Get Lucky

Saw this film at AFM earlier this year and really enjoyed it. A great British cast, a cracking plot and some twists and turns that I never saw coming. The humor, standard of acting, camera work and soundtrack (which was wicked!) elevate this movie far above many 'Brit Flicks' of it's kind. It also had a very cool, film noir, 1940's vibe which was refreshing. All the women were in dresses and the guys were in suits and ties. Reminded me a little of The Untouchables which actually got a mention in the film so it clearly wasn't just a coincidence!

Two thumbs up and a special mention to TJ Ramini who wrote it and starred. Terrific performance and a compelling script.

...... In an indecipherable story!

When this movie started with a 'joke' opening I should have taken the hint and given up on it right away. But no, I decided to stick with it and after twenty or thirty minutes into the story I was lost on it's plot as I just couldn't understand what they were saying. Maybe I could understand every third or fourth word at best.

I know the actors are speaking English but the movie needs subtitles for the rest of the English speaking world. The British may be able to understand this low-end speaking but I could not. There was recently a television show here in the US titled "Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo" and English subtitles were used because the family in this 'reality' show were so low on the education scale the producers realized the viewing public outside of Georgia would need it.

So get lucky and find a Brit to see this flick with you and you might be able to make sense of it.

I urge you not to waste your valuable time or money on this tripe. None of the characters made any sense - they were neither funny nor frightening. The storyline was laughable and also made no sense whatsoever! I can only imagine the reviews that say they liked it here were friends or relatives of those that made the film. I would give this zero stars but IMDb doesn't allow for it. The music was rubbish, the action so badly filmed, the attempts at comedy creaked so loudly I could hardly hear the rest of the dialogue over it. In fact, I'm not really sure why I'm wasting time writing this when I've already wasted 90 minutes watching the film. Sad, sad, sad, bad, bad, bad.

There are quite a few movies out there who emulate the same kind of formula. So behind the betrayals and double stabbings or plot twists, there is a shallow shell waiting to be opened. But as it is with those things, nothing good waits inside of it. Actually it's almost better not to watch at all.

That's not to say this does not have its fair share of moments (the relationship between two bouncers/hit men is pretty neat and probably the best thing) or the fact that the actors are really trying and almost succeeding in conveying their emotions. But in the end you just won't care for anyone or anything that is coming at you ... literally.

From the opening scene you know you're in for a rough ride. It's the acting. I could deal with the tired and worn plot, or the multitude of London gangster clichés, but having every line delivered like the actor or actress is hyper aware of the camera is just too much to watch.

I can only assume the multitude of 5 star reviews on Amazon have been written by people connected to the film (either that or very easily pleased!). 5 star reviews should be reserved for films which are going to stand the test of time. This doesn't even come close to a film that will last. If you can make it through the first fifteen minutes then you're doing well! For a London film, don't expect too many Londoners - the main character is a posh boy who looks about fifteen years old, but just happens to be a criminal mastermind when he gathers a gang of out of work actors (or London wideboys - one of the two) to pull off a heist to pay off someone for something. It really doesn't matter. You won't care.

This is the definition of 'low budget.' There's nothing here you haven't seen before, the only problem is you've seen it all soooo much better. Save yourself an hour and a half and just put Lock Stock on again. Even if you spot this in the 'bargain basket' DVD section in some motorway service station and it's going cheap, don't bother. Buy a packet of Fruit Pastels instead - they're more enjoyable.