North v South (2015) Reviews

• Does the world need another British gangster flick?

  euroGary2015-07-16

  If anyone is considering going to see British gangster flick 'North v South' in the hope that Elliott Tittensor will do a nude scene like he used to back in the good old 'Shameless' days, let me save you some money: he doesn't (although there are a couple of compensatory shirtless scenes). Having cleared that up, is the film worth seeing anyway? Well, fans of the genre will probably like it: it has lots of guns, oodles of mindless violence, a dangerous woman, a transsexual assassin, copious amounts of swearing and people who have been shot or burned with a flame-thrower recovering for a final bit of gunplay. To be fair, though, there are a couple of surprises: a little girl as a trainee assassin, and not one single scene set in a sleazy strip club. Attempts by southern gangsters (led by Steven Berkoff and Keith Allen) and their northern rivals (Bernard Hill and Oliver Cotton) to reach a truce are derailed when a southern lieutenant slits the throat of Hill's best friend. The predictable gang war ensues, complicated by a Romeo and Juliet-style problem: northern lieutenant Terry (Tittensor) and Berkoff's insipid daughter Willow (Charlotte Hope) are secretly in love. Berkoff is in full psycho scenery-chewing mode, while Hill delivers a more measured performance as far as the script allows. Tittensor doesn't do badly, but Hope is less impressive - although, given she has to burble lines like "Terry was my god" and "I'm nothing without you" that's hardly surprising. 'Doctor Who' fans will not be disappointed by Freema Agyeman as the tough-but-sexy female gangster.

• Worst British Gangster Movie.... EVER

  craig9142016-02-07

  Can't believe I've just wasted 1hr 36mins of my life watching this! No real/credible plot, awful acting... Never really liked Steven Berkoff and now I know why! Best thing about the film is the lovely Freema Agyeman IMO. The plot is based on two lovers from opposing sides wanting to escape the world they live in... However, you'd never have guessed if you hadn't read the plot summary! Don't waste your time on this and wondering... "Surley it can't be that bad".... Well yes ladies and gentlemen "It is" and if I could score this as a minus I would!

• Not the worst straight to DVD British gangster flick

  valleyjohn2016-01-10

  I normally avoid these straight to DVD British gangster movies because they are generally crap. This one took my eye because it had a half decent cast with actors such as Bernard Hill , Steven Berkoff and Keith Allen and while this isn't as bad as most of the usual rubbish , even these actors , despite giving solid performances , can't make this a film that I can really recommend. The story is about two rival gangs from either ends of the country who are tying to and a feud but behind the scenes there is a romance that will never be tolerated , especially when one gang member is hell bent on destruction. I enjoyed the first half hour , especially the performance of Brad Moore but the film soon falls apart when the story seems to go pear shaped and in the end I didn't really care what happened to anyone

• Where for art thou.......you soppy caaaahhhhhhnnnntttttt!!!!!

  FlashCallahan2015-12-05

  Attempts from two rival gangs/firms/units whatever you want to call them from the South and the North to reach a truce go awry, when one of the Norths best friends gets their throat cut by someone in the South. Throw in a really wobbly Romeo and Juliet subplot, and you have this weeks big British Crime Thriller. Guy Ritchie still has a lot to answer for eighteen years after Lock Stock..... brought new life to the below par film makers who want to make it to the big time. Sounds like a film all in its self. So what you get is a plethora of familiar faces, some that you'd expect to be in this type of film, and others that make the mind boggle. And it does exactly what you'd expect a straight to DVD gangster flick to do. The old boys are coming to some sort of an understanding, but as soon as you can say 'weren't you two quite big in Hollywood once?' , the young members of the unit did to ruin it by being either a) a bit mouthy, and to quick with a blade, or b) having an affair with a relative from the other unit, which is where the Romeo and Juliet element comes in to it. Now this element of the film makes the film just laughable in places, and it's biggest mistake, making hard work of what should a have been a plain and simple whodunnit thriller, with a few offbeat characters. But the makers must have thought 'well that's the same plot as every other gangster film that has been made in the last ten years'. That may be so, but when you have a cast that are so 'familiar' to the genre, your on a win win basis, so don't try to be clever and left field. These films are meant to be escapism, to see people get tasty with one another, dropping C-bombs like they are going out of fashion and waving guns like the Union Jack at The Last Night Of The Proms. But it's not the worst film I've seen in this genre, and if your a fan of Berkoff chewing scenery like Godzilla, there is something here for you. Next time, try not to be too clever......but do try to get Danny Dyer a cameo, he needs something after the Dyer year he's had with movies.........

• Plenty of flashy gestures and posturing without any depth.

  quincytheodore2016-01-10

  From the first scene the movie throws a bunch of gangster antics with strangely abrupt moments of general shootouts. It's hectic to say the least, and while there might be one or two developments that work decently, the majority is convoluted banters. There's simply too much bravado and subplots to create any solid connection to the characters. Like the title suggests, this is a story of two gangs vying for dominance. It has a lot of embellished characters shouting profanities and some betrayal schemes or whatnot. The issue with this cumbersome build-up is they are posing for what seems to a promo of wrestling events, for so many of the pressures feel overly theatrical. They large cast doesn't help either since they are divided by the typical brutish enforcer or old godfather role. Many of them will not be memorable, in exception for a couple of the subplots, even those are rather conspicuous and forced. Its crime thriller aspect simply done in excess and honestly not that engaging, however if one comes for action there might be something here. It delivers occasional shootouts and fights, although the choreography is passable at best. For all for the machismo displayed, the movie feels uninteresting and superficial.