Customer Reviews

The Business

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

 

 

Once again Nick Love hires on one of his favorite actors, Danny Dyer, to boost this old war horse of an idea. Some might say this is "Scarface" meets "Blow" and they'd be right on. Here, Dyer plays a guy who isn't bad, but is kind of lost. After beating his stepfather (for beating his mother) he's forced to head to Spain where he hooks up with a popular club owner. Said club owner takes Dyer under his wing and the two, with the help of a few others, rise in the marijuana business. As Mary Jane turns to cocaine they rise and rise and rise. But the business is too big for them and the fall comes hard.

This is set in the 80s with good attention payed to cars, fashions and music. The soundtrack here is outstanding. As I said, there is nothing new here as far as the basic outline of the story is concerned. What makes it work are the characters and performances. The Sammy character is particularly good. He's like a bomb that could go off at any time. Every time he's on screen you're worried something really ugly is going to happen. He's a scary, scary dude. Some characters are fleshed out better than others but as an ensemble they do a nice job.

The other thing going here is the script. As over used as the idea is this is still written very well. The writers take you up and down the drug trade ladder in fine fashion. I didn't feel forced through either the situations or the running time. Things moved at the right pace.

If you're at all a fan of the genre this is a good outing. All the production values are good. It moves well and has a good feel to it. The accents do get a bit thick at times and you'll probably miss some of the dialogue, but it's a worth it.

Ouch, this film is so bad. It's like a bunch of guys got together and said, let's all look really cool, dress up like gangsters, talk tough, run drugs, and make a movie.

Frankie is a young innocent boy that tries to protect his mother from her abusive boyfriend; in the process he kills the boyfriend. Frankie needs to leave London, so a buddy gives him a bag to deliver to Spain - just don't look in the bag, and give it to the *Playboy.* Yikes, at that moment, the playboy was a clue this will be very bad.

Frankie arrives in Spain, delivers the bag and the story proceeds with the worlds worst jump cuts and filming. Charl (the *Playboy*) hires Frankie as his driver. Charl's partner Sammy has the hottest daughter or girl friend (never clear which one it is) in town and is warned to stay away from her. Sammy eventually shows up (let's not forget a bunch of really stupid lame set up bar dance party scenes, with them all dancing away to 80's dance music). He hates Frankie. And the drama begins!!! They run pot from Morocco to Spain. Let's just say, this stinker wanders all over the place, with little or no motivation, stupid lines, and Charl smiling his *ultra-handsome* smile.

The tag line - gangsters in sundrenched Spain - is accurate. Yep there are gangsters. Yep they are in Spain on the beaches. Is it sensual? Nope not for two seconds. Carly is gorgeous, but she ends up around nasty bookends. The movie pretty well focuses on a bunch of these older gangsters and the young Frankie.

Production values are absolutely atrocious. The opening montage, these two guys running down a street with the camera following. They use handheld, and the cameraman is trying to run himself. It's horrible. Pacing is all over the map. Sound is awful, the music is so far over boosted and the dialog is swept way low. Surround channels - none. With all the shooting and explosions, we've come to expect good subwoofer work - not in this film. All flat sound.

The DVD includes deleted scenes and an alternate ending. I chose to leave those two in rest and did not look at them.

Pass on this one. It's really not very good.

What can you say. This is a rather trashy full length music video about English drug gangsters with very rough edges (even the director's commentary sounds like a bunch of low lifes). There are some amateurish moments, including a weird scene where I think one of the camera vehicles gets in the picture, but its all in fun. If you enjoyed the subtlety of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, this is somewhat similar.

Frankie is a young man who mother is verbally and physically abused by her husband/Frankie's father. When abuse turns to be too much, Frankie whacks his father that forces him to find unconventional "job" carrying delivery packages between London and Malaga. In Malaga, beautiful city right off the Spanish coast, Frankie becomes fast friend with the local gangster with strong connections to the organization. It does not take long before Frankie becomes gangster's best buddy and a driver. As time progresses they form a group of guys smuggling marijuana from Africa to Gibraltar that brings them fortunes, women and kind of life one can only dream of.

Life is good until jealousy and greed start to mix. Old and new freindships to do not mash well and before long, Frankie an his friends have to start over and rethink their business plan. This time around they get into a cocaine business. And before long their luck seems to get out of their reach.

Great movie with lots of action and dark comedy. If you ever saw "Sexy Beast" this movie is made in similar art form. Even the gangsters have to keep reinventing themselves and this movie will show you how.

Although not a fan of gangster movies, I love English and Irish films. I first saw Danny Dyer in "Severance" and then without realizing it recognized him in "The Football Factory". As I looked to see what other movies he was in, one of them was "The Business". I didn't think I'd like it because it was described as a gangster film but I loved it. Just because the guy he is supposed to meet is called 'the playboy' in the very beginning doesn't mean anything. He's never called the playboy any other time throughout the movie. It is such an upbeat movie-the music alone makes it entertaining to watch. I thought it was very different than an American gangster movie. Danny's character, Frankie and the supposed gangster, Charlie, become real friends, not just gangsters shooting everyone and trying to make money. I thought it was a great movie! I've come to buy all of Danny Dyer's films but this one, I can watch over and over again and I still love it!

Following on from the excellent "Football Factory", the incredible Nick Love delivered what is still one of his very, very best films to date: "The Business". And what a film!

The story is set in the 1980's, a decade that was described as the "era of greed". Young adult Frankie (Danny Dyer) begins a brand new life in sunny, glorious Malaga, after killing his mothers violent, abusive partner back home in South London. Once in Malaga, Frankie befriends ex-con Charlie (Tamer Hassan). Charlie introduces Frankie to a whole new exciting world of wealth, but with severe consequences. Unbeknown to Frankie at first, the lavish lifestyle led by Charlie is soon revealed to be a front for a world of violent, organised crime. Seduced by the lavish, luxurious lifestyle, Frankie reluctantly becomes one of Charlies most loyal gang members. Cue lots of excessive cocaine sniffing, gun shoot-out sequences which are all riviting to watch, and lots of usage of the words f***** and c***"! "The Business" is high adrenalin, fast-paced and tough gangster flick.
Danny Dyer rocks in his role as Frankie, being as fantastic as always and possessing an undenaible strong screen presence as does Tamer Hassan as Charlie. Both Danny and Tamer have great chemistry bubbling between the two lead characters, making for a truly dynamic blend. The film cleverly depicts the highs of the world Frankie and Charlie live in and the lows when the money runs out thus ending abruptly the lifestyle to which they'd become accustomed. The story of their friendship and how it is severly put to the test when they lose everything - their money, "empire", pride, dignity - is endlessly entertaining to watch.

Nick Loves sharp, fast and furious direction (which is what we Nick Love fans want and love), rollercoaster dialogue that whips along with savagely funny wit and credible performances all-round (not least by Danny Dyer and Tamer Hassan), this deservedly gets a 5 star rating. One of the best British films in recent times.
Ian Phillips
August 2009