Writer: Valerie Ong Hui Lin

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Watch this if you liked: "Scarface", "Goodfellas", and "Kill Bill"

The movie opens with a dying head mobster. From there it takes its time to build up to the how and why crooks and assassins come crawling out of the woodwork to congregate at a Lake Tahoe hotel. Buddy Israel (Jeremy Priven), a professional magician-cum-mobster, is being holed up at this hotel as a state witness after deciding to sell out his underworld gang instead of serving a lengthy prison term. His decision scares the mobsters who retaliate by offering a million-dollar bounty on his head. Out come the crooks and assassins - all hungry for the reward.

The plot then twists and turns as the assassins make their way closer to the target holed up in the hotel. Director Joe Carnahan tends to spend too much time explaining and building up the profile of each group of assassins. They end up finding out they are all in town for the same purpose and try to finish each other off - losing sight of their bounty. At certain points, you question the cartoon-styled violence and shootings and wonder if they are at all professional hit-men, seeing that they do little to conceal their task. At the same time, you cannot help but draw a scene parallel to Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill", with less style and a lot more messy.

The introduction of a pimply front desk chap, who becomes the informant for the police hot on the trail of the assassins, does little to draw sympathy or humour. You really wonder what he was doing in the movie besides inciting pity - a feeling you seldom get as you sit through this movie.

Eventually, Buddy survives the extensive murder attempt on his life but ends up in hospital next to... the dying mobster head we saw at the beginning! From here the story takes a twist, and it is revealed that there is more than meets the eye for the bounty on Buddy's life.

The story finally heaves to a close with one last twist that will make you wonder: 'Is that finally the end?' You get up giddy-headed and wishing for a Panadol to ease the insanity you just sat through.

The show has its moments of saving grace. Piven puts up quite a magical performance. And if you do not find him entertaining, you may be impressed with the other stars who play their bizarre roles out to the T.

Cinema Online, 23 September 2008