Irish Ashes

Watched the British low budget indie film "Irish Ashes" by filmmaker Chris Shane Sanders tonight, about a man getting mixed up with gangsters while searching for his sister. My favorite of this filmmaker's so far! Some great performances by the cast, especially by Claire Jared as Kelly Shannon and Paul Preston as gangster Eddie Rourke. It was also great seeing some familiar faces from other indie films such as Scott Ward, Jack Berner, and John Potash! I was also impressed by the various locations used which looked great on the screen, especially the church and the club. If you like films like "Get Carter" and indie films in general then give this one a watch.

This move had so much potential; the plot, the setting, the cinematography, unfortunately this was all it had to offer. The acting was horrible the editing was worse and the pregnant pauses between lines was almost unbearable. Yet the movie bones were so good that you couldn't look away. This type of movie always gets me thinking, how could a movie like this cost several million dollars when any talented producer could recreate this movie with his buddies and an iPhone. That been said I was able to watch this movie all the way through and actually was excited to see how off I was from the foreshadowing that was as obvious as a slap in the face from a sledgehammer.

The acting is terrible but I figured I would give it a chance, it might get better.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out why they would of cast this guy to be the lead? And a mobster at that! Then I realized the writer cast himself lol.

Anyway I held in there for a bit however, the fight scenes are even worse. I think 3 stars is generous honestly.

I know there's only so much you can do with a small budget but it's important to get the basics right. A mobster movie, you'll be expecting an hard looking SOB and some intense fight scenes, instead we get a middle aged man who still lives at home with his mum fighting like Bruce willis without the special affects.

For fans of films such as Layer Cake and Snatch, Irish Ashes is for you. Chris Shane Sanders writes and stars in the film as Tristan. Tristan has returned to the seedy British underground to settle old scores while looking for his sister. Scott Alan Ward and Claire Jared lead the narrative with terrific performances while the rest of the cast puts in a great shift that keeps the viewer glued to a plot full of twist and turns. Director Satnam Purewal litters the screen with great set pieces and quick pace scenes that keep the film flowing. Irish Ashes is a gut punch film that keeps audiences inhaling for breath up to the exciting final scene.

I would love to watch more of Satnam Purewal's previous work or maybe even Chris Sanders' films to see where or how this was made. Irish Ashes is an action thriller like no other. Writer and producer Chris Shane Sanders stars as the ruthless Tristan who is on a deadly rampage across London (possibly) to track down those responsible for his sister's disappearance, with a cold Steven Segal face. The lighting and sound is good. Storytelling and camerawork is questionable at times and I really wanted to know where the crowdfunding money went. Just seems weird based on the quality of this work. It's a film like no other.