Three East End mobsters exist by, 'dealing' with anyone not coughing up. One of them has found out he's a father and wants out. When the boss finds out and 'gives the order', the two dupes take the doting dad out for one last shindig before they literally take him out.
by Paul Merrill |
Published on
Release Date:
28 Feb 1997
Running Time:
87 minutes
Certificate:
18
Original Title:
Hard Men
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but Quentin Tarantino would quake with embarrassment if he ever had the misfortune to see this shoddy bastardisation of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. No doubt writer/ director Amalou will hope nobody notices but, scene-by-scene, it becomes more and more obvious exactly where the inspiration came from.
The one-dimensional caricatures trudge their way through an uninspired plot with precious little chance to get under anyone's skin or work out if Amalou has anything to say about honour among thieves, loyalty or betrayal. There are plenty of gratuitous killings which certainly shock, but they are never stylishly achieved and soon become tedious among a mire of dodgy acting and schlock horror.
If half the budget hadn't been spent on buckets of fake blood, there may have been scope to butcher the script into something which adds to the much-aped Tarantino style rather than just half-heartedly anglicising it.
Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us
