Watch Charlie the Ox Online

Charlie the Ox (2004)
iMDB Rating: 8.5

Date Released : 4 September 2004

Genre : Thriller, Crime

Stars : Brian Battisti, Aydin Bikul, Jahnika Blythe, Leona Butler

Movie Quality : HDrip

Format : MKV

Size : 870 MB



 

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Clever payback thriller about a weak-willed safecracker who gets double-crossed by a gang of bank robbers. A tightly-woven script filled with wit and snappy film-noir dialogue, this low-life caper moves with great energy and contains performances from a colorful collection of veteran character actors.

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Review :

Double-crossings require you to think fast

I must attend nearly two dozen festivals each year, and see close to 150 independent films, and this movie isn't the typical flick that gets programmed at fests. So, pleasantly, I was caught off guard by it. In spite of its slower pacing, it really charms the viewer into accepting its people and its premise. I expected this to be a non-stop action/suspense film with twists and turns at every corner. What I experienced was a plodding, insightful drama about a man torn between what he was dreams of doing and what he was knows is wrong.

Though the film does in fact have twists, I could have dealt with less characters and their motivations, even though I was down with the tempo of the picture. Not to say I have a limited attention span or that I don't like to be challenged while I watch films - on the contrary, I love the chance to think - but a little exposition goes a long way and this film has a little too much. More action was needed to fill the screen time with less talk. I suppose some of the limitations were based on their B-budget, in which case I applaud them for reaching out (and attaining) a more meaningful drama. This is one of those crime stories where the conscience weighs down the thief more than the stolen goods do.

Generally, the performances were stellar. They could have cut the clues down and gotten to the real double-crosser without creating false suspicions and I would have been just as entertained. Instead, I was constantly wondering who would be the turncoat and that can get annoying. The writing is sharp and the language is fun to hear. One fault of this film is the background noise throughout. It really made it difficult to understand what the actors were saying sometimes, so for those out there who are interested in seeing this, I suggest you wait for the DVD and watch it with subtitles on.

Overall, a good film, with a few more touches it could have been great.

9/10 rating.

-George Blackburn