The Crew

Some crisp moments but also more over the top brutality than needed
3.4 stars

Some of The Crew is very entertaining and even quite darkly funny, but those joys were oft undercut for me by too many scenes with gratuitously nasty violence. Williams is quite good throughout, as are most of the actors, but director Vitoria delights a little too much in shocking us, so that by the end I was rather numbed by it all and couldn't feel anything when yet more bad guys bit the dust, or the barrel of a gun.

The soundtrack is very good, and some of the shots are very good, and some of the acting is very good, and much of the script is very good. But Vitoria's delight in nastiness for its own sake soured me after a while, and I liked this a lot less than I might have if he'd been a bit less ham-handed with the brutality. Yes, it's realistic, but so is a man sitting on a toilet, and we don't often see that as it's not very entertaining. I feel the same about torture scenes and other graphic edginess, but perhaps that's just me.

I...

Slow paced thriller with great Blu quality
Honestly the film is not that great, but the overall package contents and Blu clarity give it a higher rating. Main consideration point would be to disqualify the cover art/pics as the gun play/action being depicted never really happens that much.

The story follows a Brit organized crime group as they muddle through hijacking trucks, dealing, and other assorted criminal dysfunctions to support their families. A few subplots get thrown in covering inter-gang power struggles, a money swindling operation against the head of the crime group and some airing of family laundry. The Blu clarity is outstanding and the sound is a decent DTS. The best color test is at the 91 minute mark with that greenery landscape. The audible is clear enough, but the slang and accents are so heavy I had to turn on the subtitles. Some of the conversation is so fast paced even the sub translators missed a few things. The supplements give this package the extra bump.

* 30 minute making-of...

Very good British gangster pic
What this this is not: A slam-bang action flick with lots of gunfights. What this is: Two hours of simmering tension punctuated by violence and sex, utilizing good actors in well-drawn character roles. Very good, and recommended for fans of British gangster films who know there is more to them than "Snatch"!

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