lemon_magic
In its favor, "Men With Guns" has a cool title, three strong performances, a nice sense of ambiance and atmosphere, Paul Sorvino doing what Paul Sorvino does, a few genuinely funny moments, a pretty good party/orgy scene, and a dandy chase scene that gives you a sense of the character's desperation and fright.On the other hand, you can go to a video store or turn on your cable provider, and see a hundred gritty crime dramas about small time losers getting in over their heads with the mob and/or the law, some of them much better paced and told than this one.While "Men With Guns" has a slightly different emphasis with its emphasis on the devotion and loyalty of the two friends to each other, the director seemed to out of his way to rub the audiences' collective noses in the sleaze and grime of their lowlife scene, to the point where it seemed to me he was wallowing in cinematic tricks and clichés stolen directly from Tony Scott and French existential cinema. Add to that a rushed ending that doesn't have the guts to live up to its "Butch Cassidy" finish and characters who are dense, unthinking, and pretty unsympathetic (it's not a tragedy if the bad things that happen to the protagonists is a direct result of their own stupidity) and you've got a movie that makes you wish you'd watched "GoodFellas" or "Taxi Driver".The director and cinematographer obviously have some chops - this is a well "made" movie with professional polish and some great setups. But they need to set their sites a little higher regarding the story they want to tell.If you just have to watch a gritty crime drama about low lives getting in over their heads with the mob and the cops, and you've already seen all the better movies in the genre 100 times, well, "Men With Guns" will give you your crime drama fix. But you'll probably prefer to go back and watch "Rounders" for the 101st time instead.
sydneyswesternsuburbs
Director Kari Skogland has created a gem in Men with Guns.Starring Donal Logue who was also in the classic flick, And the Band Played On 1993 and the classic television series Vikings 2013-2018 and Sons of Anarchy 2008-2014.Also starring Gregory Sporleder who has also been in other classic flicks, The Crazies 2010, Black Hawk Down 2001, The Rock 1996 and another classic crime flick, True Romance 1993.Also starring Callum Keith Rennie who has also been in other classic flicks, The Butterfly Effect 2004, eXistenZ 1999 and Timecop 1994.Also starring Paul Sorvino who has also been in other classic flicks, Romeo + Juliet 1996, Nixon 1995, Goodfellas 1990 and The Panic in Needle Park 1971.Also starring Max Perlich who has also been in other classic flicks, Georgia 1995, Cliffhanger 1993, Rush 1991 and Drugstore Cowboy 1989.I enjoyed the violence, sex, drug scenes and cinematography.If you enjoyed this as much as I did then check out other classic crime flicks, A Dangerous Man 2009, Instinct to Kill 2009, Judgement Night 1993, Marked for Death 1990, Rampage 2009, Under the Gun 1995, Wrong Turn at Tahoe 2009, Badlands 1973, Bitch Slap 2009, Blood Simple 1984, Blue Velvet 1986, Deadbeat at Dawn 1988, Dressed to Kill 1980, Falling Down 1993, Fast Money 1996, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! 1965, The Getaway 1994, Hard Target 1993, Hero Wanted 2008, A History of Violence 2005, The Honeymoon Killers 1969, The Last Boy Scout 1991, The Lost 2006, Made Men 1999, Mission: Impossible III 2006, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol 2011, No Way Home 1996, A Perfect Getaway 2009, Pressure 2002, Rage 1995, Run 1991, Sabotage 1996, Shoot 'Em Up 2007, Sin City 2005, Rumble in the Bronx 1995, The Take 2007, Thursday 1998, True Lies 1994, Walking Tall 1973, The Shearer's Breakfast 2001, Wild at Heart 1990, The Package 2013, The Purge: Anarchy 2014, Marine 4: Moving Target 2015, Rushlights 2013, Killing Salazar 2016, Gone Baby Gone 2007, Mr. Majestyk 1974, 68 Kill 2017, Detour 2016, Barton Fink 1991, The Trial 1962, The Tournament 2009, Very Bad Things 1998, Amateur 1994, The Game 1997, 13 Tzameti 2005 and Zero Tolerance 1994.
fultron78
For me, the real strength of this film is its authenticity. It reminded me a little of "Laws of Gravity".It's unabashedly Canadian, low-budget, and gritty. Where a big (or even medium) budget Hollywood movie would have nice costumes, a crisp soundtrack, star players, a fantastical plot, and try to pass off Toronto as New York, Men With Guns does everything exactly the opposite and is so much better for it.The main cast are barely-known, unshaven and unattractive, wearing what could be their own street clothes. The characters aren't heroes, they're losers. Their small-time criminal stupidity and immaturity is exactly what you would expect if a bunch of lowlifes came across a huge bag of cocaine by accident. There's no million-dollar deal, no flashy clothes, cars and jewels, no plan: instead they get really high, pick up some trashy girls at a local club, then go home and destroy their dumpy apartment. Their idea of preparing for a heist is to smoke drugs, set off fireworks, and shoot at beer cans. The cops and mob easily track them down. The chase scene doesn't have over-the-top car stunts and end in a thrilling get away: the main character is run to the ground, puking and stumbling. The sex scene isn't romantic and shot with body-doubles: it's bent over a bathroom sink, fumbling for a condom, and doesn't escape the awkward morning-after hangover. In short, the story is no fairy tale.Don't get me wrong, Men With Guns has its flaws (the mob/cop caricatures, the hasty ending, some poor support acting/casting), but the B-movie quality isn't one of them. It's not a matter of "it's so bad, it's good", it's that parts of the movie feel genuine enough that it could be the adaptation of a true story.Ignoring the details of the plot in favour of the overall ambiance, I rate it 7/10.
