Michael Ledo
The film utilizes a jazz background. It gives it a classy noir feel. Our two British robbers Anton (Treva Etienne) and Tyrone (Gary McDonald) drink tea and frequently quote The Bard, testing each others knowledge. The film opens with a stand-off, then flashes back two months earlier. Our 2 bad guys come to Hollywood to rob a man called C-Note (Lennie James). Why they are robbing him is revealed during flashbacks within the flashback.C-Note runs a classy strip club. He has a wife and a mistress (Tina Casciani). The movie is a slow thriller. It contains bits and pieces of humor and drama. I enjoyed the ending.Drug use, F-bomb, sex, nudity (Veronica Alicino?) Oriental school girl up skirt....plus 1 star
Tony Lords
Okay it may have a a Guy Richie pulp fiction feel but remember, Guy Richie got his style from another in England. So because he is high profile doesn't make him original. It's like the Bill Gates rule, I may have not created it but I am good at exploiting it. Now to my review. This is a refreshing change to the gangster movies that my people usually produce because it has dialogue! I get kind of upset when all of the good movies are written by, well you know what I mean. Other than that this movie was done by a visionary that wants to break out of a box but has only certain tools available. I can relate because I'm in a small town in the Midwest and I am from New York. I recommend this movie because you can watch it and get lost in the characters. As for the photo shop stuff, do you know how much time and money is spent on putting together a movie and then the graphics guy wants more than your budget for the whole movie! So if you want to see a movie from a writer and director that is about to stake their claim, check this out. Oh yeah the actors are really good also.
lovecraft231
In case you didn't know, Quentin Tarantino and Guy Richie's movies have had an impact-in particular "Pulp Fiction", "Reservoir Dogs", "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch." That's a good and a bad thing, because while those are all around excellent movies, a series of bad to mediocre movies "inspired" by those films have come around. S#!t, there's practically an industry of movies like this in England. So of course, Lionsgate is going to get in on this-they have in the past-with the movies they release that don't get a theatrical release. So, let's take a look at the latest one, "Mob Rules", which tries to mix both Tarantino and Richie rip-offs.C-Note (Lennie James from "Snatch") has come to America, where he has started his own criminal empire, is married but seeing Chilli (Tina Casciani), and in general is living the high life of cocaine and women. However, two men he screwed out of a lot of money in the past-Tyrone (Gary McDonald) and Anton (Treva Etienne)-are leaving London to come after him.First things first: "Mob Rules" is yet another victim to Lionsgate's "let's give this direct to DVD movie misleading cover art" rule. That's because the cover (which, like many, is a lazy photo shop job) makes it look like a more "urban action movie", when in reality, it's a dialog heavy rip-off/"homage" to the likes of "Snatch" and "Pulp Fiction."That out of the way, this really isn't a terrible movie. The acting is mostly fine (save for Casciani), it has moments of humor that-gasp-are actually funny (don't talk smack about Oprah), and a good eye for location. Hell, writer/director Keith Parmer actually shows a bit of promise IMO. The highlight though, is the Jazzy score and soundtrack by Tree Adams. It's great to hear a composer think outside of the box for a change, and I'd actually like to own the soundtrack.All of that out of the way, this still isn't a particularly good movie. The film of so derivative of the films of Tarantino and Richie (at a few points almost to the point of outright plagiarism) that it ultimately has no real identity. It also tries way too hard to be cool for it's own good, and I'm sorry, but if your a movie, don't try to be cool. Cool is something that just comes naturally. Finally, there's the conclusion, which is your basic "bullet's and bloodshed" finale (complete with imagery stolen from the likes of Chinese action films) that just rings hollow, like the director decided "you know what, let's wrap this up already!" So, is "Mob Rules" worth watching? Well, if you're absolutely dedicated to seeing ever movie "inspired" by the likes of Richie and Tarantino, then you'll have seen a whole lot worse. For everyone else: it has a few positives, but at best, it's worth a Redbox rental.
