The London Firm (2015)

Captivating movie !

Admirable film.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

It's an odd film, this. For the first part of the movie nothing is explained as to what is happening , who these people are and why are they doing what they are doing. The timeline jumps about a bit which is never captioned or explained so you have to be awake and fully involved if you are to understand it. Vincent Regan has always been a favourite actor of mine - there is just something about him, call it charisma but he has a fantastic presence on screen. Seb Castangis less experienced and it show. I did not think that he could totally carry the ruthless killer thing off but perhaps that was intentional.I am aware that it is a gangster film but I just wish they could manage without quite so much swearing. My wife and I watched it it with no expectations but we both thoroughly enjoyed it. It had pace , interesting characters, a fascinating story and a good atmosphere. It was well performed and was a satisfying watch.

One of the sub genres I really enjoy as a change of pace from US films are British street gangster films. Some are classics, some are OK to kill two hours and some make you feel like you wasted your time. I like Vincent Regan, but unfortunately this movie has to be a pass. Watching movies of this quality always makes me wonder why an established actor would ever agree to partake in the film. Even if he was hard up for money, you can tell the movie does not have a large budget, so I just never understand their motivations for starring in the film. Maybe movies are really fun to be a part of, regardless on the final quality.The movie format is very similar to Saw. People contained in a small area and the movie flashes back and forth to explain how they got there. The acting was not so bad as to detract from the film, but the story was just so stale you never got hooked. A hackneyed story, bland dialogue, very little violence and no real twists - I just never understand how movies like this get made. If you are going to go to the trouble of making a movie, at least focus on one aspect to make the effort worth it. Make the fight scenes gritty or create great characters or have a great story.Unfortunately, this movie did do a single thing well. If you want to kill time before bed and want something on the TV while flipping through a magazine, then this movie fits the bill. Otherwise pass on this one and check out another British gangster film.