Knockaround Guys

Plot synopsis:
Matty Demaret (Barry Pepper) is the son of a mob boss, but he is used as little more than an errand boy. His relative and friend Chris (Andy Davoli) shares this urge to be part of something bigger, and Matty finally convinces his father to give him a job, with the help of his father's right-hand man Teddy (John Malkovich). Matty and Chris get their friend Johnny Marbles (Seth Green) to fly up to retrieve a bag full of money for Matty's father Benny "Chains" Demaret (Dennis Hopper), as there have been mysterious shortages in their money lately.
On the way back with the cash, Marbles stops in a small Montana town to refuel his personal plane. He has been instructed to guard the bag with his life so he takes the bag with him as he goes to pay for the fuel. However, Marbles sees the sheriff & his deputy and is paranoid that they may question him about the bag's contents. Marbles is also in possession of cocaine which he dumps on the runway. He drops the bag amongst a pile of luggage waiting to be loaded onto another flight, and despite telling the cashier to keep the change, the other flight takes off before he can retrieve his bag. Unknown to him, the bag of money was taken by two local teenage pothead skateboarders who work as baggage handlers at the airport.
He calls Matty and tells him the news. Matty, though upset, knows that he must fix the situation quickly and quietly if he ever wants to work for his father. Matty, Chris, and their friend Taylor (Vin Diesel) fly to the small town of Wibaux, Montana to help Marbles search for the missing money.
While in town, Matty and the other guys attract the attention of two local law-enforcement officers (Tom Noonan and Shawn Doyle) who find out about the money and want to keep it for themselves. The mob guys then try to negotiate with the officers to get the money back but are turned away. Matty calls Teddy and Teddy arrives in Wibaux with two other mob henchmen. Chris decides to leave for home and disappears. Marbles hangs around in a bar with the two mob henchmen who secretly hate him, while Taylor and Matty wait in their hotel for word from the Sheriff. After taking him outside in a friendly manner, the two mob men throw Marbles to the ground and ask where Chris is. Marbles, defending his friend, tells them he doesn't know and one of the men shoots him dead and puts his body in a trunk.
Later that night, a deal is arranged for the Sheriff and Deputy to meet Matty and Taylor in a warehouse. When they arrive, the lawmen are planning to kill Matty and the others and keep the money, but Teddy and the two mob men show up when Matty and Taylor do and the entire thing turns into a Mexican standoff. Chris arrives and shoots the Sheriff's cousin who came to help the Sheriff, and Matty and Taylor inquire about Marbles. Chris says that he thought he was with them. Teddy gives a signal to the two henchmen and they all fire on Chris who is killed. The Sheriff and Deputy, in the chaos, shoot the two mob men. Taylor then kills both of the lawmen. As Teddy prepares to shoot Matty, Taylor is shot instead in the arm when about to defend his friend from the bullet. Teddy's gun is out and Matty holds him at gunpoint. Matty says that it is Teddy that has been stealing and causing shortages from his father all along. Teddy tries to reload and shoot Matty claiming that Matty doesn't have the guts to shoot him. Teddy turns around and attempts to shoot Matty but Matty quickly shoots Teddy in the chest several times, killing him. Matty and Taylor get the money and return home. Matty hands the bag of money to his father and quits the family business. Matty and Taylor then drive off as the credits begin to roll.

Tags: murder, flashback

Review:
The story is basic, about a mobsters son (Barry Pepper) who has grown up disparaged by the life of crime his family are involved in, but in his adults days he is unable to get the sort of legit career he wants, as a sports agent, because no-one will hire him for the simple reason that he is related to Dennis Hoppers character.
Matty takes two of his friends over to assist Marbles in getting the money back, and on ensures a tale of deception and murder, with dirty cops, double dealing mobsters, and unwelcoming locals.It's a fairly simple film that is nicely placed and very well acted.
Barry Pepper is very good in the central role as is Vin Diesel as his best friend Taylor, who offers support and advice as well as muscle when it's needed.
John Malkovich and Dennis Hopper are good in their small roles although they are cruising really but it is Tom Noonan who steals the show in a delightfully seedy role as the bent small town sheriff Decker.All in all this is worth a rental, if you're a fan of Diesel like me you'll appreciate his performance in a role that has more depth to it than XXX.
Almost all of my recent reviews have been very negative, but this movie is worth watching if you are a Vin Diesel fan.Summary: Matty is the son of Benny, a mobster and he is as bad as they come.
Vin Diesel was great in this movie as a tough guy Taylor, he played his part perfectly.
His three friends have to come out and help him get the money back and all kinds of problems develop.There is some black humor in here which helps spice up the film, which then turns very serious about halfway through with a few shocking twists near the end.There are two famous veteran actors in here - Dennis Hopper and John Malkovich - and four young ones who becoming better known these days as well: Seth Green, Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper and Andrew Davoli.The only problem I had with the movie is Pepper, who played Roger Maris, the famous baseball player in the film '61." He looks so much like Maris that I can't believe him as anyone else!
Chris Scarpa (Andrew Davoli)who is a sweet talking mob wanna be, and Taylor Reese (Vin Diesel) is the only one is the whole movie who actually looked and acted like a real gangster.
Matty (Barry Pepper), Taylor (Vin Diesel), and Marbles (Seth Green) are the main and interesting ones who end up losing $500,000 of the mob's money and must find the money within 2 days or the mob is in huge trouble.
John Malkovich, even when this guy is acting half as good as he usually does ( like in this movie ) he is still very entertaining.
Born the son of a powerful and fearsome crime boss, wannabe mobster Pepper recruits low-rent pals Diesel, Green, and Davoli to make a routine delivery, impress his old man, then finally go into business with him.
The son (Barry Pepper) of a mobster (Dennis Hopper) and his best friend (Seth Green) lose half a million dollars that they were sent to pick up for Pepper's father.
He does get some nice assistance from Seth Green ("Austin Powers" movies) and Vin Diesel, Tom Noonan, Dennis Hopper and John Malkovich.
I thought Barry Pepper was great as the protagonist of the film and his friends in the movie Vin Diesel, Seth Green, and Andrew Davoli also did a great job.
The only classification I have for it is "fiction." It is a waste of whatever money you spend to see it.On the bright side, Vin Diesel plays an excellent tough-guy in this movie, and John Malkovich is great like always.
A Action/Thriller/Crime/Drama about 4 guys Matty Demaret(Barry Pepper,Saving Private Ryan),Taylor Reese(Vin Diesel,The Fast And The Furious),Johny Marbles(Seth Green,Rat Race),and Chris Scarpa(Andrew Davoli,first movie).Who get a opportunity from a mobster named Benny chains(Dennis Hopper,Speed).The job is they will fly to Canada get some money and bring it back.
But Marbles loses the money and it finds its way into the hands of a sheriff and his deputy.Vin diesel played a guy that didn't really talk a lot his purpose in this movie was to be the big strong bad*** and he did it well he did what he was supposed to do and for that i say he did a good job in this movie.But none of the other actors gave a good performance they didn't give bad performances but they didn't give good ones either.The directing reached the medium but not even close to passing it.The screenplay was what you would expect out of a mobster movie.The storyline could have been better but it was what it was i guess.Best actor/actress-Vin DieselA pretty average movie-Jake HydenI gave this movie a 5 out of 10Rated R for violence, language and some drug use.5/10.
Barry Pepper ("25th Hour") plays Matty, the young man whose father, Benny Chains (Dennis Hopper), is an important figure in a Brooklyn crime family.
The pathos of whether to follow in his father's footsteps isn't as interesting as how the characters try to get the money back, but the film is still pretty good..
Knockaround Guys never goes to achieve much with it's story, and the characters are not terribly important to care about like in past gangster movies (better ones), but it works since it doesn't go for the big-bad rip off and has the feel of a B gangster movie, a decent one.
Some good fun along the way, mainly from performances from Hopper as Pepper's father and Malkovich as another key character, just don't expect Sopranos-type entertainment if you pay for admission.
Knockaround Guys is a crime film about the four sons of the big mobster who have to involve in the serious situation, their father's money.At first, I am "very" very surprised that Vin Diesel received the supporting role as Barry Pepper's "friends" (or actually the bodyguard).
Physically there was an odd resemblance, and personality wise you could feel the tension between them.Malkovich would be good if all he did for two hours was stand on a stage and recite the alphabet, so as the under boss his particular brand of oddity worked well.Whats not to like about Dennis Hopper.Seth Green in some ways was the least believable of the characters, somehow I just couldn't buy him as a pilot.
You have to wonder, given that it was filmed before Vin became famous, but released after, whether they recut the movie to refocus on his role.Despite the shaky character development, there is a useful theme of delayed coming of age, the value of trust, and the risks of wanting to be someone you aren't.Great for fans of Vin, good genre movie..
Likewise, this movie has lots of good pieces - with actors and characters who I quite enjoyed personally, unlike some others here - yet the story never quite gets airborn.
I thought that they did a pretty good job from keeping some scenes away, but even in a fistfight they showed a puddle of blood even though the person is dead.I liked that the movie was easy to follow.
This movie, focusing on four young would-be mobsters (Vin Diesel, Seth Green, Barry "Thank God for '25th Hour' " Pepper, and Andrew Davoli) trying to retrieve half a million dollars from a corrupt Montana sheriff, should be used as merely one public example to show how far American filmmaking has swirled down the toilet.
Vin diesel is in my opinion the best he's ever been as a very tough wannabe gangster who is the best friend of pepper's character Matty & the other actors like seth green & Hopper & Malcovich are all great but it's Barry Pepper who is the main guy & lead here even if it'sreally an ensemble Piece really but pepper gives a powerful performance as a troubled young hood who really doesn't want to be a gangster he wants a normal job & out of that life & away from his mob boss father's shadow (Hopper) & pepper is very serious & intense & shows he's oneof the best actors out there & so underrated & under appreciated but hey I'm a huge fan of his work!!!
They did a great job casting veteran actors like Malkovich and Dennis Hopper to play the crime bosses, but they really blew it when it came to casting their kids.
The premise is a gangster loses money at a small town airport so his three friends travel there to help him find the money so they won't get killed.Barry Pepper is the lead, he plays Matty, I forgot his last name, it's not important, the son of a New York Mafia under boss.
Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Seth Green and Andy Davoli are all the privileged sons of mob bosses and it shows.
This will add elements of comedy in there some cool action by Vin Diesel of course but the storyline is what it fails at it is just such a lame ass ending that you just think wow they really had no clue where they were going with this.The story is about these four wannabe mobsters when I say wannabe they are in the business but the guys higher up see them as lackeys and use them to do small tasks.
Chris Scarpa (Andy Davoli) who is some playboy who just wants more then to run a restaurant, and you got Johnny Marbles (Seth Green) is a recovering addict and just wants to prove he is not a screwup last the big guy Taylor Reese (Vin Diesel) who is actually done with "the life" and can't get out.So the pilot Johnny is to transport a bag of money from point a to b simple but he screws up and loses it which means he will probably die.
John Malkovich plays the role of Barry's uncle and he just is not a good mobster he isn't threatening and doesn't seem like his plans are even thought out.
Acting everyone but John Malkovich was good that is not his fault it was just how his character was.Overall this film is a low rental close to just saying see it on cable but if you rent it you would have some fun.
Unfortunately, they get themselves into more trouble than anyone could imagine in Knockaround guys.My Spiel: Staring Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Seth Green, and Andrew Davoli as the 4 sons.
As I watched this movie I liked Vin Diesel hardass character, and have always been a fan of Barry Pepper from Saving Private Ryan movie.
Though it's obvious that the movie tried to make you like Barry Pepper & Vin Diesel's characters more then any of the others.
It's easy to understand the attraction the mafia does on modern filmmakers' imagination.The representation of that kind of life represents how society hates that.Since the movies were young that kind of life has been portrayed at both sights,like villains or the anti-heroes.But a lot of movies about that make a glamorization of that sad sight of the human existence.So,it's very weird to see the cruelty and consequences of that activity with honesty and on a realistic mode.Knockround guys has a glamorization about that kind of life but it shows honesty,realism and a face very little seen about that kind of life.When Hollywood's big studios try to tell a story like the one which has Knockround guys,it's common to see how the story finishes on a second sight to take importance the famous actors or director that are the opposite the story requires.We have seen that on films like Casino,which are multimillionaire inversions,but they feel very shallow because of Hollywood's intervention.The best movies of that genre are the independent ones.So,Knockround guys is next to other great films of that genre like The yards,The usual suspects or Reservoir dogs,which their low budgets are better used to tell that kind of stories than the multimillionaire inversions the big studios do.Knockround guys is a great movie,totally fun.Barry Pepper is great on his role and he gives humanity to his character.Seth Green is an awesome actor and he does a superb performance here.Vin Diesel makes a great and very controlled performance and I think this is his best performance.Dennis Hopper and John Malkovich are unforgettable.Hopper has an excellent performance and he brings the movie's best dialogs.Malkovich makes his character very realistic.Knockround guys is a great and very fun film.I had a great time watching it..
I mean it has interesting characters played by great actors like Dennis Hopper, John Malkovich, Vin Diesel and finally Seth Green.
I'm usually not a big Vin Diesel fan but I thought he did a very good job as Taylor Reese, I like Seth Green but I woulda liked his character to be a little different, he acted the same as he did in Austin Powers.
Hence, we have Barry Pepper as our main star; a bit conflicted as to what to do with his life, Vin Diesel as his tough guy best friend; Seth Green as the miscast badly-hair dyed screw up; and a fourth guy whose name I can't remember.
`KnockAround Guys' has a lot of action like other classic mob movies.
The money then goes missing, forcing Matty, Taylor, et al, to try to find the money before Benny and Teddy find out.The best performances in this movie are by John Malkovich who, as always, brings a mixture of menace, sensuality and humour to the role, and Vin Diesel, as a surprisingly sensitive hard man.
The four sons (Vin Diesel, Seth Green, Barry Pepper, and Andrew Davoli) of Brooklyn mobsters bond together to reclaim a quarter of a million dollars lost in a small Montana town run by a crooked sheriff (Tom Noonan).
Of the younger actors, Canadian Barry Pepper shows his chops as the conflicted Matty, while Vin Diesel oozes charisma, but by the film's closing scenes you wish that these talented actors had more of a script to work with..
Surprisingly good, certainly not the best movie ever but well worth your time, especially compared to everything else Vin Diesel's starred in.He wasn't the main guy in this, though.
I have become a fan of Barry Pepper, Seth Green and Vin Diesel over the last few years.
Most people would assume this movie would have tons of action, simply being it's a mobster movie, with Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper and Dennis Hopper involved.
If you are looking for a mob/gangster drama with little action and great acting, character development and an actual plot, then I recommend this movie for you.
Berry Pepper and Seth Green did wonderful jobs, and I was surprised Vinny didn't have a huger part like the rest of his movies but he still did excellent.
The film starts a bit slow and is pretty talkative, but when the guys arrive in Wibaux, Montana, it gets better.Barry Pepper, whom I had only seen before as the sniper in Saving Private Ryan, gives a great performance as Matty.
My friend said he heard that they played a gay couple in the movie (he hadn't seen it), and honestly, it sort of comes across that way (they actually play brothers-in-law).So, in summary, this is a pretty fun little movie that will probably be forgotten and then seem really cool to a kid going through the DVD racks 20 years from now ("Wow, Barry Pepper and Vin Diesel did a movie together?
Pepper turns to John Malkovich (Uncle Teddy), who is his father right-hand man, to convince his father that his crew (Vin Diesel, Seth Green, Andrew Davoli) can handle and important job of picking up a bag of money in another state and bring back to Hopper.
Pepper and his crew are force to retrieve the money before the Mafia kills his father.The movie `Knockaround Guys' shows how hard it is to live a legitimate life, if you are the son of mobster.Although the cast members were average, I thought Vin Diesel's character is one worth mentioning.
In fact, the studio probably couldn't push a movie with just Pepper as the star, so since supporting actor Vin Diesel has become a huge star since the filming of this one the marketing machine has decided it was about time to see if the Guys are worth anything after all.
Tom Noonan, Andrew Davoli, and (surprisingly) Seth Green provide good support, but the always-solid Dennis Hopper and John Malkovich round out the impressive cast and give the movie its true thespian cred.
It was, however, much worth it to see Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, John Malcovich, Seth Green, and Dennis Hopper all in the same movie, all in fine form.
i loved watching barry pepper as the main character (finally) and i liked watching great actor john malkovich with a ny accent (but it sounded weird - and i noticed his ears move a lot when he talks).....but i was entertained throughout this entire movie.
i'll admit, BARRY PEPPER, seth green and john malkovich were the reasons i went to see this movie, but it was still entertaining.
Vin Diesel(who, in my opinion is not at all a good actor) did a fairly good job as a tough-man(surprise!) friend of Pepper's character.
Barry Pepper and Vin Diesel did an excellent job in this film.
Barry Pepper has the best performance of them all playing the son, Matty, of crime boss Benny Chains(Dennis Hopper) who is told is not cut out for the mobster life while he cant get any legitimate jobs because of his father's chosen profession.
I love Barry Pepper and I think Vin Diesel is hot so when I found out that they would be together in a film again I knew I had to see it!
Barry Pepper, Seth Green, Dennis Hopper, John Malcovich and (Dare I say it) Vin Diesel.
Barry Pepper is a good, underrated actor and I liked his role in this movie.