Too much of everything

Just perfect...

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This film mainly reminded me of (the far superior) 'Lucky Number Sleven'. I won't say why, because that might spoil it for you if you watch 'Guns, Girls and Gambling.' The two films follow (dare I say a 'more British' style?) genre of film where a character gets into trouble with numerous different warring factions (normally gangsters – think Lock Stock, Snatch and Layer Cake) and ends up having to dodge the lot of them and/or pit them against each other in order to come out on top.Christian Slater's offering is – sadly – not quite as good as any of those films I've mentioned. However, that's not to say it didn't have a certain charm. Did I like it? Yes, I did. It kept me entertained for its duration. It's not the longest of films, but it does have some fun scenes which go a long way to make me stay the distance.From the title, you can probably tell that it is going to be a little tongue-in-cheek. It could never be played totally straight. There's plenty of black humour as one assassin murders another, before being offed himself in another gruesome way. There are plenty of characters, all of which get their own 'freezeframe introduction,' complete with title. This probably happens a little too often and ceases to be cool pretty soon, especially as most of the characters get killed only a few scenes after they're introduced. The other downside – in my opinion – is the blonde 'bombshell' assassin who spouts poetry before she kills her victims. It's supposed to be cool, but it just doesn't work and I found it pretty hard to stand.You may have noticed Gary Oldman on the cover. That's about his biggest part in the film. What he does is little more than an extended cameo, but – naturally – he steals every scene he's in. There are some twists in the story – some you'll see coming, others may take you by surprise, but by the time the credits roll, you'll feel satisfied that everything adds up (well, just, but it does more than it doesn't!).If you like those sorts of Guy Richie gangster movies, or are just looking for something loud, a bit cheesy and quick, then give this one a go. It's no classic, but it is entertaining if you set your sights low enough.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/

Why do bogus filmmakers continue to attempt to emulate the brilliance of a Quentin Tarantino or a Guy Ritchie flick? Just by adding an endless stream of different characters and freeze framing their names like "The Cowboy", "The Chief", "The Rancher", "The Indian", "The Girl Next Door" and "The Blonde" as just a few examples is silly and boring and very much overdone. And I do mean overdone! There must have been 20 or more characters they introduced with the freeze frame title approach in an effort to make the plot more interesting and confusing. Sorry but I just found it boring and a poor copycat of both Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie's film technique. The plot is everyone and their brother are chasing Christian Slater who plays John Smith because they believe he stole a mask in the middle of a poker game which is a rare priceless Indian artifact.For these types of movies to really be effective they need to have a great story line, which this film does not come close to having. The film does have several Elvis impersonators including a gay Elvis played by Chris Kattan and a Midget Elvis played by Tony Cox. Oh yeah we even have an Elvis Elvis played by the Grade A actor Gary Oldman. I don't know why Mr Oldman would follow up his great performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with this copycat Elvis spoof. Helena Mattsson may have looked great in the black leather jumpsuit but her portrayal of a two gun toting Edgar Alan Poe quoting gunslinger for hire was also boring.Christian Slater plays the lead character John Smith, and he is also another one of the Elvis impersonators who everyone is after because they assume he has the stolen Indian mask. Slater narrates scene after scene trying to slowly feed us tidbits of a baseless plot. Yes, there is lots of shooting, stabbing, tomahawk throwing, punching and kicking, all in an effort to just pad the movies length.I should have known the movie would be below par when I read that Michael Winnick was the producer, writer and director for Guns Girls and Gambling. The only freeze frame title I was still looking forward to seeing after the first 30 minutes or so was "THE END".

I have to admit that when I sat down to watch "Guns, Girls, and Gambling", I wasn't expecting that much. I thought the title sounded lame (and I still feel that way.) And there was the fact that Christian Slater was in the movie, an actor who has churned out one lame direct-to-DVD movie after another for some years now. But to my surprise, I really enjoyed this movie. The script is very clever, slowly unpeeling one layer at a time, and careful enough to leave some surprises right at the very end. The screenplay is also very funny at times - there were a number of moments when I laughed out loud, something I seldom do when watching a movie. The movie is also very well made on a low budget - I watched the movie on Blu- ray, and it looked very slick and colorful. And Christian Slater is actually pretty good in the movie's central role. But most of the credit for the movie's success is due to writer/director Michael Winnick. I look forward to his next movie.

I think this movie is being unfairly judged by some of the previous reviewers. Yes, as previously stated, it does has Tarantino and Rodrigues overtones but I think that was the idea. Winnick was undoubtedly using the formulas that made both of those Directors/Writers/Actors famous.Unlike some other reviewers, I liked the movie. The Blonde was right in line with someone that Tarantino would have crafted to include the over the top duel automatics protruding from the hips above her rear. I don't know how she managed to slink around in broad daylight with such devices in plain sight but hey, this is a movie, right? Who can resist watching a flick with Gary Oldman? If you've ever seen The Professional or The Fifth Element, as well as other great performances, Oldman is a classic actor of the highest calibre. Bizarre, yes but still classic.Powers Booth has had varying success during his career and his appearance in this piece was similar to that in Extreme Prejudice. There is little doubt of his ability if you've ever seen The Jim Jones story about the Jonestown mass suicide in Guyana. As usual he presented a magnetic being that you love to hate.I think if the movie had the name Tarantino or Rodrigues affixed to it, you would see higher ratings but alas, it may take this director time to reach the pinnacle of success claimed by Quinten and Robert.