Lives change forever when Tau, the young lion, kills two corrupt policemen in a South African shanty town.Lives change forever when Tau, the young lion, kills two corrupt policemen in a South African shanty town.Lives change forever when Tau, the young lion, kills two corrupt policemen in a South African shanty town.
- Awards
- 8 wins & 13 nominations total
Zethu Dlomo-Mphahlele
- Lerato
- (as Zethu Dlomo)
Hamilton Dlamini
- Sepoko
- (as Hamilton Dhlamini)
Featured reviews
The story is a strong commentary on social and economic disparage plaguing this world. In this case a world of post-modern, rural life set in South Africa. It is a full-bodied, complex character study with heart and a hefty dose of classic spaghetti western attitude. The protagonist is a compelling, emotional character that shows all the scares and tribulations of a hard life. Scares he wears effectively on his sleeve. A very convincing performance. The antagonists and varied townsfolk are all equally convincing personals and framed nicely in the story.
The effects are standard, well-done elements one expects in a somewhat violent tome of expressionist folderol which plays out as perfect as any 70's experimental American western. The real effects are the musical score, atmosphere and cinematography. All are exceptional. The film isn't excessively exploitative with the bloodshed or violence, so when it happens it becomes very affectational moments.Overall "Five Fingers For Marseilles" is above average for indie film making. It does move a bit slow but the pace becomes almost hypnotic in its ability to capture your attention and be entertaining.
The effects are standard, well-done elements one expects in a somewhat violent tome of expressionist folderol which plays out as perfect as any 70's experimental American western. The real effects are the musical score, atmosphere and cinematography. All are exceptional. The film isn't excessively exploitative with the bloodshed or violence, so when it happens it becomes very affectational moments.Overall "Five Fingers For Marseilles" is above average for indie film making. It does move a bit slow but the pace becomes almost hypnotic in its ability to capture your attention and be entertaining.
The visuals are great, the story watchable. An interesting study on how early childhood trauma can affects an individual psyche later in life, and how it affects different people in different ways/
The lead actor delivers a powerful convincing performance, as do most of the cast, even when the story lags as it does in parts. It would have been interesting to see a little more intra and interpersonal conflict, and I feel if this had been scripted, the story would have been riveting.
The landscape as a character is breathtaking, and supports the mood of the story beautifully. I wonder, will a sequel follow? I would certainly watch a sequel expecting this creative team to deliver an even better story!
The lead actor delivers a powerful convincing performance, as do most of the cast, even when the story lags as it does in parts. It would have been interesting to see a little more intra and interpersonal conflict, and I feel if this had been scripted, the story would have been riveting.
The landscape as a character is breathtaking, and supports the mood of the story beautifully. I wonder, will a sequel follow? I would certainly watch a sequel expecting this creative team to deliver an even better story!
This was a good movie. I can say I was highly impressed. The movie looked amazing first off. The camera work was amazing. Based off westerns, the movie is slow and dramatic but I loved the way the story and drama builds. I was always kept interested. The characters are interesting and the relationships between them are well crafted.
The main actor is very cool in this movie and is a great protagonist. He plays the badass hero role perfectly. The villain is very creepy and they did a good job of making him a menacing and evil character. Most of the side characters are also interesting and have their own agendas and issues.
I liked the R rating of this movie as they did not hold back in the scenes of violence. This allowed them to create some really intense scenes that really heightened the drama.
I loved the movie up until the third act. I feel like the third act becomes a bit slow and tedious as it builds to the final act climax which is a confusing gun battle that could have been crafted a bit better in my opinion. The finale left a sick feeling in my stomach as the directors decided to express a strong philosophy through this story which makes the story feel senseless but besides the ending I feel like this was a very well crafted and entertaining film with some great acting and cinematography.
The main actor is very cool in this movie and is a great protagonist. He plays the badass hero role perfectly. The villain is very creepy and they did a good job of making him a menacing and evil character. Most of the side characters are also interesting and have their own agendas and issues.
I liked the R rating of this movie as they did not hold back in the scenes of violence. This allowed them to create some really intense scenes that really heightened the drama.
I loved the movie up until the third act. I feel like the third act becomes a bit slow and tedious as it builds to the final act climax which is a confusing gun battle that could have been crafted a bit better in my opinion. The finale left a sick feeling in my stomach as the directors decided to express a strong philosophy through this story which makes the story feel senseless but besides the ending I feel like this was a very well crafted and entertaining film with some great acting and cinematography.
Five Fingers for Marseilles is Michael Matthew's modern take on the classic western genre. He pays homage to those films that came before his, especially to classic spaghetti westerns such as The Dollars Trilogy, known for their standoff scenes. The movie uses the stand-off to parallel itself, beginning with harmless slingshots and ending with guns. Sean Drummond, the writer, created characters I really enjoyed. This vibrant cast was made up of actors I had never seen before, and I was quickly pulled into the story. The director clearly understood the characters and what they needed for me to get lost in their portrayals of these hometown heroes turned villains. Vuyo Dabula, who plays the main character, did a great job portraying the anti-hero and I found myself both routing for and intimidated of him by the end of the film. Each character had their own past to deal with and I was captivated by how they all chose to deal with their mistakes. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it.
Amazing little film, but unfortunately suffering of a weak directing and acting too. But the script is OK, good enough to try the watch. Thanks to netflix to have distributed it several years ago. But I am sure most world wide audiences have never heard of this film. However, I think it is a bit too long, it is not a Sergio Leone's film either. Maybe too ambitious for this film destined to the only South Africa territory. But maybe I am wrong.... And for those who may be misunderstand, Marseille here is in South Africa, and not in France. That's important to point it out. Good characters study, that's the main strength of this film.
Did you know
- TriviaAll of the language in the film is authentic. Director Michael Matthews said they went to great lengths to have local languages represented in the film. It switches from English to Xhosa and Sesotho.
- How long is Five Fingers for Marseilles?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Пять пальцев для Марселя
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $136,374
- Runtime
- 2h(120 min)
- Color
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