I like Emilis Velyvis movies in general: the Guy Ritchie influenced tough characters interconnecting with one another, gritty street life, fast pacing, stylized action. They appeal to most Lithuanians, because they show a lot of nuances from everyday life of the country in a comic way (Zero being my favorite). I had big expectations from this movie and it was quite promising in the beginning, but as it went by it turned into a complete crowd pleaser, exchanging any subtlety for some cheap laughs.
The performances were pretty good on the English side, (Vinnie Jones never disappoints) but the Lithuanians were on a bit lower level overall. Some of Lithuania's best actors are cast in roles which don't use their great acting potential at all. The target audience can spot some funny cameos of characters from the earlier movies and Lithuanian show business, but I wouldn't call them interesting, to say the least.
The plot was quite simple and intriguing, but that also faded out into the banal. At some point you could start feeling that it won't get any better - the intrigue is getting drained with cliché situations and stereotypical comedy which isn't really clever. The dialog is, on occasion, well written, but it often seems unnatural and hollow.
The production quality, cinematography is one of the best I've seen from our country's movie-making, but again, there is nothing you haven't really seen before anywhere else. It's nice that this movie is helping Lithuania to get some attention in this field internationally and I hope it allows the creation of more quality films here. I feel like Emilis Velyvis finally got what he needed to make the movie he wanted and sadly in the end it came across as an another competition of who can curse better. Maybe it was the movie he wanted to make, but seeing his older work, I'd say he can do better.
