Customer Reviews

The Bannen Way

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This movie was slick like oceans 11 but gritty like rock n rolla or Snatch. Neal Bannen smoothy gets out of trouble all most everytime and when he doesn't, he gets smacked up. This film has fight club quality scenes in it mixed with a slickness of Oceans 11 and Snatch that you're not gonna wanna miss. Did I mention Vanessa Marcil is in it? A must watch.

granted, the hot babe often steals the show in slick heist films. in this case, vanessa marcil does so with more than just her smokin' hot looks. she's simply just so watchable. the audience identifies with her. i noticed i kept waiting for her to appear on screen.

mark gantt has written a decent story, but vanessa marcil's character of madison brings it to life. i found mr. gantt to be the downer of the film. he's a bit too pretentious and cliched. i don't really buy him as the hero; his look isn't right and his acting is mediocre. however, he and co-star marcil have massive chemistry, but then again marcil has chemistry with every co-star. it's her talent.

some of the supporting case is excellent, but the "bimbo types" are not. so casting is hit 'n miss.

overall, a very impressive web film. high production value making it a genre-leader in the web category.

finally, an earlier reviewer remarked that ms. marcil was not right for the role and that she shines instead in romantic and comedic roles. i don't agree with the former part, but latter part -- absolutely! her role in tv hit 'las vegas' was hilarious! i've thought many times she'd be the ideal lead in a romantic comedy. someone hire vanessa marcil for such a lead role because she's got the full package of sweet AND sexy looks, chemistry with all her co-stars, and talent as both a dramatic and comedic actress!

Jesse Warren and Mark Gantt put together a stylized action movie with tons of intrigue and fun! This film will always mark the start of big budget production on the web. The supporting cast alone is worth the price of admission! Look forward to seeing more from this awesome team!

This is just so derivative of Snatch and Lock Stock that it's silly. The angles, quick cuts, ff, etc etc etc. But Guy's deft feel for all of that plus clever dialogue is missing, and the acting is hit and miss. It seemed kinda low budget and reading here that it was an online series is little surprise. Gotta love how they avoid mentioning that on the box and selling this as a movie; say no more. Vanessa Marcil is easy on the eyes, and Mark Gantt is occasionally amusing, but in general this feels like a cable tv series that's trying too hard to be hip. And Gantt as irresistible to all hot women? If they like cheeeeseballs, maybe...

All in all I'd say watch Ritchie's best for the tenth time, or even some other more skillful imitator, before you consider putting this on. But if you're addicted to GR and don't mind a crass imitation, then here you go.

Ever since PULP FICTION, crime thrillers have been increasingly self-referential, self-aware, and pretentious. But whereas PULP FICTION was original, the style has become tired.

This film is more of the same.

Lots of self-deprecating, cynical, voice-overs from an anti-hero criminal. And as in THE PERFECT SLEEP, this film is soooo self-aware. When the anti-hero tells us something that happened in the past, the film fast-reverses -- we even see videotape glitches as the film is run in reverse.

The hero tells us about a shooting, then says, "Wait, go back." And everyone fast-walks backwards. "Let me fill you in on what happened before that..." he says.

And as in THE SHOOTING GALLERY, when he tells us his many rules to being a criminal, the rules scroll across the screen so we can read what he's telling us.

The film also uses every other cinematic device, to the point of annoyance. "See how many tricks I have in my bag?" the director must be thinking.

And it's full of clichés, including three ridiculously cartoonish lady assassins (as in KILL BILL). But the film is so self-aware, when the anti-hero meets up with them, the scene stops, so we can hear his voice-over say, "You know, until that very moment, I thought they were an urban legend."

Vanessa Marcil is sexy and sweet, but her acting is poor in this film. She can't handle hard-ass criminals. She's too sweet, so that we can't believe she'd pull the trigger.

Marcil is much better playing romantic characters (e.g., THE NANNY EXPRESS). I've also long thought that she has strong comedic talents; her characters sometime hint at a Lucille Ball quality (.e.g., THE ROCK). But for some reason, she's not cast in comedic roles.

She's miscast here, and the film is overall annoying.