Not-So-Good Fellas
The Guys Deserve to Be Knocked Around

When a cast of well-respected veteran actors and up-and-coming stars get together for a movie, it is something to be considered. To say that I was interested in Knockaround Guys is an understatement. I had high hopes for this film. Too high, apparently.

Barry Pepper, who has become a rising force since his performances in Saving Private Ryan and The Green Mile, stars as Matty, the son of mob boss Benny Chains (Dennis Hopper). Having learned at an early age that he didn't have the stomach for the family business, Matty has been trying to find legitimate work, but his father's name hangs around his neck like an anchor. Deciding to give up his search for legitimate work, Matty asks his father if he can help in a simple money run.

To assist him, Matty enlists the aide of three friends: Marbles (Seth Green), Taylor (Vin Diesel), and Chris (Andrew Davoli). Three more diverse guys could not be found. Marbles is a perpetual screw-up, who is trying to stay clean after being busted for cocaine. Taylor is single-minded muscle who, because of his half-Jewish heritage, will never be a made man. Chris is living off his father's name (and money) in the underworld. Together, these guys wouldn't be able to pull off a toy store heist, but for some reason Benny decides to trust them with millions of dollars.

As one would expect, Marbles loses the money in some backwater hick town in Montana. Fearing reprisals for such a colossal screw-up, Marbles calls Matty and asks for help. Soon the gang is oozing through Big Sky country looking for the money and trying to avoid Benny's right hand man, Teddy Deserve (John Malkovich).

With a less talented cast, this would not rank as video fare. But with Pepper and Malkovich, the story is glossed over by some fine performances. Unfortunately, good casting alone can not improve this script enough. It suffers from slow pacing, cliche storytelling, and a collection of two-dimensional characters. Even though the film is barely an hour and a half, it felt like three.

The film does have some enjoyable moments, but the great cast is ultimately wasted. Diesel is little more than a thug, which is a shame considering his rising star power. (After the success of xXx this summer, I doubt Diesel will appear in this small a role again.) Likewise, Hopper's appearance his is merely a token one. Chances are he did all his shots in a single day and went home with his paycheck.

Still, for fans of gangster movies, Knockaround Guys is a departure from the usual kind of stories. It's not good, but it is a diversion. This movie will be gone before the November crush of holiday films arrives, which is probably for the best. This one is best suited for rental.

MY RATING: 3 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 94 min.