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Visitors Review

philhobden_uk 2012-05-20 14:24:53

Ten Dead Men - The Combat Review

This is the Review for 10 Dead Men taken from UK magazine COMBAT,published June 2008. This review is totally independent and from amagazine established over 40 years in the UK. I have full righst toreproduce this work here. EXCLUSIVE ADVANCED FIRST LOOK REVIEW by Will StrongRyan (Brendan Carr - Rise of The Foot soldier) a former mob enforcergone straight, is called upon by an old friend to perform one last hitin payment of a long forgotten blood debt. The job goes badly wrong andRyan is captured, tortured, forced to watch his girlfriend murderedbefore his eyes, brutally shot and left for dead. Betrayed, broken andburning with vengeance, he embarks on a bloody one man rampage to exactrevenge on the 10 men who destroyed his life.Directed by cult filmmaker Ross Boyask (Left for Dead), produced byModern Life?'s award winning Phil Hobden (also Left for Dead and 2003'sThe Johnna Man), and with an all star cast featuring the likes of TerryStone (Rolling with The Nines), Lee Latchford Evans (Steps) and PoojaShah (Eastenders), 10 Dead Men is that rarest of commodities - a quitesuperb British action film. Right from the get-go it simply does not stop - its all here in fullTechnicolor folks- gun battles, explosions, seriously evil bad guys,and some of the most blistering hand to hand combat you will see allyear. Every fight is brilliantly choreographed, dazzling to the eye andso bone crunchily real I lost count of the amount of times I foundmyself wincing!Special mention must be made about two action sequences in particular.The first takes place in a derelict house between Carr a henchmen. Infeats of incredible agility, Carr runs up a walls, backflips, highkicks and punches his way through a scene that puts the fights in theBourne films to utter shame. The other is the finale – where he toolshimself up and launches a one man assault on the last remaining membersof Stone's gang – basically this is a free for all where just aboutanything goes and was so enjoyable that it had me grinning all overlike a schoolboy .It isn't just the action that is good - the performances' too are allexcellent - Carr in particular gives real depth to the virtuallywordless Ryan, and matches this with some astounding martial artsprowess that would give the likes of Jet Li and Tony Jaa a run fortheir money. In addition, Pooja Shah as Ryan's doomed girlfriend, BenShockley as a bent copper and (shock!) ex-Steps crooner Lee LatchfordEvans as a vicious henchman are all great value. Kudos also to KeithEyles - exceptional in the role of the psychopathic 'Project Manager' -a man so evil he'd give Freddy Krueger nightmares.Boyask's direction is sure handed, very creative, and shows a realtalent that must have Hollywood calling any day soon. Special mentionmust go to his handling of the numerous action sequences on show(particularly the finale) which rivals that of John Woo and Corey Yuenfor sheer ballistic excitement. Furthermore his and Hobden's script israzor sharp, evoking fond memories of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction andLethal Weapons' Shane Black in his 80's heyday. There are some criticisms' - a running narration by Doug Bradley(Hellraiser) is a bit on the smug side and gets somewhat intrusive inparts, the great Terry Stone (superb as Mob boss Hart) is wasted in twosomewhat throwaway scenes, and the plot is little bit too much like thePunisher and Commando in places. Carr also has virtually no lines inthe entire film and whilst I could see that with the character of Ryan,Boyask and Hobden where trying to envoke the strong but silent typeheroes of old – ala' Mad Max or John Matrix, they really should havegiven Brendan Carr a lot more lines to say. However, these are minor issues in an otherwise cracking film. RossBoyask has taken a giant leap from 2004's impressive Left For Dead, andcrafted a film that could well see him and his team go on to evenbigger and better things in the near future. So in summary - well directed, great writing, incredible fight scenesand a star making performance from Carr all adding up to one of thebest British action movies of the decade. Action rating: 5 stars out of 5See this if you liked: The Punisher, Kill Bill, Commando, Kiss Of TheDragon and The Transporter.Ten Dead Men will be released in late 2008, for more seewww.tendeadmen.co.uk

ContainsNuts 2012-05-20 07:56:28

Very entertaining film

If you only give a film 3 minutes then I don't think you can callyourself a film fan and shouldn't really review it. There's some truththat its clear the film was shot on a low-budget but it doesn't takelong to forget that and get into a very thrilling story that keeps up agood pace throughout and has some genuinely surprising twists in it. Ienjoyed this film. The fight scenes are very well done and the scriptis well written, balancing flashbacks with the present as well asunravelling the motive behind the confrontations. There are a lot ofmillion-pound budget action films that are predictable and boring, youwon't be saying that about this film.

Welton Barker 2012-05-17 06:05:05

These filmmakers are worth watching

I really enjoyed this film! It's obviously on the lower end of thebudget spectrum, but the filmmakers really made what they had work forthem. It was extremely violent, which in my eyes is a good thing,considering that's pretty much the genre, and it was edited very well.There were times when some of the sound editing might have beentightened up a tad, but all in all, this was an excellent "anti-herotakes revenge on even worse people" kind of film. I suppose I shouldmention that the script was way above average for this type of film,but I might be biased. Chris Regan is a friend, after all! But goodgoing Chris!!! And I DID notice that brother Peter worked on theextras. Good show Pete! The whole thing was a perfect entertainment forme while my wife was out of town! Definitely keep an eye on all of thepeople involved here. This won't be the last we'll be hearing fromthem.

M_R_G 2012-05-16 12:34:08

Brilliantly Awful

Ross Boyask & Phil Hobden have created, in this movie, a work so awfulthat it is utterly compelling.If you remember the dreadful photo stories from the girly teen comicsof the 80's, (so brilliantly parodied in UK adult comic Viz) thenimagine a moving picture version with violence, and you will be most ofthe way toward understanding the feel and presentation of this film.The storyline itself, is a poor version of The Crow, without all thecoolness of course, and without the exceptional feeling of empathy forthe main character. Where The Crow had dark, brooding, Gothicbrilliance, with a classic and memorable score, this movie failed ateverything... except at being bad, that is. If revenge story lines weredrinks, The Crow would be a fine vintage Champagne, whereas 10 Dead Menwould be p*ss flavoured water.Where it fails in the storyline department, it fails equally asspectacularly in the action genre department. The fight scenes arepatently contrived and badly executed, and the gore effects brilliantlypoor.The acting itself is so appallingly bad, that the viewer is forced toconsider the possibility that Boyask abandoned the traditionalauditioning route, and instead opted for the less orthodox method ofapproaching likely looking characters in bars, and asking them if theywanted to be in his movie. Seriously, the acting is so bad, that attimes even the walking looks strained and put-on.Doug Bradley's narration seals the deal. It comes across as a badlywritten afterthought; an addition to the moving picture storyboard.It's almost as if the director realised that the acting talent withinthe cast pool was utterly incapable of putting the rather tiredstoryline across, and threw it in as a necessary evil. The movie ishowever, all the better for it.And therein lies the brilliance in this movie. It is so unintentionallybad, that it compels you to keep watching, right up to the ratherpredictable and clichéd ending. One needs to look to the deliberatelyawful genius of Peter Jackson's 1987 movie "Bad Taste" to see this sortof dreadful. Where movies deliberately made this bad miss the mark ofawful by the very act of trying to be such, this movie succeeds inspades entirely by accident... It is that which makes this movie worthwatching.I would have loved to have given this movie a 10 vote, if for no otherreason than the maker's sheer lack of shame for releasing it. In theend, I gave it one star, because awful REALLY IS the best descriptionfor it... and that's why you should watch it.

trashgang 2012-05-11 14:55:48

typical Brit mobster flick but low on brutality

This flick was sold at a horror convention due the name Doug Bradley.Horror geeks do know who he is, pinhead from Hellraiser. Naturally, byusing his name the producers thought it would sell well. Doug isn't inthe flick at all, he's just the narrator.It even got nothing to do with horror, it is more a mafia flick wereone is taking his revenge for killing his girlfriend. 1O people werethere so ten men had to die. This is a British production and by doingso you have to dig the accents used. But it's all understandable. Thelast year I have seen a few revenge flicks coming out of the UK butthis one here isn't that brutal. It's rough and merciless but I haveseen rougher flicks like for example A Day Of Violence. Still, due themerciless fight scene's it isn't for the easily offended. The red stuffdo flows but the torture is done off screen. So it's easy to see thatit was a low budget. Personally I expected a little more from it but itfits in the line of British mobster revenge flicks. And there's a bitof relieve of fight scene's due the goofy couple Parker and Garrett. Gore 1/5 Nudity 0,5/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 1/5

david-3354 2012-05-11 02:34:51

Not the worst film....but not far off!!

This is absolute tripe!! Terrible acting by most, if not all of thecast. I watched this for about half an hour thinking it couldn't getany worse....but it did. I only watched it because Terry Stone is in itand I thought Rise of the Footsoldier was excellent. Avoid thisfilm....it is 90 minutes of your life you won't be able to get back.BAD BAD BAD BAD. I do wonder what people think of when they are makinggarbage like this? Do they honestly think this is a good piece of filmmaking? I would love to hear what the director/producer have to sayabout it. It makes it into my all time worst 5 films. It is years sinceI saw something as bad as this. I love this type of film but this onefalls way short on so many levels. The acting is rubbish, the sound isrubbish, the directing is rubbish.....and did I mention the acting???

Tony Cook 2012-05-10 03:00:38

Action packed roller coaster

I would recommend this film to fans of martial arts, action..even lovestories, its got everything you need! A lot of well known Britishtalent like Terry Stone, Jason Mazza and Brendan Carr. There isgruesome parts which will have you trapped between look away and missor look and hope you stay on your seat. This film is an example of anything can be done despite money! If youthink Rodriquez's El Mariache had production value for a lowbudget...you haven't seen anything! The sets, the explosions, the guns,the cast! They are all big production value. It's a masterclass inIndie film making.Definitely on the Christmas list!

2012-05-09 13:23:02

AMERICA'S CRITIC

THIS MOVIE IS A BRITISH FILM I GOT THIS ONE FROM BLOCKBUSTER IT WAS AN OK FILM WOULD RECCOMEND ONLY RENTING THIS ONE I WAS EXPECTING ALOT OF ACTION FROM THIS ONE BUT WAS UNSTAISFIED.

JoeytheBrit 2012-05-08 23:08:53

One for the happy-slappers...

I honestly don't know how this film found it's way onto my Lovefilmlist - I think I might have confused it with 50 Dead Men Walking - butI thought I might as well watch it. In my opinion no film is a completeloss and I honestly can't remember the last time I failed to watch amovie from beginning to end - but it's hard work sometimes.The first thing you notice about 10 Dead Men is that it's made withvirtually no budget (estimated at £100,000 on this site - which isabout the price of a one-bed starter home) but there's nothing wrongwith that - I'm all for independent film makers going it on their ownwith limited resources, and I've seen some half-decent films as aresult. So kudos to the director and producer for having the energy andenthusiasm most of us lack - and for coming across as splendid chaps onthe film's message boards on this site.Sadly, there's not a huge amount of good things that can be said aboutthis film by anyone who has broad experience of movie watching. Thesubject matter is fairly uninspired, and its relentless violence seemsto have been targeted towards the kind of Neanderthals who like to do alittle filming of their own - usually on their mobile when they'reengaging in a spot of happy-slapping. The acting is dire - but I don'treally expect awards-standard performances from a no-budget flick, so Iwasn't too bothered by that. The direction and editing are OK, and themakers clearly know where their major weaknesses are, which is whydialogue is kept to a minimum (to the point of ridiculousness in thecase of the leading man: either they thought his vocal skills werebeyond saving or they were trying to create a mysteriousman-with-no-name type because despite having 90% screen time he onlyspeaks one line) and the action scenes are delivered in two-minuteintervals.The one area in which low budget films are not at such a disadvantageas other films is in the writing. Imagination costs nothing, and ifyou've got the ear for it, natural-sounding dialogue will flownaturally, but the storyline here seems to be something of anafterthought - just something to fill the empty seconds betweengunfights and torture.

drive2 2012-05-08 13:18:22

gritty, kick ass action flick

caught an early screening of Ten Dead Men and was impressed by this lowbudget action film. gritty, violent and packed with knuckle dustingaction, Ten Dead Men harks back to the old school days of action filmswhen violence was dished out frequently and the bad guys got what wascoming to them. for a low budget flick, the acting was decent, thedirecting and script tight and the action full on. it may not be glossybut it's a hell of a lot of fun and a good tough as nails Britishaction film. the film is also packed with a number of real lifefighters and action cinema regulars so there is plenty for the fightfan to enjoy. check it out.

luis691991 2012-05-07 04:22:05

Trash. If you want a random laugh watch. If not, KEEP AWAY!!!

This is by far the worst British film I have ever seen. An absolutedisgrace to my eyes, ears and general well being. Its suppose to be a'action thriller' but turned out to be the unintentional 'Comedy of theyear'. Me and my mates had a right good laugh at this tripe. God knowswhere we stumbled upon this steaming pile of dog toffee but it was soondiscarded from my presence. I hate it that much it has a special placein my heart. We watched it several times and even viewed the 'makingof', what a top laugh that was. I was tortured with the theme tune,little quotes and reminders of scenes to this day. All in all the term'hate from the pit of my stomach' is thrown around too much these daysbut Ten Dead Men really fits the bill. The cast and crew should beashamed of what they have done and let loose on the unsuspectingpublic. Ten men took Ryans life way. Ten men had to pay. IncludingBrendan Carr, Lee Latchford Evans, Terry Stone and that idiot 'theProjects Manager'.AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!

rjpurves 2012-05-06 09:04:56

Yikes! AVOID!

This film is so utterly dreadful that I couldn't finish it. It'sobvious that the "actors" were just martial artists plucked from a gymand had no acting ability whatsoever. There's been no story developmentpast whatever gangster films the writer/director and producer decidedto use elements of and lastly there's a voice-over ... which made mecringe every time I heard it, and insisted on telegraphing the story.The story is not so much conveyed to us, but dictated to us which isjust sloppy. Didactic films are not the way to go here.It's at that point I stopped the DVD and checked out the IMDb. Guys,you proudly proclaim that this is your 40th film together. Did youactually bother learning anything from the previous 39? Things that areessential in film-making such as story, character, frame composition,lighting, sound design, music and directing? It's obvious that whileyou have the talent (or luck) to get projects off the ground, you've noidea about how to execute a film.In summation, either watch a bunch of really good films and learn tosee how they work ... or just stop now and let other people have a go.I really hope this isn't representative of your body of work but i'vean odd feeling it is.

justin-richards-1 2012-05-04 21:20:44

A British gangster film with big balls and plenty of true grit

You can't out-run your past and Ryan (Brendan Carr) learns this thehard way. Ryan thinks his violent past is behind him until a friend inneed asks for his help. He unwillingly crosses the ruthless crime bossHart (played well here by actor Terry Stone), the one man he can neverescape. With his girlfriend murdered in front of him and he, himself,left for dead, Ryan decides that if he can't escape his past life hemust confront it head on. Ten men destroyed his life, now ten men aregoing to pay - as the poster blurb says.Independent British action cinema takes another step in the rightdirection with the arrival of Ten Dead Men, Modern Life's superiorfollow-up to their cult hit 'Left for Dead'. Fusing action, drama andviolence into a blistering whole, Ten Dead Men shows that us Brits canhold our own in the action movie arena.It may be a little rough around the edges and lack the gloss of a bigbudget action film but Ten Dead Men holds its own and shows independentaction cinema can serve up the goods, especially when made by peoplewho so obviously love the genre. It's also great to see a film stickingto its dark roots and not wimping out come the final act.My only real issue with the film, and it's a relatively small one isthat it took me a while to get used to the lead actor saying nothingthroughout the film and having to rely on the narrator to keep theviewer engaged with the central character. But between them writer,Chris Regan, and actor Doug (Hellraiser) Bradley manage to pull it off,although, I have to say, it did take me the first 15 minutes of themovie to get used to it.In summary, an enjoyable low budget, gritty action/crime film with alot of heart. I have no regrets choosing this film for a film festivalI ran in 2008 as it went down a storm with the audience - pity not manyothers will get the chance to see it on the big screen...

crazynorweegian 2012-05-04 13:27:01

Stop calling this a film please

I could only get about 3 minutes into this video. Most of the reasonfor this is because it is, in fact, a video and not a film. This is animportant distinguishing feature, because the use of a video camerahere has made the piece look amateurish despite some decent camera workand far above average editing. Everything is there to make this amediocre film... except the film. A better camera and an actualprofessional sound crew would have made this video something worthy ofthe video rental vending machine I got it from. Unless you are a filmstudent and want to view this from the point of view of a director/editor, then I strongly recommend that you avoid spending any money onthis at all.

themadmullah 2012-05-02 05:42:32

Brash British Action...

If you ever got around to watching Left For Dead, the debut featurefrom the team at Modern Life? the you'll know what to expect with theirsecond film 'Ten Dead Men' because it's very much more of the same… Sowhat CAN you expect? Well most lots of violence, very few femalecharacters, testosterone, guns, deaths a plenty and action galore. Ifthis is your idea of heaven then this film is for you… I you like yourfilms a bit more refined then may I suggest you look elsewhere.The biggest difference between the two films is that in terms offilmmakers the team have taken a massive step forward. More polished,better shot and edited, better direction and far more bang for yourbuck means that this film is about as close to a Hollywood action movieyou could make on such a limited budget.Is it perfect? No. It doesn't always make sense, the pacing is a touchoff at the start and Doug Bradley's voice over (whilst expertlydelivered) doesn't always add the value intended. It's also not as funas Left for Dead with hardly any comic relief making it tough going attimes.If you like your films in your face and brash, then Ten Dead Men is theperfect uber violent hit.

chrisc145 2012-05-01 17:28:43

Bourne on a budget

Ten Dead Men is an amazing achievement on a slender budget. The fightscenes have the imagination and delivery of a budget 1000 times ashigh. I liked the Bourne-style fighting - not always resorting to guns.Which can be a bore - especially if you are the one shot. There's anice comic angle from two of the thugs reminiscent of the Diamonds AreForever guys. I'm a bit a stickler for dialogue and delivery so wouldhave liked to have seen a bit more work in this area however theclassic revenge premise keeps things moving along nicely. Ten Dead Menis certainly not for the faint-hearted as there's a high gore count andgraphic visuals of the hero gouging a bullet out of his stomach. It'sgood that Brit movies are still getting made independent of the bigboys and you will be hearing more from director Boyask and writerRegan.

Daniel Birt 2012-04-20 16:29:39

An outstanding achievement!

What is to be marvelled at in this film is the true guerrilla spirit inwhich it was made. From throwing people out of windows to blowing upcars to filming sex scenes at the Brighton Grand – it's all here andpulled off with the flair of any Michael Bay film. And at a fraction ofthe cost.Although a tried and tested plot (man gets revenge on those who killedhis loved ones) a well written script provides added complexity to whatcould have been a conventional action film. Almost every character hasa back story – making even the vilest of villains interesting – and thestructure keeps the film fresh with multiple flashbacks and a trulyunexpected ending.An inspiration for all aspiring film makers.

heleng-2 2012-04-20 13:51:48

Gory but action packed

I saw this film by chance a few months ago, and winced in some parts ofthis film as it is a little gruesome, but it certainly kept myattention right to the end. The film's fast moving, and has been wellshot and edited, despite its low budget, and I loved the very darkcomic tone, and the gusto with which the anti-hero got his revenge. Thestory held my attention well, and I particularly liked the performancesof the two funny characters Parker and Garrett, who provided some comicrelief to the hard-hitting action. There's a good cast of Britishcharacter actors and there's a twist at the end that's a bit of ashocker, but also left that satisfying redemptive feeling that you getfrom a well-rounded film. Definitely worth a Saturday night's viewing -would be even better to enjoy on the big screen, but I think like a lotof indie movies it's tough to get cinema distribution, so this filmshould do well on DVD.

Richard Hawes 2012-04-17 00:08:20

Passionate low-budget film-making

Inspired by the DIY initiative of Robert Rodriguez and the hard-hittingbut playful style of Quentin Tarantino, Ten Dead Men is passionategenre film-making and despite some weaknesses it's well worth a look.One of a growing number of British action movies, Ross Boyask'sfollow-up to 2004's Left for Dead revisits many familiar themes butshows a great deal of maturity. Left for Dead was dense with action butwas easily forgotten, but there's something about this film thatlingers.Made for genre fans by genre fans, Ten Dead Men has much in common withequally gritty British action flicks such as Underground and TheSilencer, as well as the likes of Ultimate Force, a vehicle for UFCfighter Mirko Cro-Cop Filipovic.Brendan Carr stars as Ryan, a reformed gangster whose darkside isreawakened when he returns, apparently from the dead, to avenge themurder of his girlfriend. It's a good set-up and the supernaturalelement is commendably underplayed.Carr seems a little young to play the role but gives it his all. LikeArnie in The Terminator or Kurt Russell in Soldier, Ryan is almostentirely a physical presence, a force of nature. His lack of dialoguekeeps the viewer unsettled and he's impossible to relate to. But thatseems to be the point.Aside from the action the most notable feature of Boyask's film is theuse of voice-over. The contribution of fan favourite Doug Bradley isthis film's greatest asset and unfortunately it's also the biggestweakness. As The Narrator, Bradley explains the story and speaks forthe hero, but this is intrusive and seemingly added only to givecohesion to some of the more throwaway sequences. Bradley's voice toooften distracts. Unfortunately it's an interesting idea that onlyhighlights shortcomings in the structure and execution of the story.That criticism aside there's much to praise. Boyask's bold non-linearapproach is intriguing and there are an inventive variety of shots,which compensate for an overuse of freeze frame and fade to blackdevices. Aside from the diverse camera-work, the Cage Rage andspeedboat sequences add some nice production value. Plus, you can'thelp but be amused by the incongruous presence of Lee from one-time popsensations Steps.Most importantly this is an action movie and Ross Boyask delivers somesolid action with the help of experienced Hong Kong stuntman/actiondirector Jude Poyer. His quick edits get maximum impact from somebrutal martial arts action and stunts. Standout set-pieces take placein a garage and a derelict house, as the plot builds steadily inintensity toward a satisfying climactic duel with Transporter 3, Deador Alive and Black Mask 2 heavy Silvio Simac.Shot on digital video, a format popular not only with budget-consciousfilmmakers but also the likes of Michael Mann and Mike Figgis, Ten DeadMen is best described as art-house action. A restless and fragmentedexperience with some memorable moments that may disappoint thoseexpecting Hollywood production quality but will entertain and intriguethose with an interest in action films and independent film-making.

sugarplumelephant 2012-04-16 07:25:50

Great if you love action - and even if you don't!

I saw this at the first UK screening and it's not my usual type ofmovie, although I've seen plenty of low budget action films withfriends. What makes Ten Dead Men stand out though, is that it refusesto conform to type. Sure there's some fights, and pretty good ones atthat, but you don't have to love action to enjoy it. I got reallyinvolved in the story and cared what happened to the characters, whichdoesn't happen very often in an action flick. At first I wasn't sureabout the narration but it really draws you in and adds something tothe story - it isn't lazy writing, as is often the case withvoice-over, but a decision about the direction the film will take and Ithink it's better for it.The action is superbly done and the kind you don't see in big budgetfilms anymore coz they're too busy doing bullet time and flashy quickcuts. In Ten Dead Men, it actually seems like people get hurt - thefight in the garage is especially good. It's a pretty violent film allthe way through, but actually after the opening it's not too graphic -most of it is suggested rather than shown.The performances were great and The Project Manager was a particularfavourite of mine; but I also liked the two crooks who provide somemuch needed light relief. Most viewers of this film won't be at allbothered that the women in it are props rather than characters, it's abit of a testosterone-fest but I can't help feeling that's the targetaudience anyway.So recommended viewing if you love a bit of violence and action with astory to go with it; sort of The Crow meets The Krays. I'd beinterested to see what the team behind it come up with next.