We Still Kill the Old Way (2014) Reviews

• We Still Kill the Old Way: I'm really torn on this one

  Platypuschow2018-12-06

  This was a recommendation and a movie I'd certainly never had watched otherwise. Not only do I generally dislike British cinema but I hate any "Gangster" related nonsense especially such low rent stuff like this. It's a revenge tale, a bunch of old school gangsters seeking retribution against young hoodlums who take the life of one their own. On paper this movie stood absolutely no chance with me, but it does have redeeming features. It's paced perfectly, it's wonderfully constructed and the 4 veterans do a fantastic job especially Ogilvy and Cosmo. It succeeds in making you absolutely detest the antagonists, to levels I haven't seen since Eden Lake (2008). But on the flipside our heroes are also villians, it's difficult rooting for a side when essentially it's bad vs bad. I don't care if the youth are more obnoxious, in the grand scheme of things I'm sure the protagonists have considerably more blood under their nails. Much like the critically acclaimed Attack the Block (2011), you expect me to cheer on these wretches just because the opposition is worse? And more? It suffers with the same problem as Eden Lake. Namely, it's too real. What I mean by that is chav scum and youth gangs are rife, you see them to some extent daily regardless of where you are in the country and quite frankly I don't want to see them in movies as well. The first 10 minutes of the film made me deeply uncomfortable for a host of reasons. So though the film is wonderfully made it suffers due to its own successes. For me this was better than it should have been, but I just can't get behind a movie with such themes. The Good: Very well made Some great performances The Bad: Deeply uncomfortable viewing in places Things I Learnt From This Movie: Hospital security isn't what it used to be

• Good Old Firm Gangster British Film

  t-dooley-69-3869162015-01-25

  I was genuinely surprised by how good this was - it's a South London gangland film and it was well made, entertaining and Danny Dyer wasn't in it but his daughter is and she is interestingly enough called Dani Dyer! (Couldn't make it up could you). Well Ian Ogilvy, Richie, of 'The Return of the Saint' fame is retired to the Costa del Crime and is awaiting his big brother to come over for a Birthday bash. Meanwhile back in Blighty his bro Charlie (Steven Berkoff) interrupts a gang who are sexually assaulting a young girl Lauren (Dani Dyer) - instead of acting like men they brutally murder him. The Feds (that is police to non gang types) are about as much use as a pork pie at a bar mitzvah and so Richie gets his chopper out - sorry helicopter - and comes home back to his old Manor - where everyone used to be proper crooks and love their mums - that was back in the day. Now they are all 'blud' and 'innit' and have to walk with a pimp stroll and a permanent hood on their heads like a failed monk. There he assembles the old firm - who are a coterie of crime acting regulars- and they go all out for some righteous retribution. Now there are some issues with this film, police procedure is a joke, a few plot holes, as many coincidences as Dickens packed into 'Oliver Twist' and an ending that requires a bit of a stretch to actually believe. That said I still ruddy enjoyed it, veteran James Cosmo as the loud mouthed Arthur was brilliant and Ian Ogilvy showed what a bit of old school talent can bring to the screen. This is a guilty pleasure and I wish the makers all the best - it is nice seeing veteran actors getting a fair crack at a fun role. If you want a bit of semi - mindless fun and don't mind a bit of sawn off shotgun justice then this is for you or puckkah as they say.

• Brilliant old school revenge

  paulgeite2015-01-08

  I have to say that this was a brilliant film. With the UK the way it is, being overrun by little chavs, this was the ultimate chav-culling film. a group of old school gangsters stand up to them and take them down the old way. Some good humour and references to other films such as the Italian Job, it was a refreshing change from half of the rubbish that is released nowadays. OK the way that the gang leader talks was a bit over the top, but it shows how people perceive the little gits. If you want a good film with a nice little twist, then watch this film.

• The Saint becomes the sinner.....,

  FlashCallahan2014-12-28

  Steven Berkoff interrupts a Gand of wannabe gangsters with those abhorrent faux Caribbean accents, trying to assault a young girl. After calling them a curse word that hasn't been heard since the seventies, the one from Eastenders walks on him for a few minutes, and Berkoff sadly expires. Ian Ogilvy gets rudely awakened from his retirement, on hearing about Berkoff being killed, after all it's his brother. And in one monologue, we learn that these two brothers were The Krays of London, about the same time that The Krays were The Krays, and not The Kemps. So he comes back from the Med, and calls up his old mates who were in lots of TV series and film in the eighties....... Yes its Harry Brown meets Reservoir Old Dogs, and you can see the plot points and ending as soon as the credits roll, but these films are just meat and potato fodder, and they do you no harm once in a while. The concept is Old School versus the gang with the horrible accents, and we all know who wins at the end. But its nice to see the seasoned actors having a good old time with their grizzled voices and smugness, and although they were villains back in the day, you find yourself giving them empathy, because the E2 gang are just a bunch of morons you would want to slap, because of their lack of respect, and awful dress sense. Did I mention their blooming irritating accents. It's all good fun, ending with a shoot up in a hospital, and Alison Doody with so much cosmetic work done, you could swear she eventually found the Holy Grail. Throwaway stuff, but when this sort of stuff is churned out every other week, its nice to find something that has had a little bit of effort put into it. Worth watching if you like the genre.

• Brutal, and powerful film.

  frompagescreen2015-01-01

  What made this film for me was the cast that has been put together. Faces that I haven't seen on screen for years such as Ian Ogilvy, Lysette Anthony, Alison Doody and Christopher Ellison stand on screen with newcomers such as Danny Boy Hatchard who plays the most vile of characters. But thats the point. Within seconds of seeing Danny Boy Hatchards character (Aaron) on screen, I wanted to reach through the screen and throttle him. Brilliantly played by Danny Boy Hatchard who Im sure is a very decent guy with a heard of cold, he brilliantly plays one of the most vile humans I have seen on screen for a while. Well played Danny!. On the flip side of that is the character of Lauren, fantastically played by Dani Dyer in her first big role in a feature film (Dani previously appeared in a small role in Vendetta) Dani does a fantastic job here in We Still Kill The Old Way, standing toe to toe with actors who have been around for decades. In fact some of the best scenes of the film involve Lauren (Dani Dyer) and Richie (Ian Ogilvy) who have a sort of Father/Daughter vibe going on in the film after certain events intertwine their lives. This may be Dani's first major role, but she has a great future ahead if she takes it. Its great to see that Dani is currently filming in the Neil Jones directed film Age of Kill (written by Simon Cluett) which is due out in 2015. Here in We Still Kill The Old Way, we the viewer are genuinely concerned about Laurens safety at several points in the running time. We want to get her out of that scary world, but we cant, so hope and prey that Richie will do it for us. So is We Still Kill The Old Way worth watching? Well very much so yes. Its brutal, its well written, its well acted and whilst it does share a lot of 'themes' of Vendetta. (taking the law into your own hands), its a theme that worked in Vendetta, and works in this film too. Definitely check it out if you want to be pretty entertained for an hour and a half by a great cast, in a very decent film., especially if you like a bit of the old vigilante style film like Get Carter, or Death Wish. I was attracted to the film initially because it has Dougie Brimsons name attached. The guy hasn't let me down with his work yet, and also the name Sacha Bennett attached.as director who also hasn't let me down yet (although I have still to track down and watch his film Outside Bet) They didn't let me down. I totally enjoyed We Still Kill The Old Way and hope you do too