A Day of Violence (2010)

I consider myself quite lucky actually, for not being one of those who seen every British gangster-movie the last twenty years. I have no memories of those I’ve seen – which is very few – and have no idea what’s been released since then. A movie I will remember is Darren Ward’s A Day of Violence.

Nick Rendell is Mitchell, a new debt collector for a local sleazy little (he looks quite small) gangster boss, Curtis Boswell (Victor D. Thorn). There’s just one problem. At his last job, collecting a big debt from Hopper (Giovanni Lombardo Radice), he just steals the money... This was just private business, and everything is fine… until Curtis want’s him to collect the money at Hopper – because it’s his money!

Here the shit hits the fan, and there will be a lot violence during this long, shitty, fucked-up day...

Why do I consider my lucky to have so little knowledge about British gangster movies? I just can’t compare this one with any other movie in the same genre! Almost all reviews I’ve seen so far mention a certain director, but I have no intention to do that. I think that A Day of Violence stands on its own legs, very much so. Show digital, but with great energy and a lot of inspired actors, this is a damn fun and intensive movie.

Nick Rendell is convincing in the lead, so also the other bigger actors – though I was confused in the beginning because of at least two other actors with a similar look like Nick – quite big boys with shaved heads. The Mitchell-character seem to act on instinct, he don’t think that much and don’t seem to care so much about what’s going to happen to him – or to others around him.

Giovanni Lombardo Radice is phenomenal! I love his character, the little time he’s in the movie. He’s freaky, disgusting, over-the-top and still realistic. That beard, man! He makes a great character and if this movie didn’t have any gore or violence I would recommend you all to buy it just because of him!

Another spot-on performance is Victor D. Thorn, who plays a bad guy directly from an Eighties Bronson-movie. He's he truly bad person, extremely rude and cold - and Thorn is great in the part. There's something with his delivering of lines that reminds of someone. Everything he says is calculated to his own advantage, which makes the character even more despicable!

But do you know what? This movie has a fucking lot of gore and violence. I mean, it’s bizarre. It’s mostly squibs and stabbings – with blood spraying everywhere, but also a couple of very nasty torture-scenes which I’m surprised managed to slip by the UK censorship. The action is handled very well too, with a couple of nice shoot-outs (and one impressive massacre at a night club) a huge body count.

I guess this movie isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s nice to see such a over-the-top action/gangster movie with such fantastic squibs, good acting and violence – and probably made for a small percent of what that other British gangster-director spends on his movies.

This movie might not win any Oscar for best foreign movie, but I’m sure it will win your ripped out, bloody hearts!