This movie is horrible. Only thing that could've helped this a little would've been nudity. THe Big Mistake was watching this garbage.
14 Reviews
Good movie, great indie movie.
williamspillman28 April 2019
This is one of the best noir films I've seen. The plot and writing are top-notch, and the cinematography makes this movie look like it had a much higher budget than it actually did. The lead actor, Samson Snell, is nearly perfect and needs to be in more films. This is a better movie than most major-studio movies released in the last 5 years.
That said, if I were to score this a s a "movie" in general, rather than as an "indie movie," I'd give it four stars rather than five, because it's not perfect, just very good. I'm one of those hard-to-please critics who only give 5 stars to near-perfect movies, and this one has some minor flaws. The lead actress is good in most scenes, but in some, especially opposite Snell, her acting seems a bit forced. There are also some brief appearances by the boss character that are a little too over-the-top for my taste in a noir film. As an indie film, these are more than compensated for by the rest of the production, though.
Plot (no spoilers): The movie follows bounty hunter Nick Alice, who may be a little too nice for his line of work, as he meets and gets entangled with socialite Madison Campbell, who has a rich father and serious issues. Through numerous twists and turns and some non-linear storytelling, we learn some dark secrets and see things go very wrong for both of them. The film keeps you guessing as to how it will end, even though it starts with a very telling opening shot.
The story and script are genuinely top-notch, better than the vast majority of films, regardless of budget, and the camerawork is just as good. Devin O'Leary (writer) and Ariel Rakes (cinematographer), deserve to work in Hollywood, it would improve the general quality of Hollywood movies.
The sound design is good, as is the music, but I, like many people, only really notice those things when something goes wrong, so I don't feel qualified to critique them much beyond the fact that nothing went wrong.
For his first feature film, director/editor Michael Perez does a great job. Some of the shots and scene compositions are excellent, and they are all at least competent. I love to nitpick mistakes in movies, and the only thing I can find to nitpick is a minor detail that 99.9% of people will never even notice. The plot is complex and twisty enough that it would be easy to screw things up, but it all works flawlessly.
Overall, this movie is absolutely worth your time, even if you're not a big fan of the noir genre (I'm not).
That said, if I were to score this a s a "movie" in general, rather than as an "indie movie," I'd give it four stars rather than five, because it's not perfect, just very good. I'm one of those hard-to-please critics who only give 5 stars to near-perfect movies, and this one has some minor flaws. The lead actress is good in most scenes, but in some, especially opposite Snell, her acting seems a bit forced. There are also some brief appearances by the boss character that are a little too over-the-top for my taste in a noir film. As an indie film, these are more than compensated for by the rest of the production, though.
Plot (no spoilers): The movie follows bounty hunter Nick Alice, who may be a little too nice for his line of work, as he meets and gets entangled with socialite Madison Campbell, who has a rich father and serious issues. Through numerous twists and turns and some non-linear storytelling, we learn some dark secrets and see things go very wrong for both of them. The film keeps you guessing as to how it will end, even though it starts with a very telling opening shot.
The story and script are genuinely top-notch, better than the vast majority of films, regardless of budget, and the camerawork is just as good. Devin O'Leary (writer) and Ariel Rakes (cinematographer), deserve to work in Hollywood, it would improve the general quality of Hollywood movies.
The sound design is good, as is the music, but I, like many people, only really notice those things when something goes wrong, so I don't feel qualified to critique them much beyond the fact that nothing went wrong.
For his first feature film, director/editor Michael Perez does a great job. Some of the shots and scene compositions are excellent, and they are all at least competent. I love to nitpick mistakes in movies, and the only thing I can find to nitpick is a minor detail that 99.9% of people will never even notice. The plot is complex and twisty enough that it would be easy to screw things up, but it all works flawlessly.
Overall, this movie is absolutely worth your time, even if you're not a big fan of the noir genre (I'm not).
Did not expect the twist
caseykilloran20 June 2019
I haven't seen a movie like this in awhile. It was giving a throwback into some of those classic 80's movies. I think the story also had some film noir aspects in it. I did not expect the twist in the middle and at the very end. Well done indie!
Film Noir Indie Gem
bohemianpirate-871-38348712 May 2019
Big Mistake is a suspenseful film noir indie gem. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen I was mistaken. I loved the honesty of bounty hunter, Nick, as he falls for Madison. There are some unexpected twists that make this stylish thriller among the better of its type. It kept me on the edge of my seat, emotions churning, and is overall a really great watch! Highly Recommend!!
Has there ever been a noir film without saxophone?
benjaminballweg28 July 2019
Full disclosure: Director Michael Perez and I attended Navy broadcasting school together before remeeting for a year of service aboard an aircraft carrier, him creating and handing me the ship's first newscast after its mid-life drydock. I've not kept up with his work, so was excited to see all he'd become in Big Mistake. I knew the guy could edit, and he impressed me with his latest techniques. But the movie as a whole is what blew me away. His actors were convincing, his shots were well-framed, dialogue timed well when switching between shots, and effects were fun. (Their handling of lamp-to-head should be the template.) Kudos also to Writer Devin O'Leary, especially for the twist and ending, and to working with Director Michael to pull them off as well as they did. I look forward to further collaborations between Devin and whatever team Michael assembles.
A fun indie film
craigahrens12 May 2019
fun noir
Graham-joey2 June 2019
This was a pretty fun little dive into a bit of tawdry red shoe diaries or 90s late night USA channel style programming. If that's your kind of thing, SUPER recommend. A little sexy. A little violent. A bit over the top at times, but stays interesting throughout. I'll spare you the plot details, but there's enough here for the right audience. Thumbs up emoji.
Great Film Noir!
bgianci-790-77254021 May 2019
I am a huge fan of the film noir genre so this was right up my alley and it definitely did not disappoint! Tightly woven script, great acting, solid cinematography and direction and most importantly, lots of twists and turns that I did not see coming. I loved it. Looking forward to seeing it again with my girlfriend.
Noir, With Twists
TheAll-SeeingI30 November 2019
For the empathetic, some jobs may prove tougher to perform than others. In the terrifically conceived "Big Mistake," director Michael Perez instills a conflicting sense of empathy in bounty hunter Nick Alice (Samson Snell), lighting the fuse on a thoroughly engaging crime-noir film with its own set of inspired twists.
Nick is a military veteran integrating back into proper civilian life. He takes on that bounty hunter gig working for a bail bonds company owned by unflinching bottom-liner Cora (Alicia Lueras Maldonado). His background and skillset would seem to indicate an ideal job fit, but early on, his big heart gives rise to an ongoing pattern of conflicting emotional interests as he allows the personal tribulations of his bounty targets to seep into his head and affect his work -- conversely, Cora isn't vaguely interested in anything but the bounty's eventual payout. When Nick gets assigned the case of Madison Campbell (Sylvia Adelina Padilla), his empathy bleeds into attraction; soon Nick is shacking up with Madison as she discloses to him a gangster deal that's sure to pay out big if they can properly ambush it.
Padilla is great as Madison: She's a complexity of emotions that surface and submerge with terrific nuance, and she's a great catalyst to this film-noir vehicle that makes inspired and non-traditional choices within that typically very rigid genre. In the sum of its parts, "Big Mistake" delivers evolved storytelling that noir lovers will recognize as both familiar and uniquely aspirational in selectively leveraging and breaking from the conventions of its indigenous style. - Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!
Nick is a military veteran integrating back into proper civilian life. He takes on that bounty hunter gig working for a bail bonds company owned by unflinching bottom-liner Cora (Alicia Lueras Maldonado). His background and skillset would seem to indicate an ideal job fit, but early on, his big heart gives rise to an ongoing pattern of conflicting emotional interests as he allows the personal tribulations of his bounty targets to seep into his head and affect his work -- conversely, Cora isn't vaguely interested in anything but the bounty's eventual payout. When Nick gets assigned the case of Madison Campbell (Sylvia Adelina Padilla), his empathy bleeds into attraction; soon Nick is shacking up with Madison as she discloses to him a gangster deal that's sure to pay out big if they can properly ambush it.
Padilla is great as Madison: She's a complexity of emotions that surface and submerge with terrific nuance, and she's a great catalyst to this film-noir vehicle that makes inspired and non-traditional choices within that typically very rigid genre. In the sum of its parts, "Big Mistake" delivers evolved storytelling that noir lovers will recognize as both familiar and uniquely aspirational in selectively leveraging and breaking from the conventions of its indigenous style. - Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!
Intriguing Film Noir
JGReviews20 May 2019
Big Mistake is an intriguing indie film noir. The story concerns Nick Alice, a bounty hunter, who is supposed to bring in Madison Campbell, but things get complicated when he starts to fall for her and finds that she might be more than he can handle. The film's writing is clever, keeping you guessing and providing interesting twists along the way -- which is essential in a great film noir. The cinematography is great for an indie film and the whole project is skillfully handled by director Michael Perez. If you're looking for an excellent indie film noir, I'd highly recommend Big Mistake!
Riveting film noir
alanakmd27 October 2019
A great story with a total wrong cast
casablancavic12 November 2020
This is a fantastic script with a totally miscast set of people.
The editing and camera work could have been better, but the cast was wrong on so many levels.
Nick - Leonardo DiCaprio Madison - Hailee Steinfeld Mr. Campbell - Richard Grieco or Val Kimer Cora - Gina Gershon Felix - Cuba Gooding Jr.
Add a Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron, Nicolas Cage, Michael Pare, Christian Slater, Hallie Berry, Brendan Fletcher, Dina Meyer, Kristanna Loken and Eric Roberts and Denzel Washington, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus and you would have an absolutely awesome film.
Throw in some quick edits and some close ups, aerial shots, shoot it in black and white (with some clips in color) and this movie would be beyond phenominal.
The editing and camera work could have been better, but the cast was wrong on so many levels.
Nick - Leonardo DiCaprio Madison - Hailee Steinfeld Mr. Campbell - Richard Grieco or Val Kimer Cora - Gina Gershon Felix - Cuba Gooding Jr.
Add a Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron, Nicolas Cage, Michael Pare, Christian Slater, Hallie Berry, Brendan Fletcher, Dina Meyer, Kristanna Loken and Eric Roberts and Denzel Washington, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus and you would have an absolutely awesome film.
Throw in some quick edits and some close ups, aerial shots, shoot it in black and white (with some clips in color) and this movie would be beyond phenominal.
Entertaining suspenseful indie film
lbruhnca15 February 2020
An exhilarating ride.
harriscalvin-15 February 2020
Big Mistake was a superb suspenseful adventurous film with lots of twist and turns. A bounty hunter falling for a client with a lots of dark secrets is a recipe for disaster. Director Michael Perez did a fantastic job taking the audience on an exhilarating ride. The lead actors all did really well. The camera work was spot on and the editing and music were on point. A film that won't disappoint.
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