Review: Gangsters, Guns and Zombies / Cert: 18 / Director: Matt Mitchell / Screenplay: Taliesyn Mitchell, Matt Mitchell / Starring: Vincent Jerome, Huggy Leaver, Fabrizio Santino, Cassandra Orhan / Release Date: January 7th 2013
Oh no! It’s yet another low budget British zombie film. This one, however is actually a little better than the lame title may suggest.
A gang of armed robbers have used the early days of the zombie apocalypse as cover for a big bank job, and are making their way to their safe house. With one of them dying from a gunshot wound, and the others squabbling amongst themselves, the marauding undead are merely a minor nuisance, until they run out of petrol and have to seek alternative arrangements.
The first thing that strikes you about Gangsters, Guns and Zombies is how much it wants to be Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; it even has a member of the original cast (Leaver). Throw in elements of Reservoir Dogs and 28 Days Later and you might begin to get an idea of the heights this film is striving for. Where it ends up, however, is another matter entirely. While it isn’t a complete disaster – several scenes work well, and there’s a definite sense of humour – pacing problems cause the final act of the film to sag somewhat, and the romantic subplot is superfluous. There’s not much to be scared of here either, as it’s played mostly for laughs, with very little gore, although coulrophobics (Google it!) should keep a wary eye out for one scene that might disturb them. On the plus side, there’s a standout performance from Jennie Lathan as the Grandma who gives as good as she gets (especially in the potty mouth stakes), and in fairness, writer/director Mitchell has made the most of his limited resources, delivering a movie that will be fun for the less discerning viewer.
Extras: A 30 min featurette: The Making of Gangsters, Guns and Zombies: Fake Blood, Sweat and Tears which really doesn’t amount to much more than the cast and crew saying how much fun they had making the film.
