Reviews

The film is adventurous, some of the scenes are splendidly colourful in a pantomime, burlesque peep show kind of way. The streets look mean, the cops look bad and the baddies look badder, apart from Kilmer who just looks like a camp, fat has-been.

Goss plays a cop forced to throw in his badge and infiltrate the underworld to seek revenge for his brother's death. Goss has come along way since his band days, and looks the Jason Streatham'esque mean moody guy who's not to be messed with, but his accent is terrible. At times, English, at times a bit Aussie I think he just manages to get away with it, but it is distracting. His slight frame also has you questioning at times whether really, really he is capable of ploughing into guys twice his size and pummelling them to bits. When he turns sideways he most disappears.

That aside, the rest of the cast are great, specifically with regard to Tamer Hassan, who delivers a rock solid performance as the egomaniac Elias. Around him, he is surrounded with a very believable army of thugs and this alone saves the film.

I think this was a bit too big for Goss, at this juncture, especially with a non-native accent, but the action, and slow underlying story is believable and keeps you watching.

Elephant White is a dark brooding film set in and around Bangkok. Like Bangkok Dangerous before it, the film relies a fair bit on the cityscape to pull it through and benefits from the wonderful visuals that of the city.

Kevin Bacon's performance as Jimmy is embarrassing, but thankfully Djimon Hounsou gives a stolid, moody account of the hit-man Curtie Church who's hired to kill some unsavoury thugs.

Church's involvement deepens as he rips his way through the layers of the prostitution underworld like a marine gone mad, ammunition, guns and curt advice always on hand from the now hilarious "what the hell is that accent' Jimmy, Church is now joined by a local Thai girl who forces Church to start questioning his motives.

A bit of Bangkok Dangerous, a bit of Leon and a bit Man on Fire, the film struggles to be really great at any of them. Saying that the action is solid, with enough of a story line to reel you in and the visuals are stunning. I think it should have maybe picked someone with a decent British accent, maybe a British actor?

110 minutes wasted. I only left it that long because I was sure something better would happen.

The characters are wooden, the accent on the lead character, Charlie Hunnam was a joke - Cluseo would sound more convincing. The fight scenes where over choreographed and unrealistic - the story went missing at round about the six minute mark. This is a wholly disappointing film from start to end.

Previous reviewers have mentioned ID and Football Factory? These films had - while mostly tongue in cheek for the latter movie - an honesty about them. They were believable and what's more, interesting - this is a poor copy, it should never have been made.

I'm shocked to see that Lexi Alexander has added herself to the writers credits alongside brit Dougie Brimson. And I fear, she's punctured the realism with her California take on grimy east London reality.

Don't bother.