Dead Man's Cards (2006) Reviews

• A slice of gritty entertainment, served with a sharp knife

  Chris_Docker2006-08-05

  Thought that nightclubs were run by nice charming businessmen who wouldn't hurt a fly? Although Dead Man's Cards is one of the grittiest crime thrillers in British cinema since the gold standard of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, it should be enough to at least make you wonder if nightclubs aren't really controlled by the long arm of nasty criminal types, whether in knuckle dusters or smart suits. I started watching this movie not expecting to like it, and there being more f-words in the first few minutes than my mother could have endured without fainting, felt my expectations were going to be fully realised, but it wasn't long before I had to admit I'd got it wrong. Dead Man's Cards breathes life into a genre that too often sags under the weight of its own excesses, and comes up with a hand of aces. Ex-boxer Tom gets a job as a bouncer at a dive, much to his wife's disgust, and is soon initiated into the refined way of doing things. "If you wanna do someone in, take 'em out the back - no cameras," advises fellow doorman Paul. This being an age of political correctness, they undergo one of the legally required courses in non-violent restraint, which provides more opportunities for grim humour as Paul shows the instructor how to get out of his judo holds. Club manager Billy (Tom Bell) dresses as a cowboy, lives in fantasy land, and likes to think he's in charge until there's some argument about the going rate for security, at which point he hastily backtracks. Tom's wife wants to "do something like a normal couple" and whisks hubby off to communion, but he's still recovering from the night before and has to rush outside the church to vomit. He and Paul try to maintain their decency by brute force in the face of pressure from bigger club owners, but there's a limit to everything, including how many conflicting loyalties you can juggle especially with drug-fuelled hangovers and a slutty gun-toting barmaid determined to take advantage. Many British gangster movies since Lock Stock (with the notable exception of Sexy Beast) foundered on too much comedy, complex and unrealistic plots, unconvincing characterisation or simply lack of talent. Dead Man's Cards cleverly succeeds where others have failed. Its only fault is that you could possibly struggle with the Liverpudlian accents, or it may be too violent for some viewers, but if the subject matter offends, you've been warned! There's no overriding message that I could discern, no lingering Oscar-worthy close-ups where we are invited to admire some unspoken subtext, just thumpingly honest entertainment that doesn't pull its punches. Director James Marquand's has scored a hit with first feature film, and we can only hope that, rather than be tempted to make Dead Man's Cards II, he goes on to make more equally original and incisive work.

• scouser widescreen western

  bernd-552006-09-13

  At this year's Edinburgh Festival, this movie truly made my week. Having for days been dragged through venues awash with self-conscious student theatre, the unpretentious grit of this film put me back on track. No navel-gazing drama here, but a wonderfully darkly lit wide-screen world, filled with recalcitrant doormen (Paul Barber and James McMartin), a deluded wanna-be cowboy bar owner (Tom Bell), a cuddly crackhead (Andrew Scofield), and an array of Scouser cameos, delivering some of the off-hand comedy that flickers up here and there. No message-laden, finger-wagging narrative either – instead we're dealt a strangely suspended, grimy, but somehow life-affirming status quo. One or two of the film's fight scenes might just be the other side of violent for some – but these punches look real and like they might actually hurt – rather than the usual slickly choreographed superhero stuff. Do not try this at home. Do, on the other hand, go and see this movie – it feels real too.

• Fistful of Scousers

  leaningt2007-01-09

  Liverpudlian ex-boxer, Tom Watts (James McMartin), one day finds himself impotent, jobless and burdened with a wife that is intent on leaving him. His life takes a twist, however, when he is hired as a bouncer and is immediately sucked into a dark and violent world of drugs, guns and gangsters who do a lot of unpleasant shouting and swearing. Conducted by James Marquand and funded by his own production company (Stray Dogs Films) 'Dead Man's Card's' resembles a drunk boxer: it certainly cracks a mean punch, but it lacks direction. The amateurish acting is not helped by an unimpressive script; however, the sinister and seedy setting is still competently created by Marquand. And although the story takes a dive in the closing rounds, the film is still a commendable debut from Stray Dog Films.

• A Gritty British Crime Drama!

  jfcthejock2007-09-08

  A film which wasn't the best, but it was something! Being a fan of crime movies including gangster films I wasn't disappointed with "Dead Man's Cards." It was gritty and dark and of course showed us that some clubs are controlled by criminal elements! Many who have connections to the underworld of the city, that drug dealers use clubs to sell their gear in. They do this by paying off the bouncers and legitimate firms to employ bouncers to tell their bouncers to turn a blind eye for certain drug dealers and they'll collect a percentage of the profit. I loved this film and would recommend it to any fan of the British Crime Genre, this does homage to the likes of Layer Cake... just with Scouse accents! Also, I would recommend "The Rise of The Footsoldier" to fans of this kind of film! Violent and bloody terrific!

• Great film

  clivecollett2011-06-25

  I enjoyed this gritty violent and quite amusing gangster flick. Its such an awful world that some people live in, it makes you grateful for what you have! Perhaps I am easily pleased. I don't care, at least I rarely get disappointed! I love British cinema. Its my home. People should be less critical, cinema is usually fiction, or someone Else's portrayal of real events. It cannot, by its very nature be 'REAL'. Unless its a first person documentary, even then its their take on events. Chill out and enjoy what out there; sometimes you have to turn your brain off; that does not mean you can't enjoy a bag of popcorn and a bottle of pop and make an evening of it!