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Very disappointing...

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

One of the movie sub-genres I enjoy is British underworld / British Football Hooliganism. It is a nice change of pace from American mob movies, yet still includes the violence and action I enjoy. I go into these movies acknowledging there probably will be an absence of award winning dialogue, emotional relationships and gripping plot. But I expect gritty violence and for the movie to bring realism to that type of criminal behavior. Some movies do end up having great acting and a nice plot twist and that can elevate the underworld movie to a classic, but the Guvnors is not one of those. The movie has its pros, but its cons ultimately would make this a pass for me.The movie's plot revolves around a local hoodlum with an established gang. Not satisfied with earning an illegal income and terrorizing innocent members of the community, he also craves respect. Some community members mention the old gang that use to run the streets, and how that gang "ran things the right way". Some he sets off by causing mayhem and coercing the retired old timer to come and meet him for a showdown on the street. It is a little silly how some recent British crime movies draw on this premise – that old time gangsters were somehow more noble that current gangsters. I guess if you steal and rob by only being somewhat violent, you are considered more civilized that someone who uses more violent methods. But alas, that is the premise of this movie.The somewhat irrational plot can be overlooked, because when we rent these movies we just want violence in a realistic atmosphere. And the fight scenes do deliver. There are typical slow motion fight scenes and drug den robberies. The hoodlum actors do a good job of making us believe we are witnessing how a drug dealer behaves. However, for some reason the screenwriter tried to involve way too many plot lines and twists. And this leads to scenes introducing characters for no reason, twists that begin to distract the viewer due to their implausibility and an ending that does not really make sense.It is a little frustrating spending time watching a movie and then being rewarded with such a poor ending. I feel as though it is easy to deliver on a crime drama. Just give us a crime story with one twist and punctuate the movie with violence. And the viewer agrees to overlook a hackneyed plot and weak character motivations. But when the plot beings to get muddled and characters make choices that make no logical sense, it can be a problem. And when these problems are so severe that they actually being to distract the viewer and ruin the realism of the movie, that is a problem. I would suggest trying another movie in this genre. Ultimately, plot revelations that made no sense and a rather silly ending will leave you very unsatisfied.

The Guvnors is yet another British film based on street gangs. It is a tale of two different generations, the older guys who have all moved on from their past and the younger guys. Trouble starts when the old boy who is associated with 'The Guvnors', is murdered. The film is set in London and the atmosphere on the streets is very grim. The film develops at a steady pace and we see different sides to both of the main characters which adds a bit of realism, rather than just watching 90 minutes of mindless violence without fully knowing the characters and their motives. There is an unexpected twist towards the end of the film. I felt it was a good twist so when the film approached the finale there was plenty of possibilities. I felt it was a great acting debut by Harley from Rizzle Kicks and I certainly hope to see him in a few more films soon. The film also boasted a very good soundtrack throughout. 8/10 - would recommend but only if you like the genre.

Review: This is one of those typical East End movies about a young criminal minded gang leader who wants to make a name for himself by taking out the old mobsters who used to run his turf. I must admit, the film is quite predictable and it's nothing that we haven't seen before. Doug Allen, who plays one of the main characters as the old football Hooligan whose gone straight, gets dragged back into the Hooligan life after there old leader, played by David Essex, gets murdered. There's a couple of twists along the way but it takes some time to get going and there's a lot of unnecessary violence which goes a bit too far. Harley Sylvester, who plays the lead as the violent youth, played his part quite well and his sidekick was quite a scary looking fellow but the script wasn't that original and I did loose interest after a while. The difference between the generations and how they deal with there problems, is real in today's day to day life so I found the film more frustrating than entertaining. Average!Round-Up: If you watch Eastenders, you might remember Doug Allen from the earlier episodes as Nathan between 2001-2002. I haven't really seen him in anything else since then, but he played his part quite well, especially as this is his first leading role. The whole setting for the movie might look familiar because it's were Clockwork Orange was filmed. You also might have seen the guy who played the lead as the violent youth before, as one of the rappers in the Rizzle Kids, so he's not a stranger to performing. In this film I personally think that it's the typical UK gangstar storyline which needed some work but there are a couple of twists that make it slightly interesting.I recommend this movie to people who are into their UK drama/violent movies about a   football hooligan whose gone straight but gets dragged back into his old lifestyle after the leader of his old squad gets murdered. 3/10

One of the best gangster flicks of our times, the plot is simple but bewitching excellent performance by Vas Blackwood and the rest of the guys, the film captures the British street scene with honesty, shot in true-to-scene locations a unique one of kind film, i see it doing very well in world over, a classic example of what goes around comes around and the true saying that a gangster once yields a sword, will die by one. The climax was fantastic with a good mix of natives and immigrant (even a Sikh) making a fantastic entry scene for the final fight. if not for the "always" underwhelming reception of the American press for good British films, i see this movie doing big business if a pending proper release.