David Caesar's 'Dirty Deeds' is a black comedy about gangsters set in 1960's Australia. The film doesn't completely capture the vibe of the 60s but still looks appealing mainly due to the colourful production design and costumes.
Where writing it concerned, most of the jokes work effectively but there are a few that fall flat. Moreover some of the main characters should have been more properly defined.
The performances, mainly by Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, John Goodman and Sam Neill are brilliant. However, Sam Worthington lacks screen presence.
The pacing is quite uneven and the story does tend to get a little messy in places. The cinematography is good and the score is brilliant.
'Dirty Deeds' thinks it's a smart black comedy and that may be so to an extent but it does have its share of flaws, a few big ones. Tighter editing and more character development may have done the trick. Yet, it's still watchable. After all something that's visually amusing and draws a few laughs may deserve at least a one-time watch.
Where writing it concerned, most of the jokes work effectively but there are a few that fall flat. Moreover some of the main characters should have been more properly defined.
The performances, mainly by Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, John Goodman and Sam Neill are brilliant. However, Sam Worthington lacks screen presence.
The pacing is quite uneven and the story does tend to get a little messy in places. The cinematography is good and the score is brilliant.
'Dirty Deeds' thinks it's a smart black comedy and that may be so to an extent but it does have its share of flaws, a few big ones. Tighter editing and more character development may have done the trick. Yet, it's still watchable. After all something that's visually amusing and draws a few laughs may deserve at least a one-time watch.