Gangsters, Guns & Zombies (2012) Poster

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4/10
Must try harder.
BA_Harrison17 May 2014
2012 UK horror/comedy Cockneys vs Zombies was a pleasant surprise—gory, funny, well paced, with a great cast—but this particular instance of East-end geezers against the living dead, which came out the same year, is far less successful.

Gangsters, Guns & Zombies sees a group of bank-robbers fleeing the scene of the crime only to find themselves caught in a zombie outbreak that has swept the country. Driving to their safe-house, they witness countless attacks on the living by the dead, and decide to head to the coast. On the way, they are forced to make several stops that put their lives in peril.

The main problem with Gangsters, Guns & Zombies is that, while the gangsters are on the road—which is the majority of the time—not a lot of interest happens, and when they do stop the van, little occurs to make the film stand out from the countless other low budget zombie flicks out there. It's the same old same old. The film adds comedy to try and help matters, but the humour is fairly lame, and there's not nearly enough splatter to keep things interesting.

While there are definitely worse zombie films out there, films like this really do have to try harder to distinguish themselves from the competition.
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4/10
starts good but falls apart after a while
trashgang28 August 2012
I was looking forward to see this UK zombedy. Comedy coming out of the UK is mostly always big fun. Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009), Doghouse (2009) were fun but sadly this one here I can't add to that list. It all looked so well from the start but the further you move into this flick the worser it get.

The funny parts just doesn't work and adding a bit of romance made it all boring too. The first minutes did work when a bunch of gangsters are confronted with zombies but after a while we do see the same again and again. The acting was mediocre. Things what should be funny (the part with the grandma and stepdaughter) wasn't funny at all. I must say that some shots were nicely done like the camera added on a gun while shooting a zombie looked great and even reminded me of The Evil dead (1981). What bothered me the most was the use of CGI for blood in some shots.

When the end credits are running you can see that they had fun making this flick, sadly it wasn't funny for the viewer. It did had all elements to make it absurd but it never did. It's like the title says, it's about gangsters, they do use guns and sometimes there are zombies running around and attacking but the cohesion between the three wasn't there.

Gore 2/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 1/5
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4/10
Fake blood, sweat and tears...
paul_haakonsen22 April 2013
Alright, well first of all forget all about the DVD cover, because it is putting it on thickly, selling a product that is quite far from what you see on the DVD cover. That being said, then don't get me wrong, because this is not an all together bad movie. Sure there are far better zombie movies available, but there are also far worse zombie movies available.

So why doesn't "Gangsters, Guns & Zombies" stand out in the zombie genre? Well, simply put, because it delivers nothing and once the movie is finished you shrug your shoulders and think 'what was the purpose of this movie?' For a zombie movie, then there wasn't much gore or rot in the movie. It was initially a clone of "28 Days Later", just in a scaled-down version. And the zombies were fast, agile runners with some very red blood splattered on their faces. And given the total lack of rot and decay, I can only assume that this movie is taking place early on in an apocalyptic dead rising in England.

The acting in the movie was adequate, but I can't really say that there was anything outstanding or memorable here. Which just added fuel to the mediocrity of the movie.

As a huge fan of all things zombie, I buy just about anything I come across that involve the shambling, rotting dead, and truth be told, then my collection holds a great many numbers of movies that have been watched once and will most likely never be watched again, as they failed to impress. And I must admit that "Gangsters, Guns & Zombies" is going to fall into that group. It just didn't impress in any way. (Perhaps maybe aside from the cheap price on the Amazon market place.)

The DVD cover blatantly brandished "zombie lovers are in for a bloody treat!" - yeah, alright. I wonder what movie that reviewer was watching, because it couldn't rightfully be "Gangsters, Guns & Zombies". For hardcore fans of the zombie genre, "Gangsters, Guns & Zombies" is worth watching once, and that is about it for this movie - sadly.
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2/10
Go rob a post office....
FlashCallahan9 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I love Zombie movies. The whole sub-genre is a wonderful idea, and the past few years or so has helped and hindered this beloved creature.

But for every Night Of The Living Dead, there is a Day Of The Dead remake, and for every Shaun Of The Dead, there are trashy films like this.

The first big flaw in the films, is that the Zombies are not the main focus. I know the makers of this film are trying to focus more on the main characters, but the outbreak of the Flesh Eaters, is never elaborated on, and they just end up as pale people running up toward the Van every five or ten minutes.

The characters are your bland, run of the mill individuals you see in every crime movie from here to the east end. And are they the carbon copy lot you've seen all the time.

Its a group of profane men, who have nothing relevant to say, driving to nowhere, for an hour, and that's the main narrative of the film.

We then follow the group to a windmill,where they bump into an old grandma, who swears way too much, because hey! to the makers this is comedy gold, everyone finds profane old people funny.

Fair dues to the makers, its a shoestring budget of a film, and I was surprised at the budget, but really, they should have spent more time on a decent script, rather than an exploitative title.
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1/10
I wanted to like it......But....
RobertLThorpe13 February 2013
I wanted to like this film. I love Zombie films and look forward to seeing them when I can. Just some mindless fun. This is not that film. There is some witty dialogue but few and far between. The first 3/4 of the film we are in a van, very claustrophobic, tight shots and we never get to see the world. random zombies are everywhere and the make up is not well done. The after effects are horrible. The acting, yeah.. not good.

now t the Story. It tries really hard to be as the box says Reservoir Dogs but fails. I mean, we start out right after an apparent bank heist during a zombie event as if anyone would care about money during this outbreak. A dude is shot and bleeding in the van. The next hour they are driving to a safe house. YAWN..... I really don't want to write more on this because it is just not worth my time. Its bad. You can totally tell it only had a budget of 1200 bucks, probably went to food for the cast. Is just bad.
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1/10
And the Spoiler is....
MysteryMouse21 July 2015
...DON'T BOTHER. A rubbish, not-even-student-grade film. Apparently, given its only synopsis here which seems to be written by one of its overly enthusiastic and underly talented 'creators', it hopes to ride on the coat-tails of 70s B schlockers. Even if you enjoy badly done crap as a source of humor, don't waste your time. It's even more boring and banal than it is amateurish.

I can't believe I wasted even these last five minutes of my life reviewing this. All I can say is, I watched this so that YOU DON'T HAVE TO.

Now making up this timewaster's undeserved but obligatory

Ten

Lines

Of Text.. Done.
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Don't no were to start.
emujasper22 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
What a shocking movie, i watched the whole 139 mins because i wanted something big to happen. Did it....Hell no.

They could have done a really good film with the summery they gave but it just dragged on from start to finish.

First of the zombies look fake.

Seeing as they just robbed a bank, all they had to show was 1 bag and the Wright up adds Danny was bleeding all over the money who was shot. Nope were's that cash.

Later after Danny dies they head to the woods to dump him as they don't want the police to catch them with a dead body.. HELLO ZOMBIES... good enough excuse. What's this Danny is alive "thought is was shot" oh wait some how he is a zombie. They kill him fight with some more zombies and then spends about 5 mins of the shot holding each others hands and kicking the head of a zombie. (GET ON WITH IT)

Running out of petrol. They head to a petrol station, in the mean time you see crazy Steve keep looking at the big bite mark on his wrist. "well he looks fine".

pumps are all empty of course. And they find a red van with 1/4 of a tank so rather then changing vans they decide to drain the petrol out for there van. "Just go with it". Danny is puking up blood in the toilet who still has yet to turn. Watch your back "zombies". They run for the van as Q try's to grab the bowl of petrol and bumps in to crazy Steve who to our surprise "still a zombie" Shows Q the bite and saves him by distracting the zombie's.

You know what i cant even be asked to Wright any more and waste my time explaining all the really bad points in this movie, and yes there are so many more..
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4/10
A Low-Budget Zombie Film
Uriah434 November 2018
Having just robbed a bank six men are in the process of getting away when a zombie outbreak occurs and dramatically changes their immediate plans. Since one of their members has been shot the leader of the group named "Tony" (Huggy Leaver) makes the decision to take their wounded comrade to the hospital. Unfortunately, the zombie outbreak has devastated that area and so they are forced to bring him back into the van and continue driving. Yet even though their vehicle takes them outside of the city limits they continue to see the havoc brought on by zombies well into the countryside. And with fatigue and lack of food and fuel beginning to become an issue they soon realize that they desperately need to make it to their safehouse soon. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that for an ultra low-budget project this film turned out to be somewhat of a surprise. For starters, I thought that the plot was adequately suspenseful and the acting reasonably solid. Additionally, unlike so many low-budget films today, the director (Matthew Mitchell) decided not to take the easy route and make something "so bad it's good" and tried to produce something a bit better instead. To that end, the humor and dialogue wasn't nearly as crude. On the flip side, however, the audio wasn't as sharp as it could have been and the extras (used predominately as "the zombies") lacked the necessary makeup which really hurt the film as a whole. That being said, while I admired the manner in which the director used the scant resources available, the flaws were too noticeable to be ignored and for that reason I have rated this film accordingly. Slightly below average.
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1/10
Horrible
gianmarcoronconi6 October 2023
This is not a real review, it should be taken more as a collection of impressions on the film.

B series horror film that fully embodies the concept of a bad zombie film because it's ok that the film is very low budget but this film demonstrates that the real problem is not the lack of money but the lack of talent of both the actors and the screenwriters and even the director's, because a pen and a brain to write at least a coherent screenplay cost absolutely nothing. The film is also excessively long and this is very boring, then it is true that in some points it is so poorly made that it even makes you laugh, but this involuntary comedy perhaps makes the film even worse.
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6/10
"Grandma With A Shotgun!"
gattonero97514 May 2013
Warning: Spoilers
From the very start, I thought it's gonna be a stupid comedy with zombies. But to my surprise, it wasn't even funny!? It was a low-budget with some CGI effects thrown in. The zombies were not scary at all. But there was a few scenes that had some good scary potential in it. Like the scene with 'Crazy Steve' in the gas station restroom checking his infected arm. The scene where Grandma pushes Tony outside and the zombies rush in the house by the dozens! And at towards the end of the film where our hero, Q, sacrifices himself to be the bait and leads the pier zombies away from his injured pals.

It was not such a bad film, it just needed more finance and it could have been a very good film. My favorite character was the scene-stealing Grandma played by Jennie Lathan. She did a great job! And what a finish to her character! Priceless! The actor who played Tony, Huggy Leaver, who to me looked like Richard Jeni crossed with James Russo, did a nice job. I also liked Muscles played by Charlie Rawes, who looked like a cross between Jason Statham / Steve 'StoneCold' Austin.

Like I said, I wish they would have had more money to work with to make the zombies more believable looking. But oh well, if you're a true zombie aficionado then check this film at least once.
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5/10
Better Than You'd Expect
zardoz-1324 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Okay, first off, "Gangsters, Guns, & Zombies" isn't as fantastic as Edgar Wright's "Shaun of the Dead" (2004), but few horror comedies can top that Simon Peg masterpiece. The first half-hour of this epic is pretty tiresome because our quartet of hoodlums are packed into an SUV with one of their minions flat on his back in the rear of the vehicle with a nasty looking belly wound. My first thought was it's a homage to "Reservoir Dogs," because the poor guy's a bloody mess. Eventually, the hoodlums stop and provide him with a shallow grave. No matter where this foursome go, they are either followed by ravenous, bloodthirsty zombies or run into these undead fiends. The road trip comes to a halt when the gangster exhaust their supply of gas and find themselves out in the country. They are at a house with a windmill and when they try to steal a small sedan, they are confronted by a shotgun wielding grandmother with no qualms about blowing them to smithereens. Interestingly enough, her granddaughter packs a pistol, too. Eventually, they reach a truce and hole up in the house. No sooner do they take refuge in the house than the zombie congregate around him and lay siege to it. Writer & director Matt Mitchell stages a few interesting scenes and the upbeat, happy ending is nice. The token African American gangster of the crew hooks up with the grandmother's white daughter, and they steal a boat and ply their way off the island. As the movie ends, we see them cruising away, and then we see zombies swimming after them. A nice, tongue-in cheek touch. Half-baked rot that gets by on bites & pieces--zombie bites that is--with a modicum of just enough humor to make it worth watching up until fadeout. British zombie movies--at least for this Southern Yank--are fun because the cast utters everything with those harmonious British accent and the profanity is fun.
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10/10
Way better than expected
momo-1127 October 2012
Briefly said, a van full of bank robbers have their getaway complicated by the oncoming zombie holocaust.

This movie was a pleasant surprise for me. I was expecting a B movie. Especially since I found the title on a list of 'B' thrillers. What I found was a very well done flick that fit my mood to a tee.

First thing to note is this is clearly in Guy Ritchie style (as in Lock Stock or Snatch). Now there is a fine line between cheap knock off, spoof and tribute. It mostly depends on how faithfully a style is recreated and it's underlying quality. The Ritchie style hits you right from the opening credits. Slick graphic credits interrupting brisk action sequences while the protagonist narrates, followed up by a by a cast of stereotypical British gangsters, each introduced by the narrator. It's a good imitation and I rate it a tribute. If you aren't fond of Rithchie's style you won't like this one either.

I found the characters amusing, original and endearing (you gotta love grandma). Moreover, I was pleasantly surprised at the overall quality. Direction, cinematography, acting, writing, sound all above par. Well, one exception. If you are making a zombie movie, it might be judicious to employ the services of a make-up artist. Or, at the very least, insist that your extras pay a visit to the local costume shop at their own expense.

It would be easy to criticize the finale which seems more like a cast party than a conclusion. But, think about it, there's only one end to a zombie flick. The zombies kill everyone. Isn't that what's meant by Apocalypse?

If you took the trouble to search for this title, the answer is "Yes". Well worth a look see.
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7/10
Decent enough zombie effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder23 August 2013
Having finished a bank robbery and on the run in the countryside, a group of robbers find that the area is overrun by the victims of a deadly zombie virus and have to fight off the creatures in order to get away safely.

As far as zombie films go, this one was quite decent enough and certainly has enough going for it. One of the better elements is the fact that the running zombies are utilized right in here for one of the only times in their existence, for they still shuffle about with lethargy at times and really seem to be outmaneuvered with ease if the situation was enabling them to hide away from the creatures, yet whenever they spotted their victims the zombies were able to run them down and overwhelm them with their numbers. This is what makes them quite effective, when there's a way out yet they can overpower to generate the kill. There's also some rather fine action scenes that come from these encounters, with a forest encounter with live-action role players in medieval knight-gear, a gas station ambush and an assault on a small house in the countryside being the biggest scenes to make for some fine action moments here and there, while the finale at the dockyard is good if quite brief and could've been stretched out a little more. There's still some flaws here, as a running gag with the group finding passers-by on the roads and keep going only to see them get fed to zombies just after doing so get old after the fourth time it happens as the gag doesn't go anywhere, the make-up effects in general look really bad as the zombies are just outfitted with fangs and blood-shot eyes to denote their zombie-ness and as a comedy, this really fails since it constitutes everyone cursing at one another for it's jokes, which is just lame. Overall, though, there's enough here to like to outweigh the negatives.

Rated R: Extreme Graphic Language and Graphic Violence.
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6/10
I'M SORRY ABOUT THE SHOES
nogodnomasters20 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
A group of British bank robbers make their getaway during a major world wide zombie infestation. Danny (Simon Mathews) has been shot and it isn't rocket science to figure out what will happen. Tony (Huggy Leaver) is the gang leader. Q (Vincent Jerome) is the new guy and driver. Their van makes its way through the countryside looking for a safe house. Along the way we see clown zombies, doctor zombies, soccer zombies, and my favorite, re-enactor zombies.

The cause of the infestation is unknown. The BBC smartly broadcasts instructions as what to do during the outbreak. On the plus side of this film is the British humor, although it is not a "Fido" over the top type of funny. On the negative side, the zombie actors were bad. There was little to no zombie make-up other than splatter red blood all over their faces. Much of the film takes place inside a van which makes things more "realistic" but at the same time more boring as we listen to conversations. The drawn scenes on the DVD cover are not in the film. They didn't spend that much money on special effects.

It is a passable zombie film, although if you had trouble watching "Zombie Diaries" or "Zombie Apocalypse" you might take a pass on this one. It is less in quality. $9.96 at Walmart.

Parental Guide: F-bombs. No sex. Brief distant male rear zombie nudity.
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9/10
good zombie fun with a lock stock and two smoking barrel feel
nicksdopedroid8 September 2012
I found this movie to be highly entertaining even with its low budget. It had everything you could want in a zombie flick. Random death scenes in the midst of character and situational development, decent gore given the budget, good use of cg, and the wholesome family fun a UK made for US comedy. It has blatant racism, giant English bank robbers who steal your heart, back stabbers, and pretty boys who have a touch of insanity. The situation is thrown in your face without reason similar to how things would really go down and have gone down in other zombie movies. The whole romance part this other person is complaining about isn't until you feel the need for it and I am guessing that they are just alone in life and cannot tolerate passion in times of crisis even though that has been proved time and time again in reality. I mean if I am gonna potentially get eaten by zombies and a decent looking English babe comes my way, far be it from me to try to woo her into going heels to Jesus....just saying. Come one, I mean what more could you ask for??? The people who gave this a low rating have a different taste in zombie films, or films in general. Give this a shot, have a shot, and enjoy!
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8/10
Rollicking zombie horror comedy
Woodyanders13 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Several British criminals who have just pulled off a bank robbery find themselves in quite a sticky pickle when a zombie outbreak occurs at the same time as their heist.

Director/co-writer Matt Mitchell keeps the enjoyably off-the-wall story hurtling along at a zippy pace, maintains an engaging tongue-in-cheek tone throughout, tosses in some hilarious throwaway gags (watch out for the zombie clowns!), and delivers a handy helping of blood and guts. Moreover, it's acted with zest by an enthusiastic cast: Vincent Jerome as the levelheaded Q, Huggy Leaver as shifty weasel Tony, Fabrizio Santino as the manic Crazy Steve, Cassandra Orhan as the sweet, but tough Cassie, Charlie Rawes as the brutish Muscles, Frank Rizzo as the laidback Pat, and Jeannie Lathan as the feisty Grandma. Often extremely funny in that distinctly dry'n'droll British sort of way, this film further benefits from a few surprisingly touching moments of genuine heart. A total hoot.
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