Toy Gun

Tho not as slick as the likes of "Fargo", "Small Town Crime" or "Maggie Moore(s)", 2018 Euro dramedy "Toy Gun" does have a twisty plot involving amateur criminal incompetence, murder & a set of generally well portrayed quirky characters. When the bank managed by odious John Hannah is robbed for a third time, he (and detective Julian Sands (RIP)) suspect the estranged hubbie (Luke Allen-Gale) of his gf Hana Sofia Lopes... while in the shadows lurk mobsters like Anthony LaPaglia & Frederico Catelluccio. It's somewhat silly, but is told engagingly enough by co-writer (with Vince Villani) / director Marco Serafini. A decent addition this top genre.

With all the superficial garbage that is produced on low budgets, I thought this one knocked it out of the park. It kept me thoroughly entertained for 90+ minutes, it was simple but engaging, whimsical and lighthearted. If you're expecting the second coming of the Godfather on a Pirates of the Caribbean budget you've come to the wrong place, but if you want a fun little low budget gem then I'd HIGHLY recommend it.

There are a couple of things I'd change (Julian Sands has the acting range of a brick, and the music was meh) but I really enjoyed the interaction between Anthony LaPaglia and Luke Allen-Gale (who I'd never heard of or seen before), and the story kept me going.

Cute little film - nice work.

I watched this on amazon in the US, it was a really good film. A dark gangster comedy with a smart script, but what I really appreciated was that there was no nudity - most films like this just cater to men with guns, but this was fun from a women's perspective too.

A very enjoyable film that has quirks rather than twists. The direction can be slow at times letting the action drag a little, which is why I gave it a seven rather than an eight.

The characters are believable and played by a cast of fine actors. A loser, his hot wife, a slimy bank manager and a police officer whose personal life is not perfect. (But you know what, they just sit down and talk about it. That is how it is done 'soap operas'). And of course an enigmatic stranger of dubious morality and fabulous culinary skills.

The action starts with a bunch of coincidences that makes fiction so enjoyable. From then on the world moves on completely ignoring the main protagonist, so just like real life. With a great ending.

Well worth a watch.

Uncovered this nice little gem on Amazon US. Movie starts a little slow but it's got lots of layers for a small budget, great cast, really pleasant photography, and fantastic script writing: the story keeps giving you little snippets of fun to chew on and it comes together really nicely. Most low budget comedies I've seen these days are either trying to be funny and are not, or introspective fluff. The film is simple but fun and I ended the film feeling quite happy, and turned to my partner nodding. We both nodded. Yeah, it grew on us to the point where we considered watching it again. Sure it has a couple downers (music in a few areas that make it feel a little TV) but the chemistry between Luke Allen Gale and Anthony LaPaglia is awesome, John Hannah is really entertaining, and the script is fantastic, not too over the top, it's light and fun. Plus the music composer won a Best World Album Grammy and the DOP is the same guy who did Cinema Paradiso. The film won't win an Oscar, so don't expect to be blown away, but it's incredibly charming and a great way to spend a weeknight or weekend :) Worth your while. 10/10.