Blue Iguana (2018) Poster

(2018)

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7/10
Quirky, off-beat, enjoyable
paulharvey-7015429 August 2018
Despite negative reviews, I found this very enjoyable. The London/cockney setting is excellent and may well appeal to an American audience unaware of this aspect of British society and watching Rockwell trying to speak cockney is very amusing. The characters are all very quirky with their own little foibles, the plot, although a little far fetched, moves along at a good pace. Nice little touches from known actors, especially Phoebe Fox as the somewhat corrupt lawyer and Amanda Donohoe as the foul-mouthed pub landlady as well as the bad guy telling the hit team what he is going to do to them at the end made this a worthwhile journey. Although it is not laugh out loud funny, it is rather subtle in its approach and Rockwell is just Rockwell. Recommended with a bucket of popcorn and some friends and don't believe what they say.
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7/10
BADABOOM
js-6613023 March 2020
Has any Sam Rockwell project ever failed to deliver? Thought not.

Right in his smarmy, slovenly, charming wheelhouse, Rockwell carries this messy British backstabbing caper with a whiplash plot, a steady stream of ridiculous characters, plenty of yuks and plenty of blood.

How about a romantic interest who is an abominably messy eater? How about a snappy, chirpy wingman who carries a tampon for the inevitable bullet hole plug? How about a wild-eyed antagonist who sports a gloriously greasy mullet? No more spoilers. Suffice to say, there's plenty here to devour.

There's a big blue diamond at the centre of all the troubles, but that merely serves as a simple table setter for all the tomfoolery. What starts as an absurdist comedic heist, quickly turns to dangerous levels where everyone seems over their heads. Among the many small highlights littering this movie, is a chaotic pub shoot out where bottles and glasses are the chief victims. Turns out the Brits are terrible, terrible shots.

There's plenty of holes in the plot, but the free flowing vibe saves the day. Stop trying to make any sense of "Blue Iguana", and just enjoy the trip.

  • hipCRANK
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7/10
English Humour at its Finest & Silliest.
s_sanjay7131 August 2018
If you like Monty Python, if you like insanity and swearing, if you like mullets and cockney accents then this movie is for you.

There are some lines in This film that are so rude but most importantly funny in a british way that I DARE YOU not to laugh, its not intellectual humour its SILLY HUMOUR.

THE BEST OF BRITISH SILLINESS!
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Phoebe Fox is a genius!
brian-mata31 August 2018
This film is way out there nuts, every second of it is filled with such great weirdness that I could not help but laugh.

The real star of this movie though is the British woman who plays Katherine, Phoebe Fox, so understated and very funny.

I loved how she manipulated all the characters and was the real hero, LIKE A BOSS!
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2/10
Misses the mark
PrincessFluffy111124 August 2018
I was shocked at how cliched this was and I found the writing crass and clumsy. Also the acting is very over done particularly Anton Saunders and Sam Rockwell does not shine either. All very disappointing and a shame.
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7/10
A mediocre movie saved by great acting
siderite25 November 2018
This is a heist movie. Nuff said. The same old tired story of "a crew" who need to steal the big stone from another crew, with twists and turns that, not unlike a long road with no turnings, are pretty predictable from the get go. However, the actors shine in it, even the supporting cast is great, so in the end is just entertaining. Dumb, but fun. Even so, while I love Sam Rockwell and he was great in this, too, some of the unknown actors shone brightest. Ben Schwartz and Peter Ferdinando were great.

Now, the script was not bad, it's just that this particular genre feels really tired and stupid to me. As a heist film it was probably OK. I just wanted something that made a little more sense, story wise.
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5/10
Funky Yet Bland British Caper Flic
lavatch14 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
It is interesting to compare British action pictures with the American style. In the latter, the emphasis is on narrative design often with plot twists. By contrast, the British films focus too heavily on gratuitous violence and on a variety of quirky characters.

The title "Blue Iguana" derives from a beautiful blue diamond that is the focal point of a heist that is attempted by a disgruntled British female lawyer against her unsavory boss Arkady. The bookish, bespectacled attorney named Katherine goes all the way to New York to recruit a couple of hardened criminals, who are out on parole. Eddie and Paul are roped into the job for which they travel across the pond to London.

The heist is complicated by a set of thugs working for Arkady. The motley crew of Arkady does battle with Katherine's gang for a stash of money, bonds, and the greatest prize, the Blue Iguana diamond.

Sam Rockwell was good as the wise-cracking Eddie, who had great confidence in his abilities to prevail over his adversaries. Phoebe Fox also developed a good character in Katherine, who loves her food, and is always snarfing a snack. The sets smacked of a low-budget film that never really created a believable London backdrop. As a whole, "Blue Iguana" was a forgettable trifle that served to reinforce the stereotype of the all-too-often unimaginative approach of the Brits to the action genre.
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7/10
Boss Lady laughs BUT Unfair On Men
john_charalambous1 September 2018
VERY FUNNY film but also very very weird in so many good ways.

Theres a real feminist subtext going on here that has not been noticed, yes its great the lawyer is the smartest cookie but its bit unfair to portray all the men as dopes.

If things were the other ways round then I'm sure we'd have a lot of complaints.

Nevertheless, its a very funny film.
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1/10
Avoid at all costs even as a Rockwell fan
heisenberg8328 December 2018
I'm a huge Sam Rockwell fan but this is a disaster. Didn't care about the plot or the characters whatsoever. Weirdly edited and uneven tone throughout. Watch "Better Living Through Chemistry" instead (another quirky Rockwell/Schwartz movie) far better use of your time. This is awful.
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7/10
Definitely my cup of tea!
markhappyboy5 December 2018
To the reviewer who guaranteed that any men over 25 would not like this movie, Guess what? I'm a man who's 46 and I loved this movie!
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1/10
87 minutes I'm not getting back.
ched-7030918 March 2019
If you want to spend an hour and a half with a constant perplexed expression on your face then this is the film for you. I love Sam Rockwell but even he can't save this I'm afraid.
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10/10
Have a fun time and just go for this ride
kristoffe-brodeur30 August 2018
This is quirky, weird and certainly funny. They got each little moment in culture on point, and Sam Rockwell is a beast, even with tiny moments. I think what works best is the vanilla british female lawyer who hires the two ex cons to do a screwball job. It makes me laugh especially with the small facial expressions they get on point.

It is similar to many theatre style linear activity films. Each little who dunnit going to another fun reveal keeps the flow and it's really silly. One of my favorite things in acting is proper timing in dialog and good editing right after each moment and it works here well.

Really, the music and the moments are great. It plays out like a theatre production, noises off, something akin to that. Moments like high end moisturizing toilet paper and women's tampons for bullet wounds are sophomoric but great.
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6/10
Great Cast, Good Story, Dull Writing
boris_unanimate12 October 2019
This Snatch/Lock, Stock heist movie was almost a good movie. If the script and dialogues had been better, the editing and directing more dinamic, this could have been a worthwhile entry in the genre. It wants to be both Ocean's 11 and a Guy Ritchie heist comedy, but the writing makes the effort come off as too rigid and unrefined. But I'll basically watch anything with Sam Rockwell and a Cockney accent in it.
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3/10
Not the worst film I've ever seen but not far off
johnmk797 April 2019
Terrible movie full of bad cliches and terrible jokes. The 2 crass Americans, the intelligent ugly duckling and a whole host of Mockneys add nothing to a weak, disjointed and pointless story. Don't ruin your evening, pick a different movie.
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Ello Ello Old Chap, Hlarious!
treehuggerjoey31 August 2018
Phoebe Fox steals the show in tho very funny Brit Pic, her gross-out eating but Hilarious acting is just amazing, she is a star of the future.

Sam Rockwell comes close to matching her when he does a cockney accent but Phoebe performs a KNOCKOUT PERFORMANCE.
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2/10
Awful!
mannin1118 October 2018
Love Sam Rockwell but this movie is an appalling mess. The script seems to have been made up as the film went along. So many untalented English actors. Where the Hell did the producers find them? On the street? Odd scenes thrown in with older upper-class actors that are filth for the sake of filth with nothing to do with the plot and don't shock, merely leave one baffled by their inclusion and aware of the lack of talent of the screenwriter. You'd have to be a sniggering schoolboy to get anything out of these scenes. Rockwell is lost in this mess and should have passed. The wonderful Amanda Donahoe conquers all her scenes and the producers should have been glad to have had her. If you're a fan of Rockwell's (as I am) then give this one a miss. Sam, we love you but you should have passed!
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7/10
A simple solution to a complex problem.
nogodnomasters23 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Two American criminals on parole (Sam Rockwell, Ben Schwartz) are recruited by a London attorney (Phoebe Fox) to travel to London on forged passports so they can "intercept a package" for $30,000 each. Things did not go that well and they end up staying to intercept another package from British criminal types.

It was a decent crime comedy. They managed to work items introduced early back into the script. What they didn't do was to create the main characters with a real backstory. Good soundtrack.

Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity
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4/10
Not as good as i thought it'd be ..
Aktham_Tashtush24 August 2018
So the movie is not like the worst movie ever ,, but not really as good as the trailer shows it would... and watched it because of Sam Rockwell in the first place.

The plot is repetitive ,, there were some nice moments but the whole idea of the movie is just dull ,, the genre says it is romance comedy which is not ,, i mean i think they missed the romance part and made it like a small far away crush ,, and for the comedy it was just light , no laughs , no giggles what so ever .. i mean there was action and thrill in some moments i gotta give them that ,,, but overall i was so disappointed ..

Disappointed,, because, i love Sam Rockwell,, and i thought this would be like ""Mr. Right " style , but nope .. and Ben Schwartz is an amazing comedian but here apparently the script didn't help.

final judgment,, if you really expect to watch comedy romance thingy .. just find something else .. or go watch an episode of "Friends",, which what i'll do right now.
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7/10
Loved This Film, Men over 25 will Not.
fishwickjohn2330 August 2018
It may seem like a guy movie but it soo isn't.

Phoebe Fox takes centre stage, as the hot dog munching geeky nerdy lawyer who basically runs rings around all the men in the film.

She is smarter, ay cooler and more together but so what if she has bad eating habits?!

You really have to look carefully at what is being said in this film about the female male dynamic in movies.

If you can't see that fact and enjoy it, I guarantee you are a man and are over the age of 25!
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5/10
The epitome of mediocrity
jimbo-53-18651129 May 2019
Ex-cons Eddie (Sam Rockwell) and Paul (Ben Schwartz) are working in a New York diner and the terms of their parole dictate that they must not leave the country. However, when English lawyer Katherine Rookwood (Phoebe Fox) offers the two men a lucrative deal which involves a trip to London the two men decide to take her up on her offer (especially when she reveals she has dirt on their boss making it easier for Eddie and Sam to make the trip across the pond to England).

Blue Iguana is another in a long line of crime caper films (to all intents and purposes it's a British film but the casting of Rockwell and Schwartz makes me assume that Hajaig also had his eye on the American market as well). The film goes through the motions and isn't particularly bad, but at the same time it's not exactly slick, fast-paced or exciting which is what I would come to expect from a crime caper film. Worse still it isn't really very funny either; it's obvious that Hajaig has tried to deliver this film as a goofy caper, but it rarely gets in its stride and the only moderately funny moments come from Sam Rockwell trying to get to grips with the cockney dialogue and from him trying to imitate a cockney accent (which he does reasonably well to his credit).

Aside from this the film spends most of its time lost in endless chit-chat and repetition all of which results in Blue Iguana at times being boring and tedious - although Hajaig does try and make the film fun with several slow-motion scenes, but for me this all looked a bit lame. The cast are a mixed bag with some enhancing the viewing experience and some hindering it; Sam Rockwell and Phoebe Fox fare the best and they both at least give creditable performances as well as sharing fairly good onscreen chemistry. On the other hand, the likes of Peter Polycarpou and Peter Ferdinando were both a little too cartoonish for my liking and didn't make for particularly terrifying villains - the latter is worse though and at times he overacted to the point of embarrassment.

Blue Iguana is a very average film and Hajaig does just about enough right to make it watchable, but that's both a strength and a weakness. It's not quite dull or boring enough to make it bad, but nowhere near exciting or engaging enough to make it a particularly good film. It sits somewhere in the middle, but with so many great crime caper films already in existence Blue Iguana comes across more like an exercise in futility than anything else.
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7/10
Cool flick
hardbop-5212516 October 2021
Don't get the negative reviews....fun flick.....in the style of Guy Ritchie.... Kool performances...and great characters Funny and violent in a cartoonish way...but it works.
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4/10
Poundshop Oceans 11
sparkylyons20 March 2019
Crime Capers have a big part in cinema history. We have all enjoyed a good flowing, well written and exciting storyline. This film is the bargain bucket of all Crime Capers. I think Sam Rockwell thought he could enjoy a few weeks in London on his holidays and earn a bit of spending money whilst there. Story is weak, acting is poor, characters not strong, comedy moments are minimal, there are so many holes and incontinuity errors. Some would say this is a good film to watch whilst playing a game on your phone, well it's not. I would rather get to candy crush level 300 than watch the end...... I'm turning it off.
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10/10
Boo hoo to the critics
chiefsparky1 January 2019
I cannot believe the negative and low scores,this movie is so quirky and funny these critics must not have any sense of humour whatsoever, it's supposed to be taken light heartedly so lighten up you dreary critics, Its brilliant and zany and a lot of fun
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7/10
What happened to proper fu@ing men?
chrispedley-9441022 January 2019
I thought this film was really entertaining. Black Humour done the British way. The baddie stole the show for me with his Billy Ray Cyrus hair and psychotic manner, hilarious. The thing is people like that really do exist! Reminded me of a low budget Guy Ritchie film. Watch it with your mates for a boys night in.
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1/10
What is going on here?
battlebuckships28 December 2018
One thing I hate to do is be a critic. I know how hard people work on these films. But I have to say. This title went nowhere. The story was absent. The actors were good being a fan of Sam Rockwell's work. But this deserves a thumbs down. I almost fell asleep. I would not recommend this feature to anyone. Hollywood needs to do much better.
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