GUENOT PHILIPPE I won't say this film is a pure masterpiece but it is definitely a good film noir. I admit it is slow, sometimes a little too long on some scenes, such as this one in the warehouse and borrowed from RESERVOIR DOGS, with a little too much talking. But the story, even foreseeable and cliché on some points, reminds me Phil Joanou's STATE OF GRACE, remember, starring Sean Penn, another film noir involving friends, brother and the gang, where Ed Harris could be imagined in the Harvey Keitel role. Yes, I definitely love this little unknown, at least, not known enough, feature very dark, gloomy and not for all audiences. I have seen many of this kind and have hundreds of those in my huge Library. I will never get tired of that. Never, over my dead body.

zardoz-13 The apathetic R-rated mafia movie "By the Gun" generates minimal velocity, and the foul-mouthed characters don't curse half as much as they should. If you're itching for something like either "Goodfellas" or "Killing Them Softly," you're going to be sorely disappointed. The urban action meanders aimlessly for little more than a half-hour before our handsome but ineffectual hero finds himself face to face with his big contract kill. Sadly, Nick cannot summon the nerve to pull the trigger. Instead, his obnoxious buddy George (Slaine of "The Town") takes care of Nick's business for him. Niccolo Emilio Tortano (Ben Barnes of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"), who dreamed about being a 'made man' in the Italian mob, gets his opportunity about 41 minutes into the slow-burn action as his boss Salvatore Vitaglia (Harvey Keitel of "Mean Streets") administers the omerta oath.Trouble is killing isn't in Nick's blood. Nick's father Vincent wants nothing to do with either him or the mob. Nick also has his eyes on a female bartender, Ali (Leighton Meester of "Country Strong"), and likes to give her flowers. As it turns out, Ali's father is scummy mafia chieftain Tony Matazano (Ritchie Coaster of "Blackhat"), and Nick's friend George takes Tony hostage and beats him within an inch of his life. George threatens to blab off to everybody about what he did for Nick. Tony tells Nicky repeatedly to kill George, and suddenly Nick blows Tony's head off. This prompts Sal to take a contract out of Nick. Indeed, Nick gets to sleep with Ali who abhorred her own father, but by then Nick's days are numbered. When Sal's shooter Jerry (Toby Jones of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier") comes gunning for Nick, he finds Ali alone in bed and ices her. Nick manages to shoot Jerry with the same silenced automatic with which Jerry rubbed out Ali. Finally, Nick musters some guts and goes after Sal.Sophomore director James Motten of "Trucker" and rookie scenarist Emilio Mauro delay the inevitable for what seems an eternity. More characters bite the dust in the last ten minutes than the previous 100 minutes. Leading man Ben Barnes drums up little charisma. He isn't sympathetic for a mafia protagonist who allows situations to manipulate him. Motton and Mauro deliver a double whammy surprise at fade-out, but it is too late to salvage this mediocre melodrama. The locations appear realistic enough, and the budget seems more than adequate. Nevertheless, "By the Gun" emerges as a forgettable fiasco.

Pratik Vora Ben Barnes, Harvey Keitel, Toby Jones is what had me but I say always go by the ratings/reviews. All actors delivered performances, but in what direction exactly was this movie heading into? Filmmakers tried to sugarcoat the film with intense performances but there was absolutely no background to support it hence it falls flat on the subject matter. There is the Godfather series, The Sopranos TV series which makes 'By the Gun' a by-product of poor film making and disappoints you in the subject matter. Now the most weird thing was, To depict the life of a 'kid' who just got 'made', apparently he dies in the end, which was some kind of twist to make your head spin, and the guy who shoots him, also dies by the hand of the brother of the 'made guy' who had NO role in the movie, no character background, nothing, nada.Leaves you feeling helpless. It tries to send out a message of friendship but not really, eventually turns out to be a subject of a tragic romance straight from the mafia world. The script shows that the Kid wants to do the right thing but then he doesn't. Why is it so confusing?!Toby Jones was such a waste here. I hate it when actors like him fall victim to characters with no background, no density. You would realize that all he does in this movie is make a couple of phone calls and supervises a warehouse. He is a 'made guy'.Not worth your time. Watch the Sopranos again instead.

mac-ginty A young gangster (Nick) achieves his lifetime goal of joining the Mafia and we see the struggle it causes between his family, friends and girlfriend. This is a well acted piece with a nice turn from Harvey Kietal as a crime Boss. Nicks life is complicated by his long term partner in crimes gambling indiscretions and this leads to an explosion of violence where everyone is affected.Downbeat locations and realistic dialogue seem to add a feeling of doom for the Mafia lifestyle that is portrayed as dying out. The film is a bit reminiscent of The Town but on a smaller budget. Well worth the money as a rental but it is unlikely that you will feel the need to rush out and buy the Bluray. An all round solid effort.