MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

bob the moo Jack is a ladies' man who can barely remember the names of the many women he has had in his bed – even when they are still in his bed. Wayne has been dumped by his girlfriend, while Thomas barely sees his and is starting to cheat with Sara. Together they have one main love – playing pool in their local bar. When the barman gets into money trouble he strikes a deal with loan shark 'Daddy' to bet the rest of the bar on his three customers to win Daddy's annual high profile pool contest. Going under the name Stickmen, the trio enter the contest, but can they keep their nerves among distractions and Daddy's violent methods for managing anything.Not sure what this was about, I decided to give it a go in the absence of anything else that I really wanted to see. The film marks itself out as being based around the visual style and snappy dialogue of things like Lock, Stock, with the similar theme of crime and cool protagonists. In this regard I kind of accepted that this film wasn't going to do anything special at any point and I just met it on its own terms. The plot is nothing more than a collection of unlikely pool games punctuated with talking, f*cking or fighting all on the way to the inevitable conclusion with a few unconvincing twists. It never really does anything unexpected but it does have a certain energy to it that keeps it watchable.The director has learnt from other people and gives the film a good atmosphere with a good sense of energy and style – again it is hardly different or unique but it does work well enough to do the job. The script has the same rough energy to it, mixing pop culture references with enough of a flirtatious swagger to come across as entertaining even if it lacks any real laughs, clever scripting or wit. The cast help the script in this area, with some typically New Zealand acting – tough guys, sassy women etc. Magasiva is a nice presence – build, sexy and with good charisma; he has little to do other than that but he is as required. Wills provides some good laughs and even Rotondo deals well with the fact that he has to carry much of the actual story involving his character and Sara. Nordhaus also has this problem and she does better than the material allows. Kessell is very cute and sexy but doesn't do much more than that – but in fairness the film didn't ask for anything else. The various support characters all help keep the films energy with several colourful parts, albeit they just gimmicks rather than people. Overall this is not a very good film but it treads a solid path that is energetic and stylish enough to cover its many weaknesses and produce a roughly enjoyable film. Lacking anything original to do and with a pretty thin plot, it falls to the director's style, snappy dialogue, sex, violence and pool scenes to carry the film; they're not much cop any of them but they do enough to carry the film anyway.

dancerguy This is a film to see. While not very deep it has some great scenes, if only for their visual aspect. A great little story about three men looking to make their mark in the world of stick-ball. However, they get caught up in the world of the mob. Action, sex, and pool; what more could you ask for. It is well put together and gives two hours of entertainment. Don't miss out on your chance to watch this film. It may not be very profound, but quality acting and a good director make this a fun film to watch. They may want to look for a new writer, but this production crew has some great ideas. Look for more good movies to be coming out of these people. I will be watching all of them. You should too.

Joey-106 This was definatley not what i was expecting, there are of course simalarities between lock, stock and two smoking barrels but i found these easy to overlook. The premise, Three friends get roped in to an underground pool tournament run by a fairly mean guy called daddy who doesn't want them to win, they of course do win, (as impossible as the winning shot is) and everyone is happy, very enjoyable movie, the kiwis sure know how to make quality films.

mrwhite2k I read the other comments, and some of them made me cringe--New Zealand's tall poppy syndrome rearing its ugly head once more. Get a grip, guys. The movie's great, slick, professional, and most Hollywood movies have a bigger catering budget than Stickmen was made for. What are you, disgruntled wannabe filmmakers?Stickmen has a great script, based on the real life exploits of Nick Ward (writer) and his mates, the real Stickmen. It's brilliantly directed, with some incredible shots and number eight wire special effects that look as good or better than other recent efforts (especially the fabulous final pool trick, done with nothing more than an invisible thread and the instruction "Stand really still"). The acting is great, it's well-cast and has some really memorable characters--Caller has to be seen to be believed. Other aspects--lighting, sound, camerawork, music--all great. The soundtrack for the last twenty minutes of the film especially deserves special note for adding just that extra edge of tension to an already highly-strung situation.Every part of Stickmen comes together smoothly to create an excellent, original movie, the kind that makes me proud to be a Kiwi and happy to be a movie lover.My bottom line: Better than Lock Stock and Snatch put together. Of course, I would say that.