Directed by:
Donovan MarshScreenplay:
Donovan MarshCinematography:
Tom MaraisComposer:
Brendan JuryCast:
S'dumo Mtshali, Presley Chweneyagae, Pallance Dladla, Brendon Daniels, Brandon Auret, Petronella Tshuma, Tumie Ngumla, Daniel Hadebe, Hlubi MboyaPlots(1)
Adroitly written and directed by South African filmmaker Donovan Marsh, this action-packed heist thriller -- about a pair of cops battling corrupt colleagues as well as a gang of armoured-car thieves -- boasts an oddball cast that brings comic relief to the ruthless thuggery. Chili and Shoes have been partners in the police force for eight years. After they make a risky arrest, their corrupt superior refuses to give them the reward they are due. Enraged, Chili realizes that virtue does not pay and sets about infiltrating a gang of armoured car thieves. His scheme goes awry when the rest of the gang finds out his true identity. They take Shoes hostage and go through with the heist. Lured by the potential loot, but finding himself in the midst of a killing spree, Chili has to shake off his rage and cynicism to do the right thing. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (2)
The first ten minutes are so pimped out that they couldn’t possibly have been pimped out more. The atmosphere is loaded with suspense, the camera is shaking, but the whole thing is so stylish that you won’t feel it’s bad even for a second. All the more surprising for a movie from South Africa. But what follows after the beginning is a classical cop movie. The cop doesn’t get the credit he deserves, so he decides to act on his own. The nasty South African setting gets reflected in the story as well – you can’t really say it is full of corruption, it’s rather that it has very little to do with a decent human community. I was also pretty annoyed with that weird pseudo-English that everybody in the movie spoke. However, the action was on par and that’s despite the fact that at times the camera was a bit more shaky than necessary. All in all, I have to admit that I hadn’t expected this action-filled surprise.
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It's good, it's gritty, and perhaps the best part is that it's South African. That's primarily what grabs your attention. The stylization is quite good as well because the whole thing is brown, raw, and unsettling. You feel like it's going to hurt and it does. Unfortunately, the story isn't anything original, but it does flow at a fairly pleasant pace.
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Gallery (10)
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