Knockaround Guys has been waiting well over a year to be released. It was originally scheduled to be released in late September of last year, but I guess it involved criminals on planes, and there was one scene where a plane burns to the ground, and someone thought it wouldn’t be able to make money right after 9/11/01. So they put it off and they put it off, and it finally came out today.
Starring Vin Diesel, Seth Green, John Malkovich, Dennis Hopper, Barry Pepper, etc. The basic premise is that the sons and nephews of big, powerful leaders of organised crime are trying to prove that they’re worthy of being involved in the family business by starting with a simple job. All they have to do is fly cross-country, pick up a package, fly back and deliver it. Of course, they manage to screw it up. The bulk of the movie is watching them further screw up trying to make things right.
Overall, Knockaround Guys comes just short of feeling satisfying to me. That may be because I’ve been waiting for it a while too long, or it could be something about the movie. There are a lot of satisfying elements within the movie, but somehow they don’t seem to add up quite right. Some of the film feels like its trying to be dark and gritty, and where it tries, it succeeds. Other parts are moving the plot along, and while they all make sense and come together without gaping holes or unbelievable twists, they’re too easily predicted and almost like the moviemakers realised part-way through that something was missing and lost their enthusiasm.
Angela may be able to say more about this movie. We’ll see. If you’ve been looking forward to this movie, you should probably see it; it is just what you think it will be. If you’re iffy, remember that you may find the movie a little iffy, too.
