Film: Cash

Jean Reno is fast becoming France’s answer to Steven Seagal, he seems to be appearing in an endless amount of straight to dvd films of varying quality.

This effort gives Reno second billing and he features prominently on the cover but he doesn’t show up for quite some time, although he does make a significant impact and his charisma shines through.

The main character is a con artist called Cash (Jean Dujardin, a man who strongly resembles UK tv star Robson Green). Following the death of his brother, Cash plans revenge and with the help of Reno and others he goes about hurting the culprits where they’ll feel it most, in their pockets.

The Ocean’s Eleven type antics are mildly interesting but the whole thing lacks excitement and pace. A surprising appearance by Ciaran Hinds from UK tv’s Above Suspicion was the most entertaining thing about it, he even speaks French, complete with the accent.

Cash was made in 2008 but arrives on DVD in the UK on 9th January 2012 courtesy of Metrodome.

Ric’s Rating: 37%

Book: Text Message by William Malmborg

A Christmas shopping trip becomes a terrifying ordeal for sisters Mallory and Jenna in the new thriller from the author of Jimmy (see review elsewhere here).

While Mallory browses in a lingerie shop she sends her sister elsewhere and soon receives an ominous text message stating simply “I have your sister”.

The perpetrator then begins setting Mallory tasks and in order to spare Jenna from suffering she must complete each one, no matter how dangerous or degrading. A security guard, Dan, offers his help. But can he be trusted?

Enter the villain of the piece, Mr Campbell and we soon learn that he has become a predator due to some horrific incidents in his past.

This fast-paced tale takes place over the course of a single day in which the shopping mall has to close early due to adverse weather leaving the girls alone with the seriously unhinged Campbell.

The book will please fans of films like Saw and anyone who enjoys “horror” without silly monsters or anything supernatural going on.

Text Message is a heart-stopping and often disturbing thriller that remains easy to read but is not for the faint of heart.

For more information on the author and his other projects visit www.williammalmborg.com

Ric’s Rating: 74%

Film: The Legend Of Bruce Lee

While watching this biopic of the legendary martial artist I gradually suspected that I was looking at something made for tv. A glance at the running time (a staggering 183mins) added to my suspicions. Research duly confirmed that this is a condensed version of a Chinese tv show that ran for 50 episodes, each one 45mins long.

It does throw in a couple of nifty fight scenes but even the charismatic Danny Chan (who bears a striking resemblance to Lee) and brief appearances from Marc Dacascos (Brotherhood Of The Wolf) and Michael Jai White (Exit Wounds, Blood & Bone) fail to broaden its appeal beyond the intended audience.

Bruce Lee's story has already been told for Western audiences in the fantastic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and this serves as a timely reminder of just how good that film was.

Recommended only to Bruce Lee devotees.

The Legend Of Bruce Lee is released on DVD in the UK on 9th January 2012.

Ric's Rating: 39%

Film: Elite Squad: The Enemy Within

We kick off the 2012 reviews with a cracker from Brazil that should appeal to anyone interested in world cinema.

When Captain Nascimento (Wagner Moura) takes responsibility for a botched prison hostage rescue he expects to be kicked out of the Brazilian police. Instead he is given a position within the political machine and decides to use this to benefit his colleagues on the street.

When the police begin to get the better of the drug dealers Nascimento soon learns that he faces a more dangerous foe, corrupt officers and those who stand to make political gain through their activities.

This sequel to 2007s The Elite Squad contains a curious mix of explosive action, political drama and family problems that works very well indeed.

Evoking memories of the best of South American cinema (City Of God, Amores Perros) this intricately woven tale comes together beautifully and features fantastic performances from all involved.

There’s no need to have seen the original (I didn’t) as this works as a stand-alone film although my compulsion to experience events leading to those depicted here make it a must-see.

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: 84%

Top Books Read in 2011

2011 will go down as the year I embraced reading e-books. The format has helped open my eyes to new authors, short stories and has made me willing to take risks with my reading, some of which paid off big time.

Traditional printed books did not go away, on the contrary I actually welcomed the feel of them after reading e-books so overall I had a brilliant reading experience in 2011.

Here are some of the highlights in no particular order. Each book is reviewed in full elsewhere here and I've included a quote from it to give you a brief taster.

Murder In Silence by Gary Kassay
“stunning debut thriller........harrowing.....the best self-published book I’ve read”

Sinema by Rod Glenn
“This is a hardcore serial killer thriller that won’t appeal to those used to cosy whodunits”

Jimmy by William Malmborg
“ captivating journey through the mind of a young man who crosses the line and brings his darkest fantasies to life”

Black Flowers by Steve Mosby
“Neil Dawson investigates the apparent suicide of his Father in the latest disturbing tale from Steve Mosby”

Creep by Jennifer Hillier
“Fatal Attraction meets Misery.......in a sexually charged story”

11.59 by David Williams
“Full of seedy goings-on and laced with dark humour it had me looking forward to resuming the story every time”

Ask The Dice by Ed Lynskey
“very engaging and the explosive finale provides a final round knockout”

Winds Of Change by Jason Brannon
“simultaneously terrifying and intriguing”

The Sacrificial Man by Ruth Dugdall
“Dugdall proves to be a smart new voice in the crime fiction genre”

The Infection by Craig Dilouie
“everything The Walking Dead aspires to be....all the best elements of a zombie story in one place”

Blitz by Ken Bruen
“Highly recommended for fans of violent, fast paced crime stories”

Memory Leak by Trevor Schmidt
“an action thriller told at a blistering pace that reminded me of one of my favourite films, Total Recall”

Preview: Blood Tears by Michael J Malone

Blood Tears, the debut crime novel from award winning poet, book reviewer, brilliant blogger and fellow Scotsman Michael Malone is published in June 2012 by Five Leaves Publications.

Here is the lowdown on what’s in store for crime fiction fans:

A body is discovered: the terrible mutilations spell out the wounds of the Stigmata.

For Glasgow Detective Inspector Ray McBain the killings are strangely familiar......and then the dreams begin.

Blood Tears is the first in a series of books featuring Ray McBain, a detective who has too many friends in the underworld for his own good, but enough to support him when he is forced to go on the run.

June 2012 seems a long way off but Michael has kindly provided me with an advance copy so check back soon for a full review.

Please visit the author’s blog, May Contain Nuts for more information on the book and loads of other cool stuff.

Top Films Of 2011

These are the films that I’ve enjoyed most over the past 12 months. All of them were “on target” in 2011.

The Next Three Days
Russell Crowe hatches a plan to help his wife escape from prison in this excellent re-make of the French film Anything For Her. Going into this one I didn’t know anything about it or that it was a re-make. This worked greatly in the film’s favour as I didn’t know how things were going to turn out.

Full review here http://ricsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/film-next-three-days.html

Let me In
Another re-make and again I haven’t seen the original. This tale of a child-like urban vampire manages to be the rarest of films, a great horror.

Full review here http://ricsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/dvd-let-me-in.html

Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist
Also known as Fast Five this sequel really delivers. Big on action and excitement it also features a brilliant fight scene involving Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Full review here http://www.ricsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/film-fast-furious-5-rio-heist.html


Cell 211
A rookie prison guard finds himself locked in with the inmates during a riot in this brilliant Spanish drama. Can he keep his true identity hidden? Ferocious film with cool performances.

Full review here http://ricsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/07/film-cell-211.html

Terry
This British mock-documentary from director / star Nick Nevern follows a London wide boy as his life spirals out of control. It’s powerful stuff and very realistic.

Full review here http://ricsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/dvd-terry.html

Mother’s Day
Rebecca DeMornay is amazing as the Matriarch of a violent family in this excellent home invasion film from director of Saw sequels Darren Lynn Boussman.

Full review here http://www.ricsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/11/film-mothers-day.html

Horrible Bosses
What do you do when your boss is a tyrant? Three hapless friends conspire to bump theirs off in this surprisingly good comedy featuring fine performances from Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston.

Full review here http://ricsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/08/film-horrible-bosses.html

Thor
The God Of Thunder finally arrived on the big screen and director Kenneth Branagh delivered a film packed with action, effects and …….laughs! Excellent precursor to the upcoming Avengers film.

Full review here http://ricsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/film-thor.html

Rio Breaks
This emotional documentary follows two young boys as they attempt to escape a life in the slums of Brazil through professional surfing.

Full review here http://ricsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/film-rio-breaks.html

Warrior
At last, a decent MMA (mixed martial arts) film. An estranged family bring all their problems into the octagon in this modern day Rocky with great performances from Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy.

Full review here http://ricsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/film-warrrior.html

Near misses
Biutiful, Red State, Outcast, Stake Land, Collapse, Faster and The Troll Hunter.

Film: Territories

When a group of travellers are pulled over by cops for a seemingly routine check they soon discover that these guys aren’t cops and this is anything but ordinary.

They are taken deep into the woods and subjected to a series of tortures typical of those employed against various terrorist suspects in recent years

It soon emerges that one of the captors is a veteran soldier who spent time working with detainees at the notorious Guantanamo Bay.

A tense opening half hour soon becomes a plodding unpleasant affair with few redeeming features. A cool P.I turning up to get to the bottom of the group’s disappearance provides little relief from the gloom.

Rather pointless really.

Ric’s Rating: 40%

Film: Faces In The Crowd

Anna Marchant (Milla Jovovich) survives an encounter with the notorious serial killer Tearjerk Jack but the incident leaves her suffering from Prosopagnosia aka “face blindness”.

Unable to recognise her attacker Anna makes for a bad witness, much to the chagrin of cop Sam Kerrest (Julian McMahon) but even more troubling is the fact that she cannot recognise her friends, her partner or even her own reflection.

This begins very promisingly with Jovovich performing admirably as the nervy victim. Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break, The Walking Dead) also puts in an appearance but it’s all too brief as the actress playing her part frequently changes in order to illustrate the face blindness. This happens with all the characters, the notable exception being McMahon and the reason for this is explained, rather shoddily, towards the films finale.

What could have been an excellent serial killer film turns out to be a cheesy and predictable effort that’s mediocre at best, although it’s nice to see Jovovich in something other than a Resident Evil film.

Faces In The Crowd is released on DVD in the UK on January 9th 2012.

Ric’s Rating: 58%

Book: Committed by John W Mefford

The discovery of a corpse leads Michael Doyle into the murky world of corporate takeover in the debut thriller from John.W.Mefford.

It emerges that the victim was known to Doyle and he is compelled to bolster a flagging police investigation, unaware that he is upsetting some very powerful people.

Whilst caught up in this personal crusade Doyle’s professional life is also thrown into turmoil as his company is swallowed up by an Indian firm known for their ruthless drive for profits.

Are these two seemingly unrelated events connected?

Starting off like a romance novel this takes some time to get going and often gets caught up in the details of corporate shenanigans. Only when the true nature of events is revealed does it become a compelling tale.

It has murder, revenge, corruption, bribery and scandal although I can’t help feeling that Doyle’s girlfriend should have had a past so much more complicated than the one delivered. Their relationship would have been much more interesting if tested more severely.

This is the first in a planned series for Mefford’s recurring character and it’ll be interesting to see what’s next for the budding investigative journalist but hopefully the next instalment will tone down the sickly sweet romance and crank up the action.

Ric’s Rating: 62%

Film: Bridesmaids

Annie (Kristen Wiig) is overjoyed when her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) asks her to be maid of honour at her upcoming wedding. What Annie doesn't know is that Lillian has made a new friend Helen (Rose Byrne) and the two soon compete to organise the best wedding ever.

There are some fine comedy performances here. Wiig is perfect as the ditzy Annie and Melissa McCarthy is hilarious as the crass Megan.

Unfortunately, as is the case with many comedy films these days, all the funniest moments were shown in the trailer. There are laughs to be had but this is no female version of The Hangover, it's more of a romantic comedy.

It soon becomes a tiresome tale of a lonely woman looking for love and it's all as predictable as they come.

Mildly amusing but not what it appears to be, this is a chick flick masquerading as a middle aged American Pie.

Ric's Rating: 54%

Film: The Flight Before Christmas

When impetuous young reindeer Niko unwittingly leads wolves to his herd he decides they would be better off without him so he sets off on a quest to find his Father, one of Santa’s famous flying reindeer.

Along the way he is joined by Julius the flying squirrel and Wilma the weasel, together they embark on the seemingly impossible journey to Santa’s Fell, but the wolves are close behind.

This beautifully animated film is a festive treat for both kids and adults. It has charming characters and nice moments of humour but the trio’s journey isn’t without peril.

The Flight Before Christmas is an ideal movie to enjoy with the kids as we approach the festivities, it’s available on DVD in the UK now courtesy of Metrodome.

Ric's Rating: 71%