If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I usually crave for British gangster and hooligan movies, even those never released in France, cinemas or DVD. This one attracted me, at least the topic. But after the first one hour, everything became terrible, awful, I preferred GUVNORS, which was a terrific film, a pure masterpiece compared to this one. I would say this Sacha Bennet movie is a fun film, a tribute to the old gangster and vigilante films in the line of DEATH WISH, but also a tribute to the new wave. The characters even mention RESERVOIR DOGS. The ending is absolutely awful. Terrible. And the female cop character looks more like a hair dresser or a casting director than a police officer. And the lead guy who seeks to avenge his bro death has some fun moments with the woman that don't fit with the behaviour you are suppose to have after your brother death. And I would not mention some goofs, such as the "American fist" in cardboard which the lead character has in his hand, when his pal gives it to him. Why not using a real American fist, instead a phony one? No, forget it. Such a shame, because this movie could have been far better, it had the potential for it. It's also a feature speaking of the conflict between generations.

I was genuinely surprised by how good this was - it's a South London gangland film and it was well made, entertaining and Danny Dyer wasn't in it but his daughter is and she is interestingly enough called Dani Dyer! (Couldn't make it up could you). Well Ian Ogilvy, Richie, of 'The Return of the Saint' fame is retired to the Costa del Crime and is awaiting his big brother to come over for a Birthday bash. Meanwhile back in Blighty his bro Charlie (Steven Berkoff) interrupts a gang who are sexually assaulting a young girl Lauren (Dani Dyer) - instead of acting like men they brutally murder him.The Feds (that is police to non gang types) are about as much use as a pork pie at a bar mitzvah and so Richie gets his chopper out - sorry helicopter - and comes home back to his old Manor - where everyone used to be proper crooks and love their mums - that was back in the day. Now they are all 'blud' and 'innit' and have to walk with a pimp stroll and a permanent hood on their heads like a failed monk. There he assembles the old firm - who are a coterie of crime acting regulars- and they go all out for some righteous retribution.Now there are some issues with this film, police procedure is a joke, a few plot holes, as many coincidences as Dickens packed into 'Oliver Twist' and an ending that requires a bit of a stretch to actually believe. That said I still ruddy enjoyed it, veteran James Cosmo as the loud mouthed Arthur was brilliant and Ian Ogilvy showed what a bit of old school talent can bring to the screen. This is a guilty pleasure and I wish the makers all the best - it is nice seeing veteran actors getting a fair crack at a fun role. If you want a bit of semi - mindless fun and don't mind a bit of sawn off shotgun justice then this is for you or puckkah as they say.

"Old gangster and his crew returns to old neighborhood for vengeance against a gang of violent youths who now rule their old territory" First of all, great original sounding title. But since it's not a remake of the 1967 move of the same name, very bad title.The characters are typical and in "Tarantino terms" that would be great use of clichés, but it falls a bit flat here. The interesting details of each character are skipped over and ignored, giving them little depth and no mystery. Our hero has OCD but it's put to little use in the plot. The other members of his old gang have interesting back stories and personality traits that remain unexplored, and at times they just become annoying rather than interesting or funny - so many missed opportunities here. Our bad guys: Leader has a scar on his face, no back story to it - normally not needed unless it would make him more interesting, and he certainly needs that. He's utterly psychopathic but it somehow doesn't seem like it suits him. He really overplays the part and not very convincingly. I think he's a decent actor but this part is just not him. The rest of his gang are equally unconvincing, they all look like they'd poop themselves if faced with the slightest real threat, and at no time does one get the impression that they run the streets. At one point (not really a spoiler) two gang members are threatened with torture and I'm at no point convinced that these two are as "hard" as they are trying to act. Which streets? Yes there's another problem. The whole film is shot in relatively boring urban surroundings that just don't seem very menacing, most of it indoors at that. I get no sense looming doom and danger. Another wasted opportunity, I know London has some great locations for this type of film. Then there's the police - totally useless in this story, every one of them a bad actor. Alison Doody is decent, but I'm completely confused by her fake American accent while she plays a London detective. Makes little sense at all and it's just so misplaced that it becomes distracting. There are a few attempts at interesting camera work, but since I noticed it and it wasn't very impressive, I will have to claim it was misplaced and obvious for all the wrong reasons. All in all it seems more like this movie is aimed at an audience over 60, trying to make them feel safer and secure in the knowledge that they have more decency than "those young ruffians on the corner who don't show us any respect".

It's a nice if not original idea, bolstered by good perts from the two main protagonists and a decent supporting cast. The script's the problem and as William H. Macy pointed out, that makes for an insurmountable problem. The movie begins well enough, certainly well enough to make you think it's going to be an interesting ride. We watch Ian Ogilvy and Danny-boy Hatchard in their respective territories and we know we're heading for conflict. Then there's Stephen Berkoff and things are looking up. And that's as good as it gets. We lose Berkoff and we're back to a more simple film but that's OK. What's not OK is the lack of audience empathy that it demonstrates. Berkoff's way too interesting to introduce and then lose within a few short minutes. And that lack of empathy continues. There's a scene, actually a couple of scenes, in which the old school gangsters torture the new kids on the block. Trust me, you really want them to suffer. And they do, just not enough. We're left wanting and that need is never satisfied because from that point the film takes a turn for the worse. Basic scriptwriting rules are abandoned and any vestigial connection with reality, or even the reality of the world of this film, is broken. By the end, you really don't care. But this flick still thinks it has one card up its sleeve. A final scene that references The Italian Job. Oh, please!