Dire wannabe Tarantino/Ritchie rubbish

Rating: 1/10 (3 March 2006)

Please don't watch this film - its terrible! Doubtless, the very simple-minded will love this "thriller" which all begins to unravel when a horse ridiculously pulls up for no apparent reason in a race-flashback sequence. When we're introduced to Hartnetts character the film thinks its a smart-ass goofball comedy, but tries to switch into a serious Guy Ritchie style caper with the most ridiculous plot twists and turns you could imagine. By the time they're revealed you'll have stopped caring anyway. Stupid boring dialogue, unfunny gags, so much borderline plagiarism it's ridiculous. It's a relief that some influential critics from some esteemed organizations (BBC, The Guardian etc.) have highlighted how weak this film is.
Now allow me to elaborate on my 'wannabe Tarantino/Ritchie' and 'borderlne plagiarism' comments with some examples; the business of the watch passed from father to son (Pulp Fiction), the inconsequential dialogue referencing other films (Pulp Fiction), the James Bond dialogue and Connery impersonations (Trainspotting), the casting of Bruce Willis and Robert Forster (Pulp Fiction & Jackie Brown), Willis shoots with handguns in both hands (Reservoir Dogs), the comic pairs of hit men (Pulp Fiction, Snatch, Lock Stock...), victims shot through a car windscreen (Reservoir Dogs). I could go on. Its a fair point that even Tarantino borrows from other films but not as clumsily as in this case. Director McGuigan and writer Smilovic should be banned from making movies forever. So much about this film that makes no sense at all. It really is utter nonsense. The amount of rubbish they try to make you believe is insulting. If you'd like to see a more intelligent crime piece, many TV channels show Scooby-Doo re-runs. I wasted 2 hours of my life watching this but now I can save others. You can too. Spread the word.