Dead Man's Cards (2006)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

James Marquand

Writers:

James Marquand (writer)
James McMartin (writer)

Release Date:

15 December 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Western | Thriller

Tagline:

Even the bravest men fall

Plot:

Cast

Paul Barber	...	Paul
Tom Bell	...	Billy The Cowboy
Samantha Janus	...	Kris
Gary Mavers	...	Bob
James McMartin	...	Tom
Lisa Parry	...	Mary
Mark Russell	...	Chongi
Andrew Schofield	...	Hawk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vinnie Adams	...	Jimmy the Pimp
Anthony Ankrah	...	Jimmy's gang member
Jamiel Asije	...	Mate of Man With Money
Robin John Barlow	...	Hoodie
Kimberley Barrett	...	Barmaid 1 (as Kim Barrett)
Carl Chase	...	Fester
Li Clark	...	Kevin 2
Henry Clequin	...	Joe
Colin Roy Colquhoun	...	Mr. Briggs
Sheldon Craigwell	...	Young Fighter
Reg Edwards	...	Barman
Gemma Evans	...	Stripper
Phil Evers	...	Funky Phil
Dave Feldman	...	Boozer
Chris Finch	...	Teddy Bear
Annie Fitzmaurice	...	Mum of cheeky kid
Ken George	...	Nathan
Dean Grieve	...	Glass Collector
Laura Hamilton	...	Student Girl
Ged Hunter	...	Scally 2
Ashley Hyland	...	Angry Punter
David Joffey	...	Tony Bennett drunk
Jon Keats	...	Silvarno
Samuel Ayo Laoye	...	Jimmy's gang member
Carl Learmond	...	Arrogant Fighter
James Ledsham	...	Lead Bully
Joseph Leith	...	Bizzie 2
Barry Loughran	...	Scally with Pepper Spray
Stephen Malden	...	Bully's Gang Member
Tom Marquand	...	Cheeky Kid
Peter McCarthy	...	Big Zack
Sean McKee	...	Blue Eyes
Simon Mead	...	Chongi's Heavy
Jason Mulhearn	...	Kevin 1
Paul Christopher Murphy	...	Crackhead
Sophie Olivia	...	Paul's ex-missus
Luke Parkinson	...	Luke
Lora Pilling	...	Barmaid 2 (as Lora Cullen)
Paul Pilnik	...	Drunk
Mark Plonsky	...	Student who gets shot
Laurie Rea	...	Bizzie 1
Stephen Short	...	Chongi's Heavy
Andrew Simister	...	Romeo Brown
Ben Simpson	...	Christmas Hat Seller
Errol Smith
James Tremarco	...	Jimmy V
Lea Walton	...	Romeo's oppo
Curtis Watt	...	Young glass collector
Spencer Wilding	...	Bar Brawler
Alex Wise	...	Man at Bar

Runtime:

110 min | 90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Australia:MA (2007) | New Zealand:R18

Filming Locations:

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Company:

Stray Dog Films

Trivia:

This is the debut feature length film for director James Marquand.

A slice of gritty entertainment, served with a sharp knife

Thought that nightclubs were run by nice charming businessmen who wouldn't hurt a fly? Although Dead Man's Cards is one of the grittiest crime thrillers in British cinema since the gold standard of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, it should be enough to at least make you wonder if nightclubs aren't really controlled by the long arm of nasty criminal types, whether in knuckle dusters or smart suits.

I started watching this movie not expecting to like it, and there being more f-words in the first few minutes than my mother could have endured without fainting, felt my expectations were going to be fully realised, but it wasn't long before I had to admit I'd got it wrong. Dead Man's Cards breathes life into a genre that too often sags under the weight of its own excesses, and comes up with a hand of aces.

Ex-boxer Tom gets a job as a bouncer at a dive, much to his wife's disgust, and is soon initiated into the refined way of doing things. "If you wanna do someone in, take 'em out the back - no cameras," advises fellow doorman Paul. This being an age of political correctness, they undergo one of the legally required courses in non-violent restraint, which provides more opportunities for grim humour as Paul shows the instructor how to get out of his judo holds. Club manager Billy (Tom Bell) dresses as a cowboy, lives in fantasy land, and likes to think he's in charge until there's some argument about the going rate for security, at which point he hastily backtracks. Tom's wife wants to "do something like a normal couple" and whisks hubby off to communion, but he's still recovering from the night before and has to rush outside the church to vomit. He and Paul try to maintain their decency by brute force in the face of pressure from bigger club owners, but there's a limit to everything, including how many conflicting loyalties you can juggle especially with drug-fuelled hangovers and a slutty gun-toting barmaid determined to take advantage.

Many British gangster movies since Lock Stock (with the notable exception of Sexy Beast) foundered on too much comedy, complex and unrealistic plots, unconvincing characterisation or simply lack of talent. Dead Man's Cards cleverly succeeds where others have failed. Its only fault is that you could possibly struggle with the Liverpudlian accents, or it may be too violent for some viewers, but if the subject matter offends, you've been warned! There's no overriding message that I could discern, no lingering Oscar-worthy close-ups where we are invited to admire some unspoken subtext, just thumpingly honest entertainment that doesn't pull its punches. Director James Marquand's has scored a hit with first feature film, and we can only hope that, rather than be tempted to make Dead Man's Cards II, he goes on to make more equally original and incisive work.