Customer Reviews

Ca$h

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you're looking for great acting and amazing dialogue, this movie isn't for you. But if you're looking for a kick-ass black comedy reminiscent of the earlier work of Robert Rodriguez and Guy Ritchie, this is a must-watch.

When I read other positive reviews about this movie, shot with a budget of only $50,000, I was convinced that people were paid to compare it to Tarantino's first movies. Now, I'm a true believer in Director Sam Akina, who was in his late 20's when shooting Ca$h.

I think all of us are used to being let down with low-budget movies a la Redbox. But keep in mind that El Mariachi, the film that launched the career of Robert Rodriguez, was shot for only $7,000 back in 1992. Ca$h has the same visual style as El Mariachi, including the well-choreographed gunplay scenes. It also reminds me of character-driven movies like Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Mexican bosses, Vietnamese gangsters, Mafioso and Jewish wiseguys create a fun tapestry of characters.

For you to enjoy this movie, leave your Oscar award expectations at the door. Tom Doty's acting is wooden as vengeful ex-convict Cash, who looks like a real-life version of Marv from Sin City. There are plot holes, a few bad special effects, and the production quality isn't perfect. But the movie is simply a guilty pleasure, it's over the top on so many levels that you can't help but enjoy it. If someone ever gives Sam Akina a serious budget and experienced actors, he's destined for big things.

So if you like the earlier work of Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Desperado), Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs) and Guy Ritchie (Lock Stock, Snatch), give this movie a shot. For all of it's faults, it's still an entertaining movie that men will enjoy.

I recorded this off of Encore thinking my roommate would like it, and we laughed our arses off at the totally gratuitous violence, campy dialogue, and fun story. Rather watch this kind of thing than slick Hollywood special effects any day! Do yourself a favor and rent or buy this, then get your friends together for a meal, lots of beer and smokes and you'll have a great time! Props Sam Akino!

if you like Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, you will like this. This is a film that had to be made, and a film I wish I had made. Rich with parody, many references to the crime and gangster genre. It is way, way over the top. I am writing this as I am watching on cable. I have been waiting for a movie like this for a long time. It is violent and funny, entertaining as hell. A movie that will appeal to the lowest common denominator among all of the guys out there (no offense to the ladies intended...) and also worthy of scholarly review by the ivory tower. Jow Bob sez check it out (no boobs, however).

There are no "good guys" in this bloody film. The heavy-handed movie, without a single smile, is about revenge. One large muscular gangster named Cash, who was shot many times and survived, is seeking revenge against a gang leader who arranged to have him shot during a bank robbery so that he would not have to give him money, killed his girl friend, and made sure that he was arrested for the robbery. He spent ten years in jail. Now upon release, he single-mindedly goes after the gang leader without bothering to think who he hurts and kills along the way. Complicating the adventure is the fact that another gang leader tried to kill this gang leader, and the latter is seeking revenge against him and his gang. Complicating it further is the existence of three gangs: Italian, Oriental, and Spanish. When another criminal sends an unintelligent man to deliver a different box to each of the three gangs, the man mixes up the boxes. When he delivers the wrong boxes to each gang, they become enraged and decide to kill the other gangs. Cash kills dozens of people on his quest, and the film is filled with bullets being fired, violence, and blood.

I caught a good chunk of this movie on my cable channel and was disappointed to find out it's only available in a foreign format. I guess it's Australian, which is what I first thought when I landed on it while channel-surfing:
It reminded me of the bad dubbing job on the original MAD MAX back in 1979 when they wanted to get rid of the Aussie accents. Apparently, they haven't improved on that process.

Just from the scenes I've seen, this could be the best awful movie I've seen in ages. God knows there are plenty of unpleasant and indistinguishable time wasters out there...but this one makes so many bad decisions, grunts and utters with so many cliches, overdoses on so much bad acting...that IT IS AWESOME.

Since I can't get it on DVD yet, I'll just have to keep scanning my cable channels to find it again so I can see the whole thing. The first question I had was whether this was a deliberate parody (making it less fun if it was) or just a jaw-droppingly bad exercise in overkill and testosterone.

Every character is an exaggeration of every character you've ever seen in a bad Van Damme-Seagal-Stallone-Dolph action flick. If there's a character in the background using a phone, they're spouting some obscenity-laced tirade about drugs or fighting or fighting over drugs or sex. There's a bad guy who is the ultimate Mexican stereotype who--I kid you not--uses the word "puta" in EVERY line he reads, whether in English or Spanish. The acting appears cobbled together from every crime movie ever made, which really doesn't make sense when put in the order it is here.

The good guy makes Steven Seagal look like Daniel Day Lewis. He says lines from other movies ("I'm coming, and hell is coming with me").

Everything is bad. Bad editing, bad writing, horrible acting.

And it's all awesome. Hilarious!

I like this movie so much that I'm starting to know the dialogue by heart. And you have to watch it more than once to pick up on the intricacies of the plot. It's a movie I don't think I'll ever tire of.

One man's relentless quest to get even, is the driving force in CA$H (aka Bullets, Blood, And A Fistful Of Cash) (2006), where an ex-con named Cash (Thom Doty) is looking to settle the score with Hector Gonzales (Jerry Lloyd), the man responsible for the death of his wife. This is an extremely brutal tale of unrelenting violence, that also involves various underworld factions vying for territory. Into this cesspool of vice comes Cash, dealing death, and crushing whoever gets in his way.

Ten years ago, Cash was part of a gang robbing a bank, when he was betrayed by Pablo Valdez (Rodrigo DeMedeiros), under orders from Gonzales. After finding his wife dead, Cash is arrested and spends the next ten years in the slammer. Upon his release, Cash immediately begins his quest to locate Hector Gonzales, blowing away petty crooks, and snuffing the life out of Valdez. Gonzales, once a petty crook, is now a major criminal. Well aware of what Cash is capable of, Gonzales asks his criminal associate Abe Shanks (Phil Randoy) for help, and Shanks sends out his goon squad, as well as some crooked cops to try and kill Cash. Due to some miscommunication, a gang war is ready to explode between Shanks, the Italian mob, and an Asian gang. Although more people are in the picture, Cash is prepared to kill them all, in order to get to Gonzales.

The minimalistic story provides just enough of a framework, for Cash to go berserk and destroy everything in his path. The violence is stylized, without much realism, as Cash should easily be dead a dozen times over. Thom Doty is a fearsome hulk of a man, though he isn't big on dialog, speaking most of his few lines, in a low threatening tone. His acting skills may be limited, but in this role, they are more than adequate. With the gangs in competition, there is plenty of collateral violence to go around. The movie concludes with a massive shootout between the rival groups, which leaves Cash severely wounded, and barely able to move, although his mind is thinking far ahead. With his bones broken and on the verge of death, Cash demonstrates why overconfidence can be fatal.

Writer/director Sam Akina's gritty tale of violence isn't meant to be taken seriously, and certainly isn't for everyone. With subpar acting and one dimensional characters, CA$H is mostly to be enjoyed as a satisfying tale of destruction and revenge. While the violence is excessive, it doesn't escalate to levels beyond the context of the story, and Cash is like a big lovable shotgun wielding teddy bear. Although grim, the finish is wet, warm, and ultimately satisfying. Rating: 3.5 stars, for stylish brutal violence.

This movie is low budget mess, but it is a perfect mess! So bad that it is an instant classic! I got it from RedBox expecting the usual straight to dvd crap they fill up their free slots with but this movie was something else. From the first minute to the last! I watched it two times in a row. The first time I died at the comedy, the second time I actually got the story. Madd voilent and ridiculous! One scene he gets a knife thrown at his rear shoulder, turns around, kills the guy that thrown the knife but is too lazy to remove the knife from his back so he just goes on with his revenge journey with a knife in his back. I highly recommend!

Low budget? Yes. Low-brow? Of course! Kick ass? HELL YEAH!! This is what B-movie action should be!! This is strictly a "guy" movie and an action movie junkies dream come true!! Tom Doty as Cash is one mean, intimidating S.O.B. that does not play well with others. The only time he has a sense of humor is when he's inflicting pain or about to send some poor punk to the other side!! This movie is reminiscent of the 80's action genre that I love!! If your looking for some bloody, high-octane and just blunt, blinding swift violence topped with dark humor, look no further than this little gem!!!

I rented this movie at Redbox and let me tell you: This is one bad ass movie...this movie has it all: Bad guys...more bad guys..and bad people having bad things happen to them...for pure fun..this movie gets a 10...very much like Kill Bill and Shoot Em Up...a very good time for all.
Thom Doty....my new action hero!