I've Tried It; I'll Knock It

For a while, I've been curious about the movie Knockaround Guys. I really shouldn't have been; it didn't get particularly good reviews from the critics, and it was released directly to DVD after sitting on a studio shelf for two years after its completion. Not good signs.

But it seemed unlikely it could be a total bust. It was written by the same pair that wrote one of my favorite movies, Rounders. (Directed by them too in this case, though that's neither here nor there.) And it boasts a strong and interesting cast including John Malkovich, Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper, Seth Green, and Dennis Hopper. I kept the movie at bay for a while, but eventually I just had to know.

The story revolves around a young man who's the son of a major New York crime lord. After his efforts to "go straight" have all failed, he appeals to his father to be given a chance at the family business, and is tasked to travel across the country to pick up a large cash payment. Complications arise when one of his dim-witted friends loses the money, and hilarity ensues. Well, not quite hilarity -- the film is certainly not intended as an all-out comedy, but it's also some ways from a serious drama.

It's also a fair distance from the quality you'd expect with all these big names involved. The storyline feels like a rather familiar retread of several other movies, many even in the same genre. The characters never really capture interest; just about every actor is playing a version of a role he's played before. The dialogue doesn't crackle and isn't memorable like so much of Rounders.

And yet, it's also hard to figure out why this movie sat in a studio vault for two years and never got a wide theatrical release. It's not that bad. It's not actually bad at all; it simply doesn't do anything to distinguish itself. The pace slows a bit a times for a 90 minute movie, but it's redeemed a bit by a decent enough ending.

In short, though I wouldn't really recommend it, neither would I warn anyone to avoid it. It's "just another movie," one I rate a C+.