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Released By: Alchemy (Millennium)
Released On: January 20, 2015.
Director: James Mottern
Cast: Harvey Keitel, Ben Barnes, Toby Jones, Kenny Wormald, Slaine
Year: 2014
The Film:
As far back as he could remember, Nick Tortano wanted to be a gangster. But not just any kind of gangster. Certainly not a gangster like his friend George, who is content to bang out home invasions and bookie robberies to make his cash. No, Nick is down with the old school of gangsters, the slicked-back hair, expensive suit-wearing, pinkie ring-flashing mafiosi from the old days. Thanks to an altercation that could have gone horribly wrong, it seems like Nick's dreams are finally going to be realized when he follows the direction of mob boss Sal (Harvey Keitel) and makes a respectful apology to local strip club owner and organized criminal Tony on behalf of his brother.
Now officially in Sal's good graces, Nick is given a piece of paper with a name and address; a mob assignment that will help him "make his bones" with Sal's crew. But though he may have always wanted to be a gangster, Nick lacks the ability to pull the trigger, and his buddy George steps in to help take care of business. And so, under completely false pretences, Nick is accepted into "The Family", which he celebrates by throwing his newly found weight around as a made guy. He owes money? He doesn't care, he's a made guy. You're making a bit of cash in your side business? You better cough up a tribute, because Nick's a made guy. And even after Sal tells him to leave gentleman's club entrepreneur Tony alone, Nick decides that he's going to not do that; and instead starts banging Tony's daughter.
Unfortunately for Nick, his friend and confidante George has got a few problems of his own, and decides to take them out on the aforementioned Tony. Caught in the crossfire, Nick's decision to choose between the protected man who is his enemy, and his best friend and the keeper of his secret will have some pretty severe consequences, the kind that could end up with the blood of everyone he cares about on his hands.
That's By The Gun in a nutshell, a pretty straightforward tale of a guy trying to get by in the Boston mob. It's dark, gritty, violent, and profane...not a pretty picture in the least. It could also never be accused of glamorizing the gangster lifestyle, as Nick finds himself in one lousy predicament after another thanks to his newfound power. It's also not a very compelling or inspirational story, as funny as that may sound; there are really no likeable characters in the film whatsoever. Even protagonist Nick, who seems like a pretty respectful, quiet guy with a dream at the beginning of the movie, turns into a raging douche the minute he gets into the Mob Club. That's a big problem with it, too. With nobody to like, nobody to root for, and really nobody that you care about one way or the other, it becomes questionable as to why you're watching it in the first place.
The acting is solid, at least...Harvey Keitel does a great job of being Harvey Keitel in the little screen time that he has, and the one-named rapper/actor known as Slaine does a fantastic job as Nick's buddy George, menacing and seemingly unpredictable. A volley of decent supporting actors round out the cast, for the most part playing absolute dirtbags, and Director James Mottern takes excellent advantage of the bleak scenery. As the third act of the film drags itself to the finish, though, it's confusing why the characters haven't been fleshed out a bit more, to the point where there's a little more connection with the viewer. One gets the feeling that By The Gun could've been a brilliant little movie, but instead it ends up as a series of angry, pointless scenes. I really wanted to like it, but it's just got no heart.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Alchemy (formerly known as Millenium) brings By the Gun to blu-ray in a pretty sweet-looking 2.35:1 transfer that fully conveys the ugliness of the story. Black and blue and full of cold, dark scenes, detail pops off the screen with nary a blemish to be found. The Dolby True HD 5.1 track is well done, with tasteful use of the surrounds and subs. Dialogue is crystal clear and balanced well, and the soundtage is spread out evenly, immersing the viewer in the picture.
8 Deleted Scenes are available, but they don't do much to add to the already too-long film.
A feature-length commentary with Director James Mottern, Writer Emilio Mauro, and Actor Ben Barnes was something that I was looking forward to, to explain some of what they were trying to accomplish, but I found myself skipping through chunks of it as they seemed largely content to describe what was happening on the screen.
A Preview roll of available titles is also included.
The Final Word:
I loves me some gangster flicks, and it looked like By The Gun was going to be stellar based on a strong opening. Unfortunately, it falls flat fairly early on, and never recovers.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
