Its all about being in the wrong place at the right time
Rating: 4/10
Running Time: 97 minutes
UK Certificate: 15
On DVD
Seann William Scott dons a distractingly large amount of facial fuzz to star alongside a cast of little-knowns in this latest attempt at latching onto the success of Pulp Fiction and Lock, Stock, etc. It might be a little harsh to suggest the beard is a last-gasp attempt by the triple-named one to hide his embarrassment at accepting a role in such a lacklustre production but I cant be the only viewer to have had the thought cross my mind. Its a semi-serious role for the angular-jawed American Pie and Dude, Wheres My Car? doofus. He plays Ben, the wild-eyed nightclub promoter roped into robbing a bank by silly-haired Chinatown mob-lord Gregory (Lou Diamond Phillips). So, along with accomplices Rikki (Timm poor mans Sam Rockwell Sharp), Jeffrey (Patrick Breen), Betty (Suzy Nakamura) and Jake (John V. Crye), he sets about breaking into the bank vault whilst simultaneously fighting off the attentions of various dance-floor hussies and under-cover Feds. The plot is reasonable enough if never in any danger of becoming even slightly original, and the unfolding of the climax is just about interesting enough to hold the attention. But directorial duo Drew Daywalt and David Schneider seem obsessed with throwing in various camera tricks and self-indulgent stylistics wherever possible, and though some of it is impressively done, it adds little to the film as a whole. Similarly off-putting are Bens intermittent asides to the camera, which tell us nothing we cant suss out for ourselves and largely just seem to be excuses for SWS to spout nonsense directly to the viewer. The movie does contain a couple of funny moments, but allowing this into the comedy genre is a bit of a squeeze. Youre much more likely to find it filed in your video stores instantly forgettable category.
It's Got: A safe-cracker who lives his life by the rule of the mood-fish - so clearly he hasnt worked out yet that they only flip over cos youve got sweaty paws.
It Needs: For the directors to stop trying to show-off and concentrate on making a better film.
DVD Extras Nada. DVD Extras Rating: 0/10
Summary
Youve seen it all before. Strictly for Seann William Scott fans, otherwise give it a miss.