Sometimes there are films that are so bad, you don't even know where to start. This one is just bad - you know where to start. Hence, I give it two stars, although, maybe I am just in a good mood...
By now, most people know this is about crime, buddies and a girl. The story could have and should have worked. That part was not terrible, although it probably needed a bit of massage.
But everything else was your typical film school example of "how not to make a film". Let's see: - On the nose dialogue - check. - Changing the tone from action to drama to comedy to tragedy - check. - Actors have no motivation for their emotions - check. - Characters that get out of character all the time - check. (e.g. Joanne or Jovana starts of as super-self-confident only to end up insecure and then over emotional and as a result entirely unbelievable) - Boring editing and direction - check (even the love making scene was too forced in terms of visuals) - Forced story and forced dialogues - check. - Too contrived - check. - Plenty of bad acting (due to bad script) - check. - Predictable - check. (my friend even guessed the key point of the film some 30 min into it! I only guessed the general setup, but within first five minutes) - No chemistry whatsoever between ANY of the characters - check. - I could not really care less if any one of them lived or died - check. And so on. This is one of those films that deserves to be seen as an excellent example of how not to write, direct and generally make a film. I don't care how famous or big Robert Towne is, he managed to make a piece of junk that is barely watchable. Some of the dialogues I thought were written by a teenager and not a very smart one. The score was entirely forgettable. Photography too, even thought it was shot in S. California where there is plenty of opportunity for good images (seems it was shot in Long Beach judging by some of the oil rigs in the film). I could go on and on about all that is wrong with the film but I will not. I will leave it up to you, a true film lover, to analyze this film and learn from it. Yes, we all benefit when a director/ writer screws up a decent idea. So, bad film, but educational.
By now, most people know this is about crime, buddies and a girl. The story could have and should have worked. That part was not terrible, although it probably needed a bit of massage.
But everything else was your typical film school example of "how not to make a film". Let's see: - On the nose dialogue - check. - Changing the tone from action to drama to comedy to tragedy - check. - Actors have no motivation for their emotions - check. - Characters that get out of character all the time - check. (e.g. Joanne or Jovana starts of as super-self-confident only to end up insecure and then over emotional and as a result entirely unbelievable) - Boring editing and direction - check (even the love making scene was too forced in terms of visuals) - Forced story and forced dialogues - check. - Too contrived - check. - Plenty of bad acting (due to bad script) - check. - Predictable - check. (my friend even guessed the key point of the film some 30 min into it! I only guessed the general setup, but within first five minutes) - No chemistry whatsoever between ANY of the characters - check. - I could not really care less if any one of them lived or died - check. And so on. This is one of those films that deserves to be seen as an excellent example of how not to write, direct and generally make a film. I don't care how famous or big Robert Towne is, he managed to make a piece of junk that is barely watchable. Some of the dialogues I thought were written by a teenager and not a very smart one. The score was entirely forgettable. Photography too, even thought it was shot in S. California where there is plenty of opportunity for good images (seems it was shot in Long Beach judging by some of the oil rigs in the film). I could go on and on about all that is wrong with the film but I will not. I will leave it up to you, a true film lover, to analyze this film and learn from it. Yes, we all benefit when a director/ writer screws up a decent idea. So, bad film, but educational.