Too much of everything

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Jack is a ladies' man who can barely remember the names of the many women he has had in his bed – even when they are still in his bed. Wayne has been dumped by his girlfriend, while Thomas barely sees his and is starting to cheat with Sara. Together they have one main love – playing pool in their local bar. When the barman gets into money trouble he strikes a deal with loan shark 'Daddy' to bet the rest of the bar on his three customers to win Daddy's annual high profile pool contest. Going under the name Stickmen, the trio enter the contest, but can they keep their nerves among distractions and Daddy's violent methods for managing anything.Not sure what this was about, I decided to give it a go in the absence of anything else that I really wanted to see. The film marks itself out as being based around the visual style and snappy dialogue of things like Lock, Stock, with the similar theme of crime and cool protagonists. In this regard I kind of accepted that this film wasn't going to do anything special at any point and I just met it on its own terms. The plot is nothing more than a collection of unlikely pool games punctuated with talking, f*cking or fighting all on the way to the inevitable conclusion with a few unconvincing twists. It never really does anything unexpected but it does have a certain energy to it that keeps it watchable.The director has learnt from other people and gives the film a good atmosphere with a good sense of energy and style – again it is hardly different or unique but it does work well enough to do the job. The script has the same rough energy to it, mixing pop culture references with enough of a flirtatious swagger to come across as entertaining even if it lacks any real laughs, clever scripting or wit. The cast help the script in this area, with some typically New Zealand acting – tough guys, sassy women etc. Magasiva is a nice presence – build, sexy and with good charisma; he has little to do other than that but he is as required. Wills provides some good laughs and even Rotondo deals well with the fact that he has to carry much of the actual story involving his character and Sara. Nordhaus also has this problem and she does better than the material allows. Kessell is very cute and sexy but doesn't do much more than that – but in fairness the film didn't ask for anything else. The various support characters all help keep the films energy with several colourful parts, albeit they just gimmicks rather than people. Overall this is not a very good film but it treads a solid path that is energetic and stylish enough to cover its many weaknesses and produce a roughly enjoyable film. Lacking anything original to do and with a pretty thin plot, it falls to the director's style, snappy dialogue, sex, violence and pool scenes to carry the film; they're not much cop any of them but they do enough to carry the film anyway.

This is a film to see. While not very deep it has some great scenes, if only for their visual aspect. A great little story about three men looking to make their mark in the world of stick-ball. However, they get caught up in the world of the mob. Action, sex, and pool; what more could you ask for. It is well put together and gives two hours of entertainment. Don't miss out on your chance to watch this film. It may not be very profound, but quality acting and a good director make this a fun film to watch. They may want to look for a new writer, but this production crew has some great ideas. Look for more good movies to be coming out of these people. I will be watching all of them. You should too.

Stickmen was an enjoyable film with a strong Kiwi flavour, some likable characters and plenty of laughs. The plot was well-paced with very few hiccups; the directing was slick, professional, and did justice to the film's comedic moments. Minor criticisms: some genre cliches, some awkward dialogue (particularly in the romantic scenes), occasionally uneven acting.Nothing too original or artistic here, but overall this was a fun underworld comedy caper. Recommended to fans of Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, and Mike Hodges (Croupier, Get Carter). Nice work. 8/10

Heavily influenced by Guy Richie's 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', with a similar plot (a few likeable lads get in over their heads with colourful local gangsters), style (slow-motion and other camera tricks, dark humour, some sexy violence) and setting (the seedier side a big city, particularly lots of bars), this is an enjoyable if shallow piece of pulp film. Like most Kiwi films some of the acting leaves a bit to be desired, none of the characters are particularly deep, you won't learn any higher truths or even move your intellect out of second gear, but it is good fun, particularly if you enjoy a bit of pool. Wait for the entrance of 'The Men In Black': it's the movie's best scene.6/10