Hell to Pay

Brothers Dave (Courtney) and Larry (Murray) shoot it out in this latter-day Cain and Abel tale set among South-East London's criminal underworld – a vehicle for 'celebrity gangster' Courtney. Shot on "shirt buttons" on a small digital XL1 camera, with no working script (a la Mike Leigh), and rehearsals confined to set, Hell to Pay is guerrilla film-making at its best – the logical extension of Performance, Get Carter, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Yet this sort of thing blows those films, with their smattering of real underworld faces, out of the water. All the movie's publicans are played by real publicans, taxi drivers by taxi drivers, the brasses by real lap dancers and porn stars. And the movie's many 'chaps' are played by the genuine articles, like Roy Shaw and Joey Pyle; though real-life rave promoter Terry Stone / Turbo is far and away the best thing here – funny, scary and screwed-up beyond redemption.

If Hell to Pay seems like gangster chic's last shout, ironically it really has nothing much in common with the phenomenon. As Hell to Pay's editor Brian Hovmand suggests, "The fact that it doesn't look like the typical British gangster movie might be because I'm Danish, and the director's half Spanish." Prior to making the movie, Roberto Gomez-Martin, formerly a respected LWT cameraman, who's never been to film school, played Crow, a patois-affecting hard case in Ian Diaz's quirky crime thriller The Killing Zone. His background is about as far removed from the Revolver director's as is possible to imagine, having being raised on a variety of working-class Battersea council estates, where "someone could punch you in the mouth for just f****ing looking at them". For Gomez-Martin, Ritchie's brand of gangster chic is best summed up with a gladiatorial analogy: "The people in the pit are the working classes and the middle classes have become the spectators: they've paid their money and they want to see something they've never had. Guy Ritchie exemplifies the Jam's 'Eton Rifles'. But some of those people 'who'll be back next week' he's putting in his movies."

But there's no romanticising or mythologising here; eschewing sepia-tints and Mockney accents, the (actually quite understated) Hell to Pay looks the real deal – because it is. It's a virtual gangland video-diary: wives, the bedrocks of working-class culture, hen-peck their spouses, girlfriends go on girls' nights out, murder is clinical, brutal and short, and murder victims stay down. As do bare-knuckle boxers. It isn't the most 'polished' movie around, and if you're looking for a nattily-dressed beer commercial, fax Guy Ritchie (actually, don't bother, if Revolver's anything to go on). But as social document and brazen experiment, this is an achievement of which Gomez-Martin and all concerned should be proud.

I saw this at a market screening in Cannes some time ago and I found it to be tremendous fun. I don't know if this version has changed much since then but if you're fans of Dave Courtney and his well known associates then I think you will agree that his central semi-autobiographical performance shines, and he has charisma in spades. Billy Murray is excellent as Dave's villainous sibling and there are some great supporting characters played by Dave Legeno, Terry "Turbo" Stone, Scott Welch and too many others to name. Some hilarious one-liners and naturalistic performances are punctuated by some genuinely disturbing violence (a scene where a snitch is hung up and beaten is as convincing as anything in a Scorsese film) and a killer soundtrack. The film climaxes with a great action-packed shootout at some docks. The opening credits sequence was hectic fun as well. Obviously the film is not perfect but this is genuinely an absolute must-see for fans of Dave, Billy, the real London Underworld and guerrilla digital film-making alike.

I saw this film yesterday.. In fact, I got it for free at some secondhand store. Basically, it's one those 'low budget, East End London crime gangster' genre which homage to Dave Courtney..

Although he's the star of the film, according to the audio commentary he did.. he put up the money for he film and brought on some the big names from the criminal underworld to be part of his movie project.

I respect Dave in a big way.. because he is a gangster. But that dosen't mean he goes round shooting people.

Dave sees this project in a way that he's seen it and been through it. Now he wants his audience to see things the way he sees it.

Mind you, it weren't too bad. I was so surprised that The Sun's Garry Bushell is in the this. My God! I hope he don't win an Oscar for his cheesy performance.

Mind you, I've seen a lot of gangster in my time. But this one weren't too bad. Although it's low budget.. I got no qualms about it. I just watch on it on a rainy day!

This has got to be one of the worst films ever made, it seems like a cry out attempt to gain recognition as a gangster or should I say plastic gangster because Dave Courtney cant get it right or get any appreciation in the real world. A movie seems to be the only playground where he can manifest his egotistical and over exaggerated character to his liking, manipulating his surroundings to his own accord where he looks like a super hero. Perhaps a misspent childhood is the cause of this.

The plot, storyline and acting are all very weak, it seems like a lot of the actors minus a few are just random people of the streets who want to appear on a movie, this adds to the weakness of the film.

I can't even believe shops accepted to sell his DVD. The only thing it's useful for is too copy over and record something with a bit of class and style. The film shows no originality, no drive and certainly has no destination apart from the bin. Perhaps the only reason why Dave Courtney feels like he can act is because most of his life is one big act. He is nothing more than a bully boy who in the real world can't even fight unless he has a knuckle duster or a gun... wow that must really make him a man... He needs to get over himself, and all his followers need to stop sucking up to a wrong en and go do something useful with your lives instead of wasting it.

The fact he made a poor movie and wasted a lot of his own money because no one else would invest in such crap story shows that the man is clearly deluded in his own self belief and perhaps rather than making a movie to gain self appreciation, counselling would of been a far better investment and a lot cheaper.

I feel that the review I have given is valid considering i have many experience in the dynamics of movies from the God Father to modern day movies. And for Courtney to class his movie as a gangster movie is a big slap in the face to the real gangster movies that deserve better appreciation than to be followed in the same class as this crap.

If you are considering in buying this DVD just think of it as getting a pair of fake Armani Jeans. It's not the real thing it never will be. Perhaps this DVD would be better classed as a comedy or even better a mistake.

No doubt some followers (peabrainers) will retaliate in my review and I am sorry if you have taken it as an insult, but Courtney took the risk in making a movie he must be prepared to take criticism.

Looking for a decent gangster film to watch I came across one called "Hell to Pay" starring "Celebrity Gangster" Dave Courtney. To be fair the cover and presentation of the case looked pretty good and I decided to give it a watch.  The old saying "never Judge a Book by it's Cover" (or in this case DVD) couldn't have been more Correct.  Shot on what looks to be a camera add-on pack for a gameboy this movie is a horrible portrayal of the British Crime Movie Genre.  Micky Mouse Camera shots, none existing Plot, bad Special effects and absolutely terrible acting from Daves Mates who have been dragged in to make this "Movie" that looks to be yet another stunt to launch Dave up to be the big "Celebrity Gangster". 

 Only a Glue Sniffer that's just spent the night In a Model Shop would enjoy This.