Rating 15
Length 1h36
Release 01.11.2002
Director John Bradshaw (Story by Mark Thomas)
About English con men Pete (Neil Morrissey) and Andy (Adrian Dunbar) think they’ve stumbled onto a brilliant scam when, in a Chicago hotel, they’re mistaken for a pair of assassins — Terry (Donnie Wahlberg) and Tommy (Michael Rapaport) — and receive payment for a job they have no intention of completing: the murder of major mobster Cutler (Pete Postlethwaite). As Pete and Andy decide what to do with their ill-gotten gains, Terry and Tommy scour the hotel for the money they’ve been promised.
Moon: no moon
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Trailer:
The Good
- This film might be set in Chicago, but it is as British as you get. The humour, the cheek and the insanity that progresses this 90 minute film is something only a Brit would create.
- Honestly, it’s quite fun seeing Neil Morrissey in a film. I’m glad he gives a much more balanced performance than his ‘lad’ persona in Men Behaving Badly, but still not the serious and miserable gits he’s been playing recently. Equally, it’s brilliant to see a young Ted Hastings get as much screen-time as he does. He’s the ideal ying, to Morrissey’s yang.
- Playing the *real* assassins are Michael Rapaport and Donnie Wahlberg. The more I see of Donnie, the more I feel bad about calling him the ‘Wish Wahlberg’. Sort of. But in all seriousness, another solid performance from both.
- This has a squint a bit, and it looks like Big Business to it. It could have leaned a little more into that and really played on the mistaken identity part, rather than the ‘how far can we go until we’re caught’. But to quote another similar film ‘nobody’s perfect’.
The Bad
- The plot is so-so. The romance between Terry and Emma feels a tad too forced and the idea that the actual assassins would miss the suitcase that was all but dropped on their foot is a little frustrating.
The Ugly
- There is nowhere near enough Pete Postlewaite, and he certainly doesn’t look like he’s having a good time. This was his Alan Rickman/ Sheriff of Nottingham moment, and it just falls flat.
- What the fuck was Amanda Plummer’s accent?! Just make the broad American and have done with it. She’s a brilliant actor, even in this she’s the best thing about the film. But, my god she switches accents mid sentence and it drives me crazy. One moment she’s *attempting* an Irish accent, before it dips into a weird Yorkshire lilt.
Final Thoughts
This is a perfect random watch for any fans of Line of Duty. It’s not going to be a film that you’ll come back to often, but for anyone who wants Gangster-lite it’s spot on.
The Queens of Geekdom 