Dangerous Men

Drafthouse / MVD

John Rad‘s Dangerous Men is probably, unfortunately for me, review-proof. Made on a shoestring by Rad, an Iranian who moved to America literally 24 hours before Khomeini got in and — understandably — decided not to go back, it’s a crazy slice of slam-bang crime action, and it may just be the Deadly Premonition of moves when it comes to asking “is it any good?”

Let me make one thing clear — John Rad is not Tommy Wiseau, and Dangerous Men is not The Room. It’s not trying to make you think, or to educate you. It’s just there to entertain, and it works its socks off doing just that. Look, it’s not about to win any awards for acting, sound or script, but judged purely on the basis of enjoyability, it’s a winner.

After seeing her fiancé, Daniel, murdered by bikers, Mina embarks on (to quote The Bride) “a rip-roaring rampage of revenge”, and proceeds to murder her way through an array of perverts, sleazes and general douchebags. Daniel’s brother David, a cop who while it’s never specified is “on the edge”, almost certainly IS “on the edge”, tries to track her down and ends up taking on Black Pepper, a crime boss who dresses like a pro wrestler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2jAjoRGjRM

As violent crime thrillers go, it’s a particularly charming one. It so badly wants you to have fun, and it’s kinda hard not to. Rad didn’t make this movie because he wants your money. He didn’t make this movie because he wanted to sell toys. He made this movie because he wanted to make this goddamned movie. And I’d rather watch someone with no money trying their damnedest to entertain me than someone with a ton of the stuff serving up glossy yet mediocre bullshit which their heart isn’t really in.

As I say, it’s pretty much review-proof. But what I can honestly say, hand on heart, is that I fucking loved it.

-Justin Farrington-