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DVD REVIEW
FIRST PUBLISHED Mar 30, 2003
FIRST PUBLISHED Mar 30, 2003
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I have always been a fan of gangster films. From "The Godfather" to "GoodFellas" and "Casino", I have always found stories about made men to be endlessly entertaining. After viewing trailers for the fall 2002 release "Knockaround Guys", I was excited that I would be in for more of the same kind of fun, only this time with a cast of relatively young up-and-comers. Directing duo Brian Koppelman and David Levien (who also wrote the screenplay for the 1998 gambling drama "Rounders") put together what ended up to be a mediocre box-office entry but a respectably entertaining film.
Barry Pepper ("Saving Private Ryan") plays Matty Demaret, the son of big-time mobster Benny Chains. Dennis Hopper ("Speed") is Chains, and his right-hand man Teddy Deserve is played by John Malkovich ("Con Air"). Chains and Deserve represent relics of sorts. They are the last of an extinct breed of authentic old-time mobsters, and behind them, they leave a legacy of guys like Matty--young wannabes who yearn to get in on some of the "action" that has, with changing times, become a bad fantasy. As a young boy, Matty fails a rite of passage and realizes that he´s not cut out of the same cloth as guys like his dad Benny. Unfortunately, his blood association to a mob boss curses him with the inability to lead a normal life or even land an honest job. Because of this, Matty begs "Uncle" Teddy and his father for a chance to take on a job that could propel him into bigger and better things within the Chains crime organization. As part of the deal, he recruits his childhood friend Johnny Marbles (Seth Green) to help him transport a large sum of cash for his father via plane. A domino effect occurs when the reckless Marbles botches the job and loses the soon-to-be blood money in a small town in Montana, forcing Matty to call in two more friends, Taylor Reese (Vin Diesel) and Chris Scarpa (HBO "Soprano´s" star Andrew Davoli). In a rather formulaic storyline, the already grave situation spirals even more out of control as the gang of young wannabes tries to figure out a way to get the lost dough back. Throw in the introduction of two corrupt local cops led by Sheriff Decker (the perpetually creepy Tom Noonan), and you have yourself a surefire recipe for misfortune.
Much of the success of "Knockaround Guys" has to be attributed to the casting. If this movie did not have the lineup of recognizable young stars mixed in with quality Hollywood veterans that it does, I doubt that it would have received much attention or any box office returns. Barry Pepper, whose career in film has been favorable (except for the lingering stench of "Battlefield Earth") does a nice job of playing the role of a mobster wannabe. In scenes where he tries to talk tough or use his father´s name to get a point across, he shows a sort of hidden insecurity that takes a specific kind of actor to pull off. Seth Green ("Goldmember") is right at home as the undependable and foolhardy Marbles, and Vin Diesel ("xXx") ideally fills the role of Taylor, the brotherly and loyal muscle of the group. The supporting roles, however, are what really help complete the movie. Tom Noonan ("Robocop 2") has got to be one of the most effective "scary guy" villains in Hollywood this side of Christopher Walken. His role as the obstinate sheriff of Wibaux, Montana is near-flawless, and like his previous roles, he continues to prove himself a very gifted performer. In the same vein, John Malkovich puts in his usual stellar performance as Teddy, and Dennis Hopper, in his limited role, makes the most of his screentime as Benny Chains. One character actor of interest is Kevin Gage, who was cast as the treacherous Waingro in Michael Mann´s "Heat". A listen to the directors´ commentary will tell an interesting side-story about how he was cast as the town tough-guy Brucker.
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