chloe_miller3

I thought I was going to get another boring, testosterone fuel gangster movie with pointless fights, silly shootouts and lots of cockney rhyming slang.

What I got was a film with a lot more heart than that.

Sure its not perfect, but on the budget it was never going to be, but the heavy focus on story and character was refreshing.

Some really nice performances across the board made film enjoyable.

The main cast was fantastic in most scenes, giving grounded performances that were nuanced rather than over the top.

CHRIS BELL was likable and believable for the most part as the reformed gangster seeking revenge and ABBIE STEEL created a character that you genuinely felt for as the story progressed.

MEGAN LOCKHURTS was brilliant and had more than a Few surprises up her sleeve.

Yes the camera work is dodgy every now and then and yes it doesn't look high budget but its a film made with obvious passion and the desire to re invigorate a genre that's been too samey for far too long.

Excellent film from the get go! Filled with interesting characters and meaning behind it. Dan Burman is flawless as the loner Matt. I can't recommend this feature film enough! Loads of great cast members involved and packed with drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat! Soundtrack was moving (by the talented Asche & Spencer) and the cinematography was great to follow. Nothing jarring about it! Quite a long film though. Heard there was meant to be a 3 hour director's cut 😳 so I'm glad it's this version! Great work from the TV Bandits crew for pulling off such a great film. Well done to everybody!

I knew going in that it was a no-budget indie effort and set my expectations accordingly. I think that's the key to enjoying any movie like this. Jennifer Runyon, niece-in-law of Roger Corman and star of another cult Christmas horror classic To All a Goodnight is in this and elevates it some with her presence. There are a lot of flashbacks to the first movie (maybe a few too many) but I like the way they are all sepia toned instead of just the actual flashback from the original movie itself...which I guess would be a flashback within a flashback?

Anyway, I really thought the crew did a great job of making this come together and the passion behind it really shows. That's what I love most about these movies. The Black Peter santa mask was also pretty creepy and there's a couple of lovely homemade gore scenes. Probably would have rated higher if there had been a little less flashback stuff, but I'm still happy there's a sequel and will absolutely watch it again this holiday season!