By the Gun (2014) User Reviews

a tale of the expected

[tiggersuk · 4/10 · 30 December 2014]

i watched this earlier today, its fairly well filmed, realistic locations etc but to be honest is was clear after 30 mins or so that i was really wasting my time, even so i decided to see it through to its bitter clichéd predictable end, it amazes me how actors of the calibre of both Toby Jones and Harvey Keitel ended up in this movie all be it playing bit parts... maybe they 'had to do a little favour for someone' by being in this very average clichéd seen it all before type film... a familiar tale of protection rackets, strip clubs, hits going wrong, family loyalty, revenge and of course no one gets away clean! including the audience! 4/10

Could have been a much better film

[nickan2000 · 4/10 · 9 December 2014]

Here is the thing, mafia films are more or less dead. This film had a good storyline, locations used gave the film a very convincing feel. You had a mix of very well known names and known names. The rhythm of the film was good as well. It had all the right ingredients for a excellent film. But unfortunately whoever wrote the dialogues and casted people surely didn't consult each other. Most of the very intense moments of the film had long dialogues and the characters playing the roles could not bring any intensity to the situation. And once again a good at heart stuck in the criminal world is not really ideal either. All the old mafia films were good because they went all the way good at heart or not. They generated that feel and compassion that they want to a part of mafia. This is a mafia chick flick at the best. Anyways with some shorter dialogue in hyped up scenes would have done the justice to the talent in the film. Or a better cast with the same dialogues and a bit bold director, who wasn't scared of leaving the good guy routine behind, could have made this film work.

Just my opinion.

Gritty Mafia crime thriller full of good performances.

[mac-ginty · 5/10 · 5 December 2014]

A young gangster (Nick) achieves his lifetime goal of joining the Mafia and we see the struggle it causes between his family, friends and girlfriend. This is a well acted piece with a nice turn from Harvey Kietal as a crime Boss. Nicks life is complicated by his long term partner in crimes gambling indiscretions and this leads to an explosion of violence where everyone is affected.

Downbeat locations and realistic dialogue seem to add a feeling of doom for the Mafia lifestyle that is portrayed as dying out. The film is a bit reminiscent of The Town but on a smaller budget. Well worth the money as a rental but it is unlikely that you will feel the need to rush out and buy the Bluray. An all round solid effort.

Dirge!

[scrabo39-143-16850 · 1/10 · 7 December 2014]

Watched this last night, hoping to see something along the lines of, well, good acting. I was bitterly disappointed. To call the lead wooden, would be an insult to trees. Awful script. Awful direction. Awful acting. Awful..........just awful. Harvey Keitel does his best, but he must have known this was going to be a Krimbo turkey from day one. Painful to watch, and I can only hope whoever cast this recovers quickly.Low budget boredom from start to finish, with unbelievable dialogue. Wrong Turn at Tahoe, makes this film look like what it is, a cheap, no thrills D movie.I implore you, gentle film viewer, to give this one a wide, wide berth. To sum up, do not waste your precious time!

I love this film

[searchanddestroy-1 · 13 November 2016]

I won't say this film is a pure masterpiece but it is definitely a good film noir. I admit it is slow, sometimes a little too long on some scenes, such as this one in the warehouse and borrowed from RESERVOIR DOGS, with a little too much talking. But the story, even foreseeable and cliché on some points, reminds me Phil Joanou's STATE OF GRACE, remember, starring Sean Penn, another film noir involving friends, brother and the gang, where Ed Harris could be imagined in the Harvey Keitel role. Yes, I definitely love this little unknown, at least, not known enough, feature very dark, gloomy and not for all audiences. I have seen many of this kind and have hundreds of those in my huge Library. I will never get tired of that. Never, over my dead body.

Boasts a good cast in desperate need of a good story.

[trublu215 · 2/10 · 16 March 2015]

"You watched the first half of Goodfellas like a thousand times." That is an actual line from this film that feels more like a critique of itself. By the Gun is a Scorsese wannabe film that has terrible dialog and even worse accents. The only thing worse than being a Scorsese wannabe is being a Scorsese rip-off and while By the Gun does have moments of blatant plagiarism, it does quite fully embrace it. The dialog and screenplay feels like they are excerpts from better films in the same genre. It never quite gels coming out of any of these actors outside of Slaine and Harvey Keitel. The best part about this film is Slaine, he turns in a good performance but his character feels more and more like Jackie Boy from Mean Streets going into the third act. Harvey Keitel is...well, he's Harvey Keitel, this guy created the tough guy so he gets a pass just because he plays this part in his sleep. Leighton Meester does her best here and it is nowhere near enough to salvage the cast from being a complete disaster. My last and final complaint about the cast is more a question than anything, but what in the hell is Toby Jones doing in this film and what the hell was that accent? Furthermore, the film is too bright and vibrant. What we're seeing isn't doing the moments of grit any justice, they're glossy, crisp and hardly the vibe it wants to be going for. But, setting aside a terrible cast and poor cinematography, what is most important here is that this film isn't entertaining. It isn't interesting, it falls in line with being another poorly done mob film that was lucky enough to get picked up by a distributor.

Bored "By the Gun"

[zardoz-13 · 1/10 · 3 February 2015]

The apathetic R-rated mafia movie "By the Gun" generates minimal velocity, and the foul-mouthed characters don't curse half as much as they should. If you're itching for something like either "Goodfellas" or "Killing Them Softly," you're going to be sorely disappointed. The urban action meanders aimlessly for little more than a half-hour before our handsome but ineffectual hero finds himself face to face with his big contract kill. Sadly, Nick cannot summon the nerve to pull the trigger. Instead, his obnoxious buddy George (Slaine of "The Town") takes care of Nick's business for him. Niccolo Emilio Tortano (Ben Barnes of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"), who dreamed about being a 'made man' in the Italian mob, gets his opportunity about 41 minutes into the slow-burn action as his boss Salvatore Vitaglia (Harvey Keitel of "Mean Streets") administers the omerta oath.

Trouble is killing isn't in Nick's blood. Nick's father Vincent wants nothing to do with either him or the mob. Nick also has his eyes on a female bartender, Ali (Leighton Meester of "Country Strong"), and likes to give her flowers. As it turns out, Ali's father is scummy mafia chieftain Tony Matazano (Ritchie Coaster of "Blackhat"), and Nick's friend George takes Tony hostage and beats him within an inch of his life. George threatens to blab off to everybody about what he did for Nick. Tony tells Nicky repeatedly to kill George, and suddenly Nick blows Tony's head off. This prompts Sal to take a contract out of Nick. Indeed, Nick gets to sleep with Ali who abhorred her own father, but by then Nick's days are numbered. When Sal's shooter Jerry (Toby Jones of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier") comes gunning for Nick, he finds Ali alone in bed and ices her. Nick manages to shoot Jerry with the same silenced automatic with which Jerry rubbed out Ali. Finally, Nick musters some guts and goes after Sal.

Sophomore director James Motten of "Trucker" and rookie scenarist Emilio Mauro delay the inevitable for what seems an eternity. More characters bite the dust in the last ten minutes than the previous 100 minutes. Leading man Ben Barnes drums up little charisma. He isn't sympathetic for a mafia protagonist who allows situations to manipulate him. Motton and Mauro deliver a double whammy surprise at fade-out, but it is too late to salvage this mediocre melodrama. The locations appear realistic enough, and the budget seems more than adequate. Nevertheless, "By the Gun" emerges as a forgettable fiasco.

"When you are young, you have options. Later on you don't. Enjoy the summer, it will soon be winter."

[gradyharp · 7/10 · 27 December 2014]

As written by Emilio Mauro and directed by James Mottern BY THE GUN is another Boston Mafia flick, but this one is a bit more sensitive to character development and conflicts of the gang world than most. Perhaps most of that is due to Ben Barnes very exceptional portrayal of the lead character, but kudos must be passed around to a supporting cast that is less concerned with star turns then depicting the miasma of Mafioso life, perhaps the most dysfunctional concept of 'family' ever created.

Nick Tortano (Ben Barnes) is a smooth-talking, ladies man, ambitious criminal from the streets of Boston. After years spent working for and idolizing the Italian gangsters he finally proves himself to the boss Salvatore Vitaglia (Harvey Keitel) and becomes a made man. However, once inside, Nick conflicts with a moneymaker for the Mafia and begins to drive a wedge between him and Boss. In the sidebars, Nick's 'driver' is the fat but fearless George Mullins (Slaine) who makes Nick's initial difficult kill for him, Nick's real father (Paul Ben- Victor) and younger brother Vito (an impressive turn for Kenny Wormald), a love affair with Ali Matazano (Leighton Meester), and various conflicts with Salvatore's enemies. There are some fine minor character roles by Toby Jones, Ron Komora, Tully Banta-Cain, William Bloomfield, Richie Coaster and others, but basically this is Ben Barnes film –a confused young man who makes some wrong choices but does so in a manner that keeps our compassion.

Not a great film, nor does it pretend to be, but for a small Indie look at the autopsy of the Boston Mafia it fares well.

Punk Personified.

[theutakehome · 4/10 · 26 March 2015]

Usually I root for the lead in a film. In this case I just couldn't. I fully understand now why the lead character Ben Barnes distanced himself from the film after it's release. He was made to look like a wanna be punk gangster aka WANKSTER. I refused to garner any sympathy for his situation, simply because the acting didn't get me there. I was more rooting for his best friend Slaine and he was a complete reprobate. I have to say it did live up to the expectations of they typical mob movie with the strip clubs, test of loyalty and revenge tactics. The alienation of at least 1 parent and a sibling torn between the 2. However, with the exception of Keitel, Coaster and Slaine the acting was pretty disappointing. Not sorry I watched but was predictable through and through.

Well managed gangster movie

[robertemerald · 7/10 · 27 March 2019]

There's nothing essentially new in this piece. Despite that it is still a worthy movie, and will please fans of mob dramas. It's extremely well cast, better, I think, than the recent Gotti. So it comes across as genuine, with plenty of evil types, and these horrible men contrast well with the selfish and naive lead, all giving really good performances with an edgy and convincing script. The soundscape is minimal yet brooding, and works well. The sub-plots of love, friendship debt and family relationships gel really well with the overarching theme. It all leads to a rather surprising conclusion that was excellently done. My grips with it are that the promise of establishing shots that this film would include good cinematography never really materialised, though some of the down and dirty locations were well chosen. It certainly has that poorer suburbs of New York look down pat, like the Sopranos sometimes does, or movies like Black Mass. By The Gun is not an original idea, but it is really well made and the actors here have definitely risen to the occasion.

I HOPE YOU CAN ACCEPT MY SINCEREST APOLOGY

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 10 September 2018]

Nicky (Ben Barnes) is an overly cocky punk criminal. His slow witted cousin George (Slaine) does his dirty work as Nicky doesn't have the guts to do his own killing, but he is willing to take the credit. Nicky gets his dream of becoming "family" by "the gun and the knife" as their code states.

He quickly gets in over his head as he hasn't outgrown being a punk and his cousin causes additional rifts with his free lance schemes.

Nicky is given advice "When you are young, you have options. Later on you don't. Enjoy the summer, it will soon be winter." This nice little metaphor was part of the dialogue which I thought was fairly decent. The characters were all the same that we have seen in all these other mafia-crime films. Nicky, our main character is not likeable by design. George becomes our next criminal protagonist, but things change there too. There was no subplot of cops investigating killings or any criminal activity, as the film centered on Nicky, who was in nearly every scene.

While the film wasn't bad, about the waning days of organized crime, it wasn't a film that will stick in your mind. Makes for a good rental.

Guide: F-bomb, sex, FF stripper nudity (Julie Ann Dawson ? Stacey Queripel + others) sincerest

A very good crime thriller that's worth a view

[Mischief810 · 10/10 · 30 December 2015]

I don't understand the negative reviews. This is a very good low budget crime drama with a plot that grabs you and doesn't let go until the violent, bitter end.

Ben Barnes really plays the dark and conflicted Nick Tortano well, a character that you really want to root for, but just can't because of this thing they have in the mob. Harvey Keitel is perfectly cast as a mob boss and plays the role as brilliantly as you would expect.

I thought the script could have been a little tighter and frankly that's the only thing that keeps this very good film from being a great one.

The acting was also very good from top to bottom, and the action scenes were well directed and very well executed.

If you don't mind low budget flicks with nonetheless good character development and good performances, you will like By the Gun. It's good enough to watch twice. Or more. Ignore the negative reviews and get this one!

The Story of a "Maid" Man

[lavatch · 7/10 · 18 October 2022]

Nick Tortano was a kid with a dream. He wanted to be part of the "family" run by a local mafia thug named Salvatore Vitaglia. Against the wishes of his father, Nick placed his allegiance is his surrogate father, Sal. Now, entering the estate of manhood, Nick is about to "make his bones" by committing his first murder and being initiated into the brotherhood. The only problem is that nearly everyone around Nick recognizes he is not suited at all for the task. Instead of a "made man," Nick is a "maid man."

"By the Gun" was successful in the development of a number of colorful characters, and the dialogue was crisp and salty appropriate to the unsavory types. One of the most intriguing was Nick's comrade George, who is a genuine thug and recognizes the sensitivity in Nick. The actor playing George was terrific.

The most problematic relationship in the film was the love interest between Nick and Ali Matazano, the daughter of a repellent pimp and hustler named Tony. Ali renounced her father and is working as a bartender. It was never convincing that Ali was attracted to Nick or that she would allow him to enter her life. She had already gone through the spaces of rejecting a father and his world of crime.

The film was extremely violent and unpleasant. Yet it was unstinting in refusing to glamorize the world of Sal and the brotherhood. The not-so-subtle message was the time of male bonding and omerta had become a fossilized thing of the past. For Nick Tortano, that realization came to late. Rest in peace, Nick Tortano.

Every movie has a message -- none here.

[redcodex453 · 4/10 · 27 December 2014]

Ben Barnes, Harvey Keitel, Toby Jones is what had me but I say always go by the ratings/reviews. All actors delivered performances, but in what direction exactly was this movie heading into? Filmmakers tried to sugarcoat the film with intense performances but there was absolutely no background to support it hence it falls flat on the subject matter. There is the Godfather series, The Sopranos TV series which makes 'By the Gun' a by-product of poor film making and disappoints you in the subject matter.

Now the most weird thing was, To depict the life of a 'kid' who just got 'made', apparently he dies in the end, which was some kind of twist to make your head spin, and the guy who shoots him, also dies by the hand of the brother of the 'made guy' who had NO role in the movie, no character background, nothing, nada.

Leaves you feeling helpless. It tries to send out a message of friendship but not really, eventually turns out to be a subject of a tragic romance straight from the mafia world. The script shows that the Kid wants to do the right thing but then he doesn't. Why is it so confusing?!

Toby Jones was such a waste here. I hate it when actors like him fall victim to characters with no background, no density. You would realize that all he does in this movie is make a couple of phone calls and supervises a warehouse. He is a 'made guy'.

Not worth your time. Watch the Sopranos again instead.

Horrible cliché with no pay off

[karrguyy · 3/10 · 22 November 2016]

Three stars only because of the performance by Slaine as Nick's friend. This movie is comically bad. Every time you see the lead character he is either lighting a cigarette (he lights no fewer than 5 cigarettes in the opening scenes alone), or tossing a long, freshly lit cigarette out a car window. It almost seems as if somebody in production decided Nick looks good with a full Marlboro 120, but not with one that is half smoked. If it didn't mean sitting through this mud again, I'd love to go back and see exactly how many times a cigarette is lit by either Nick one of the other one dimensional wannabe gangster characters. At any given time somebody is flipping open an old school zippo and doing a Fonzarello routine lighting his smoke. The only saving grace in this film is the performance by Slaine as Nick's best friend. This guy is extremely watchable in this role (and lights up the screen instead of a smoke).

How to Waste 110 Minutes of Your Life

[sacatering · 1/10 · 4 January 2015]

A Frustrated Review of the film, "By The Gun." I just saw the most boring tedious crime movie I have ever seem. With a great cast including Harvey Keitel, Toby Jones, Ritchie Coaster, and the neophyte actor Tully Banta-Cain you would think that it would have something. Some animus, action, story telling, violence and sex or some mixture of these elements. From the black background with white writing and no score during the opening credits. With the first scene of our star with two nude women asleep after a post party night to five minutes before the end it dragged. The whole movie was unplausible and stumbling. Every gangster movie fan, mafioso, talented actor or director will be staring at the screen and crying why! I do not know if it was the acting, screenplay, direction or a combination of all these elements but the plot and talents should have produced something better. It may be good for putting young children to sleep but I am so distressed that I had to write this review and send it out into the world. Movies like this convince me, that though I had my doubts, I could direct a feature film. If you are going to watch this bring along a puzzle book, video game or anything else to help keep you awake. If you happen to be a film masochist enjoy. Signed regretfully Dennis Deitsch

A desperate attempt at a 'mob' film

[ianbhunter · 1/10 · 29 April 2015]

Imagine if you will all the scenes in 'Mafia' films that have stirred your imagination or induced a sense of wonder at the 'mob' culture both at the internal structure of the 'family' and the loyalty that it demands, or, the dark and depraved levels of brutality that is served colder than yesterday's Ziti. Each film, and let's not forget the wonderful Sopranos series depicted more than their fair share of gruesome details. Now imagine hurrying to fill every scene, sub-plot and hard hitting moment into one film? Well, this is it.

This film seems hurried, the scenes are empty and the plot holes and unbelievable relationships between characters are clear and awkward. This is a film that you think you've seen before simply because there's nothing original to the viewer. I did find myself saying 'no' at predictable story lines... I did say 'no' rather a lot!

The best thing about this film was smiling at Harvey Keitels New Jersey? accent.

A love story for ignorant women

[supergye-43876 · 7/10 · 19 September 2022]

Yes, if you are a pretty girl we learn from this movie, you may fall in love with a handsome made guy aka mafia member. Don't matter if he kills for a living or that he can't entertain you with any stories or jokes. He is a wolf in prince clothing. Love is in the air, and some women fantasize about this.

The acting is good and tension holds throughout. It's harkens back to old irrational school thinking. It still exists but the truly intelligent may chuckle at this premise for love.

The classic overtones of revenge are kept intact and thoughtful production of color and mood are consistent. Some flashback scenes may have helped the audience feel closer to the main characters, despite their flaws. Instead we are dropped into the middle of their lives. No context. It may at times lack current believability in it's portrayal of love since it takes place in 2022, yet the feel was retro.

Castrated Mob Movie A Poser of a Picture A Fugazi

[LeonLouisRicci · 3/10 · 9 April 2015]

It's Difficult to Make a Boring Mafia Movie. There is So Much Gold to Mine that Even a Half-Hearted Dip Into the Dirt and You Can Dig Up Some Old Bones Worth Studying. So Why is this Wannabe So Dull, Unconvincing, and Bad.

Well, the Movie has No Soul. it is a Lackluster Affair with Less Rhythm than a White Rapper. It Spits and Sputters its Uninteresting Story Delivering Cliché Upon Cliché. Hell, Clichés are Clichés for a Reason. They are Tried and True Things That Work. But Not Here.

The Movie has Some Bad Acting with Character's Meant to Be Edgy, Spouting Middle of the Road Rants About This and That. It is So Familiar and Shop Worn it Leaves the Movie with No Room to Entertain, At All.

A Couple of Scenes Show Some Zip and Promise, Like the Confrontation Between Nick and His "Friend" (Slaine), as Nick Must Confront the Fact that He is a "Poser". Harvey Keitel and Toby Jones are Wasted. In Fact Their Performances are So Restrained and Sleepy, Maybe They Both Were Wasted. Who Knows.

This Movie is Simply Not Entertaining and is Guilty of Playing Around in the Mob Genre where it is Not Recommended to Venture Unless You've Got a Pair. This Thing is a Eunuch.

Pretend Killer Pretends To Be A Killer - Fairly Lame - Not Exciting - Just An Easy To Watch Movie

[fredfinklemeyer · 6/10 · 12 March 2019]

03/12/2019 Watched it all, glad it's over. They chose the right guy for the lead, he looks like a poser and his acting was OK so he looked like one in this movie. Nothing earth shattering here, the ending was for me, the best part. Bon Appetit

Mediocre Mob Flick with some good performances.

[t-dooley-69-386916 · 5/10 · 25 May 2015]

Set in Boston we meet Nick Tortano (Ben Barnes) he works for Salvatore Vitaglia (Harvey Keitel) in what is seen as the dying days of Sicilian mob rule – with the new eastern Europeans taking over. Nick just wants to be a 'made man' and in doing so has become estranged to his father, but has a best bud in George (Slaine) who sort of gives him a leg up – but he has more of a taste for wanton killing than does Nick.

Throw into the mix a little illicit gambling, the ubiquitous lap dancing club and a stereotype Mafiosi or two and you have the general ingredients for a decent film. But this has all the pieces in the wrong place, the slow burn lacks any menace to keep you interested and when the violence does come it is so rushed that you could almost miss it. There is no exploration of the new wave of gangsters or the police doing a single thing – which is a bit odd but would have added something to an otherwise stagily linear narrative.

No-one was dusting off the awards cabinet for this one either, but Slaine was good and Keitel can do no wrong. Barnes as a lead was just too nice to be convincing, but did a fair fist of it. This is one that is probably OK for a rental with some beers, as indeed I did, but it is no way going to be a keeper. If you love all things mob related then it is probably worth a go, but do not expect to be blown away.

Don't say you want a realistic movie and then criticize it for not having a Hollywood gloss!

[madisonquiz · 8/10 · 29 August 2016]

I was surprised this film was rated below 5. I can understand why the average viewer might not find this movie satisfying, because the ending is unexpectedly sad and very unlike most Hollywood mobster films in which the protagonist either survives or sacrifices himself to save another sympathetic character who escapes with a secure future. Neither outcome happens here, which is completely consistent with the realistic vibe it maintains throughout. The acting performances are all excellent and believable. Even the typecast Harvey Keitiel makes you forget all the other mobster characters he's played. In this film, he's Sal, not Harvey. The scenes with newcomer Slaine are especially engaging as his character increasingly asserts his street cred to the wavering Nick. In a way, this is almost an "art film" version of a mob story. They manage to convey character conflicts and brutal violence without glorifying the action (and with zero police presence or shootouts or cars blowing up!) In short, a refreshing albeit depressing deviation from the usual crime movie, but solid and worth a view.

Live and die by ...

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 18 March 2023]

... well you can guess by what ... the movie is the pun - the title that is. So no pun intended on my side, unless you feel the title is one. That aside, you may also feel that Ben Barnes playing an Italian ... is quite the stretch ... and I would argue you are quite right if you feel that way. I don't think he really pulls it off - maybe you see it differently.

But the overall cast is quite something - just seeing Harvey Keitel ... he has that screen presence and really is able to capture the audience! No matter what he says or how long he is on screen. We also get a few others - Leighton Meester is more eye candy than anything else, but she also is doing her best - I reckon she was flavor of the month at the time. She was in a tv show right? Anyway, she is pretty and she can act - though the role she plays may be a bit too much for her too.

And that unbalance is what may break the movie for most I reckon. And the fact it is quite predictable to say the least ...

I think this movie had a point

[Otte1 · 4/10 · 19 October 2022]

The potential was there, but instead of having a gripping storyline the director/writer focused on long dialogue scenes that went absolutely nowhere. A scene that should take one minute would be stretched out to 7,8 minutes without adding in context or structure to the story. There is not a good grasp of what the plot is about. The lead actor who is capable of acting, did not understand his role and was directed incorrectly as he had the exact same face whether he was scared, mad, in love or having sex.....pretty much the exact same constipated look. By the time the movie ended you did not care who was alive or dead. Also, if someone is out to kill you and you know someone coming for you, do not go to the place where they will find you first. Every one of the 'deaths' was completely and totally avoidable which destroys any realism to the movie. It is a pass.

Live By The Gun, Die By The Gun

[twelve-house-books · 9/10 · 22 September 2022]

I am not too sure what people want today in the way of a crime drama, but I've seen enough mafia movies from the original noire years of the 30s and 40s all the way up to today, and BY THE GUN is almost perfect in every way. There is not one weak-link actor, and nobody is scarier as a Sicilian boss than Harvey Keitel (who also played LANSKY). The writing and execution of story by the director and actors--not to mention the subtle music score--tells beautifully the tale of a suburban kid who's always wanted to be a Made Man--brought into the La Cosa Nostra--the mafia--as a Soldier on his way up to possibly becoming Boss himself one day. He has idolized the mafioso as his heroes all of his life, and doing this and that for them--breaking a few faces, shaking a few people down--wins him entry into the exclusive organization, and he is finally "made." He has a beleaguered father who has lost his wife and a younger brother who has no interest in mafia life but loves and idolizes his older brother. And then there's his girl, who happens to be the daughter of a rival Boss. About midway in the story begins to escalate and become more and more violent until the final seconds of the film when something happens that you will not see coming, rounding out a near perfect crime drama with great noire-like elements created with brilliant dialogue and camera work. Bravo to everybody involved.