true) and they all would f8*k up boiling an egg if it comes to being a real gangsta.

The story: Scott Caan plays a total f8*k up moron "gangster", who messes up the only hit job he has to execute.

Now he is on the run for his crime boss who wants to kill him, providing for some absurd and very witty situations, involving a man on a horse, a fake marriage, a son in jail whom he wants to rescue and a few fist fights...

Recommended for those fans of this comedy gangster genre, who love offbeat characters and quirky dialogues.

Aside from a couple Swab trademarks and easter eggs (eg; chocolate bar with a Candy Land wrapper), it didn't really feel like Swab to me. Seemed a bit misguided and going nowhere. The script is a weak point, nothing daring, and the plot fairly nonsensical. Some of the acting was pretty good by the big names, and it was shot pretty well, but I didn't personally care for the pretentious nonthingness that made up the script. Swab is a bit of an acquired taste, and he has done several better films than this one. Big name bit parts aside, Marianne Rendon was a standout performer here, even with this script.

The headline names made me watch this one, and though it started out with a reasonably interesting premise, It became clear that the poor script and weak plot were not going to do anything remotely passable for anything entertaining.

It doesn't really go anywhere, and nothing much is done with the off-beat concept that's brandished in the beginning.

The story is very weak and I'm only surprised more wasn't done to wrest if from the vestiges of what can barely be considered mediocrity. By this I mean, there is nothing interesting about what happens nor does the story attempt to engage in anything which could be considered remotely interesting.

The script is "Meh" Here we have people engaged in what I often call 'Hollywood talk' where they speak to each other in sentences and style that we only ever see in movies, but doesn't amount to a hill of beans or bare any resemblance to verbal exchanges in real life.

The unfortunate consequences of the poor story and script mean there is nothing substantial to latch on to here, and despite the direction and performances being first rate (for the most part) they can't instil any excitement into what unfolds on screen.

This is one of those movies I would categorize as - A bunch of stuff happens then the movie ends - but nothing therein makes it an enjoyable entertainment piece.

It's not terrible, but its more something I'd have on in the background while training in my home gym or cooking in the kitchen. Definitely not something to sit down on the sofa and indulge in with a tub of popcorn and good company.

I think 3/10 is a fair score, maybe 4/10 at a push.

Jackie Powers (Scott Caan) is pushed into a hit on Walter Boggs (J. K. Simmons). He misses badly and kills the cook instead. He takes waitress Lola Brisky (Marianne Rendón) who is the only witness. His son is stuck in jail.

Scott Caan is trying his hand at writing. It's a bit of hit-and-miss. This one is trying to be a sly crime drama. The studio declares this to be an homage to Tarantino and the Coen brothers. That may indeed be the target, but it falls short. The dialogue and the flow need more work. It's a little rough. I do like these actors, even Frank Grillo, but they do struggle with the script.