I saw this film last year at the Coney Island Film Festival in Brooklyn, New York with some friends. Even though the amateur 10-star self-plug in the "User Comments" by the director is cute, I can say that this film is actually an interesting and gripping mini-story about a washed-up an old con man trying to make a last-hoorah score versus a clutch of local gangsters. The con man unknowingly steps on the gangsters' toes in the process and the story quickly runs from there.
I would equate the story's tempo to being dropped into a roller-coaster car just as it starts down the first drop...it has the ups and downs. Instead of turns, there are a couple sudden twists and, finally, an abrupt end that leaves one wide-eyed, excitedly thinking, "Man, that was fast." The script was well thought out. Riveting dialog at a steadfast pace. The story had me sweating, almost as if I was in the story, myself, witnessing it first-hand.
The cinematography was pretty tight, as well. I liked the black and white look of the film.
The editing, though, could have been tighter and a bit more creative. There's also a point in the film where one of the gangsters gets a call on his cell phone and the cell phone rings with a digitized rendition of the theme from "The Godfather"...definitely a bad choice of sound effects, I thought. That sound effect immediately diffused the tension that was built into the story, making myself and the audience chuckle out loud the seemingly "wanna-be" gangster character. Up to that point all of these thugs were believably intimidating. It took some effort on my part to get back into the momentum of the story, but I managed to do it before the story ended.
The acting was generally good, but I get the feeling that the actors directed themselves. The head gangster was overacting a bit and came off a bit comical. Good thing the actors had an idea where to stop.
I have to say that there was a lot of trash shown that day at the festival, where the audience noisy, inattentive, uninterested. When this film came on, almost immediately, one could here a pin drop with the audience's "ooh's", "ah's", and a couple of "oh, s**t's" where they seemed to correctly belonged.
It definitely got the attention of my friends and I.
