Guns, Girls and Gambling (2012)

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Blistering performances.

This film mainly reminded me of (the far superior) 'Lucky Number Sleven'. I won't say why, because that might spoil it for you if you watch 'Guns, Girls and Gambling.' The two films follow (dare I say a 'more British' style?) genre of film where a character gets into trouble with numerous different warring factions (normally gangsters – think Lock Stock, Snatch and Layer Cake) and ends up having to dodge the lot of them and/or pit them against each other in order to come out on top.Christian Slater's offering is – sadly – not quite as good as any of those films I've mentioned. However, that's not to say it didn't have a certain charm. Did I like it? Yes, I did. It kept me entertained for its duration. It's not the longest of films, but it does have some fun scenes which go a long way to make me stay the distance.From the title, you can probably tell that it is going to be a little tongue-in-cheek. It could never be played totally straight. There's plenty of black humour as one assassin murders another, before being offed himself in another gruesome way. There are plenty of characters, all of which get their own 'freezeframe introduction,' complete with title. This probably happens a little too often and ceases to be cool pretty soon, especially as most of the characters get killed only a few scenes after they're introduced. The other downside – in my opinion – is the blonde 'bombshell' assassin who spouts poetry before she kills her victims. It's supposed to be cool, but it just doesn't work and I found it pretty hard to stand.You may have noticed Gary Oldman on the cover. That's about his biggest part in the film. What he does is little more than an extended cameo, but – naturally – he steals every scene he's in. There are some twists in the story – some you'll see coming, others may take you by surprise, but by the time the credits roll, you'll feel satisfied that everything adds up (well, just, but it does more than it doesn't!).If you like those sorts of Guy Richie gangster movies, or are just looking for something loud, a bit cheesy and quick, then give this one a go. It's no classic, but it is entertaining if you set your sights low enough.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Review: This movie is really bad. The storyline is terrible and the movie seemed cheap and rushed. What the hell was a star like Gary Oldman thinking! He's not in the same league as the Z class actors that were in this film. Anyway, although the leading lady was a looker and the opening credits were promising, the film goes downhill after the card game. It's one of those films that you have to piece together, but after a while your not really that bothered. The whole mask thing was interesting at the beginning but then the plot goes all over the place. A bad rental!Round-Up: What is going on with Christian Slater? He just can't pick a decent movie. He was definitely in this film for the pay day. It also seemed like Gary Oldman was in it for a favour because I can't see him reading the script and wanting to be in it. As for the other characters, most of them are near the end of there careers so it's not a surprise that there in a straight to DVD movie. I recommend this movie to people who are into there crime capers about a valuable mask getting stolen. 1/10

Someone has stolen a valuable Native American mask stolen during a Elvis impersonator poker game at a casino. Now everybody is hunting all the Elvises in search of the mask. Writer/director Michael Winnick can't quite elevate this more than an overstylized B-movie indie. At least it seemed to enjoy the sarcastic tone of the movie.I am surprised at how many big time actors are in this movie. I'm not sure how he got Christian Slater to star as the lead. He's quite effective by filling the screen with his manic energy. Then they got Powers Boothe, Chris Kattan, and OMG!! Gary Oldman to take minor roles. Sure they're stuck with a guy like Dane Cook. But Megan Park does a nice Girl Next Door 'Look Behind You' character.The story is a rolling twisty roller coaster. The production value is quite low. At least Helena Mattsson is squeezed into this hot outfit as The Blonde. If the convoluted story doesn't blow your mind, her boobs will.

I have to admit that when I sat down to watch "Guns, Girls, and Gambling", I wasn't expecting that much. I thought the title sounded lame (and I still feel that way.) And there was the fact that Christian Slater was in the movie, an actor who has churned out one lame direct-to-DVD movie after another for some years now. But to my surprise, I really enjoyed this movie. The script is very clever, slowly unpeeling one layer at a time, and careful enough to leave some surprises right at the very end. The screenplay is also very funny at times - there were a number of moments when I laughed out loud, something I seldom do when watching a movie. The movie is also very well made on a low budget - I watched the movie on Blu- ray, and it looked very slick and colorful. And Christian Slater is actually pretty good in the movie's central role. But most of the credit for the movie's success is due to writer/director Michael Winnick. I look forward to his next movie.