the leading man is my tpye

Really Surprised!

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

In Belfast, the criminal Mad Dog Flynn (David O'Hara) cannot have a baby with his girlfriend. The gambler Jimbo (Martin McCann) has a baby and owes five thousand dollars to Mad Dog. The gangster proposes to exchange the debt for the baby and Jimbo decides to heist the Fish Market with his friend Sox (Conor MacNeil) using an automatic weapon from the IRA that belongs to Sox's grandfather. Meanwhile, the American Joe Maguire (Brendan Fraser) flees from his wife, whose father is a powerful mobster in Boston, and comes to Belfast to run his cousin's antique business. Joe dates his neighbor Sophie (Yaya DaCosta) and notes that Jimbo is frequently staring at him on the street. The clumsy Jimbo steals a suitcase from the Fish Market without knowing that it belongs to Mad Dog. However his escape plan fails and he runs to Joe's store. However he accidentally shots his gun and the police puts the place under siege. When Jimbo tells to Joe that he might be his son, the American sympathizes with the hoodlum and decides to help him negotiating with the police. "Whole Lotta Sole" is a corny comedy lost in many unnecessary subplots. The story has a funny beginning and good gags but in a certain moment becomes boring and mawkish. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "O Negociador" ("The Negotiator")

Review: This movie was bloody terrible. I got completely tricked by the poster. I thought that it at least be funny, but it wasn't even that. Brendan Fraser's movies have gone really downhill and as for the rest of the cast, they were just as bad. It just turned out to be a hostage situation that goes wrong, but its no Dog Day Afternoon. To be honest, I wasn't expecting that much from a Brendan Fraser movie because most of his films are rubbish, but this was really bad. I'm not surprised that it went straight to DVD. Avoid!Round-Up: If you look at Brendan Fraser's previous movies, its surprising that he is still getting roles, and this movie will definitely be forgotten pretty quickly. Brought to you by the director who made movies like In The Name Of The Father & The Boxer, I'm surprised that this movie was so bad. I can't really remember what happened in the film because my brain switched off halfway through so don't bother to put this in your DVD list.I recommend this movie to people who like there movies about a hostage situation that goes wrong. 1/10

I tend to mark more grudgingly than the IMDb average. Personally I would rate this film no higher than a 6, but it is as good as many 7s on IMDb so I was moved to write my first ever review here and give it 7.It is a black comedy, but more comic than black. The tone lies somewhere between "Lock Stock" and the old Ealing comedies.Lots of different characters and comic themes are introduced but not made the most of. I guess the problem was lack of time rather than lack of budget, a large slice of which presumably went on Brendan Fraser's salary. I suppose the sad reality is that every movie needs at least one name well known to US audiences to get funded but he is certainly not needed in this film. ****SPOILER***In fact the whole back-story of his US mafia links was an unwanted intrusion. ****END OF SPOILER***Terry George has a solid reputation as a writer (two Oscar nominations) and as a Director (he won an Oscar for best short "The Shore" and directed "Hotel Rwanda"). His talent is obvious here, but it all seems to need a rework and final polish. Some themes needed to be either further developed or excised (Fraser's new girlfriend, Meaney's son, the SAS, etc). As things stand, they are just distractions.Those who struggle with the Irish accents might appreciate subtitles, as the score sometimes intrudes, blurring the dialogue. The latter alternates between dryly humorous and banal, as if George had let someone else complete the screenplay.Well worth a watch, but narrowly misses being a much better film.

Reminded me a bit of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. A debt to the mob, a botched robbery and everything that could go wrong does. Crime drama and comedy in one. Brendan Fraser is under rated as an actor. I love him. Very authentic in what he does. Colm Meaney as always is an absolute treat as the lead detective charged with sorting everything out. Worth the watch for sure. Can't speak to the authenticity of the accents. There are a couple unexpected reveals and twists that keep it interesting. The music included was wonderful. I rated this 8 of 10 - feel it is not being given a fair shot. I don't know why the title of Stand Off was used in the US as opposed to "Whole Lotta Soul" (which I like better). I watched this via On Demand Comcast/Xfinity.