Michael Ledo JR (Brenton Thwaites) meets crime boss Brendan (Ewan McGregor) while in prison. Brendan covers JR's behind, who now owes Brendan. When JR gets out of prison, his first order to aid and abet in a prison break. Once out our twosome embark on a gold heist...with a girl (Alicia Vikander) in the plot to supply some conflict.This was a fairly decent gangster film. It is one worth viewing, but not one I would view a second time. The actors were not overly conniving.Guide: F-bomb. Brief sex and nudity

Theo Robertson This opens with one of the most clichéd scenes you get in cinema - a young pretty boy called Jesse Ryan is in a prison van going to prison and he's surrounded by creatures several species down the evolutionary ladder who are looking at him in a hostile way . Yeah it's clichéd but people enjoy a good cliché now and again especially prison ones and being an Aussie film I was intrigued I might be watching something along the lines of John Hillcoat's 1988 prison nightmare movie GHOSTS OF THE CIVIL DEAD , a film that was criminally underrated and despite being understated had the capacity to shock . SON OF A GUN isn't really in the same league and tries to be a plot driven gritty thriller !!!!! SPOILERS !!!!! This might have succeeded in its aims of being a great plot driven thriller but it often misses the mark where credibility is concerned . Jesse is sent to prison for a relatively minor offence that carries a sentence of six months but apparently he finds himself in a prison full of convicts who are doing life . I'd have thought that like Britain and America Australian prisons would have different categories where people doing relatively short sentences don't mix with lifers . I'm guessing this is because Jesse needs to meet someone who can save him from prison predators who have nothing to lose and that man is Brendan Lynch who has another twenty years to serve . If he protects Jesse from the predators he wants Jesse to come up with a plan to spring him from jail by hi-jacking a copter . Hmmm so someone who can't protect himself in jail might just happen to be a very effective hijacker on the outside ? . It's not like Jesse is all that hardened and violent .Doesn't Brendan have any mates on the outside who might be more reliable ? And what's to stop Jesse changing his mind ? Let's face it he's looking at 25 years in jail if he gets caught but I guess if the characters stopped to think about all this as much as the audience do then the film would abruptly stop The contrived writing is a pity because SON OF A GUN is a rather enjoyable and tense thriller in parts . Ewan McGregor is normally an actor I dislike and seems incapable of giving a convincing performance but here he's something of a revelation as tough villain Brendan Lynch and speaking in his native accent does help . I take it by his spoken idiom Lynch is a Scot ? He's ably supported by a cast I'd had no previous knowledge of in a film while entertaining could have been a bit more intelligent

movies-by-db A highly enjoyable thriller. Yes it's a heist film, but it's also much more then that. It's almost a Greek tragedy with the first (brutal) act taking place in prison, the second being the heist and the third act the aftermath. This all through the eyes of a young and seemingly innocent protagonist.I loved the pacing, the locations, the characters, Ewan McGregor was absolutely spot on but I also really enjoyed his quiet best mate "Sterlo" played by Matt Nable, a highly believable strongman, and, even though we've seen them many times, I always like the Eastern European gangsters. They do bring extra ruthlessness to these type of stories.It's back to oldschool 70's crime movies and that ain't no bad thing, and the tightly knit crew of charming tough guys even reminded me a little of "Heat". Don't get me wrong, it doesn't compare to that masterpiece, but "Heat" also definitely found it's inspiration in the 70's classics.A feature film debut for this director, I will most certainly eagerly be awaiting his next.. 8/10

Tony Heck "Never trust a criminal, check mate." JR (Thwaites) is in jail for a minor offense and quickly learns the harshness of his new home. After befriending notorious criminal Brendan (McGregor) he realizes he's in too deep. After he is released he helps Brendan break out of prison and takes part in a gold heist. Then things begin to get messy. First of all this isn't a bad movie, its just not all that original. The movie did have some really tense and exciting aspects to it but it seemed dull and uninspired at times. I was not expecting something amazing from this but I really started to lose interest a few times and by the end I was just glad it was finally over. There were enough twists to make me keep watching but they were pretty predictable. Overall, nothing all that original or exciting but seeing Ewan McGregor in a role like this is the reason to give it a shot. I give it a C.