All Things to All Men (film)

Last updated

All Things to All Men
Directed by George Isaac
Written byGeorge Isaac
Produced byGeorge Isaac
Pierre Mascolo
Starring Gabriel Byrne
Rufus Sewell
Toby Stephens
Julian Sands
CinematographyHoward Atherton
Edited byEddie Hamilton
Music by Thomas Wanker
Release date
  • 5 April 2013 (2013-04-05) [1]
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£3 million [2]

All Things to All Men (released as The Deadly Game on home media) is a British crime thriller film written and directed by George Isaac. It stars Gabriel Byrne, Rufus Sewell, Toby Stephens, and Julian Sands. Sewell plays a dirty cop who manipulates both the underworld and police in order to entrap a thief.

Contents

Plot

After a stakeout, Parker, a dirty cop, arrests the son of mob boss Joseph Corso. Parker uses the arrest as leverage against Corso and forces him to recruit Riley, a thief that Parker wants to entrap. After Corso threatens him, Riley reluctantly agrees to perform a burglary for Corso, unaware that he is being manipulated by Parker. Parker's target, however, turns out to be more secure than expected, and Corso is unable to procure access codes. Riley balks at Corso's suggestion that they torture a worker for the codes, so Parker retrieves the codes from Scotland Yard's security system. However, Dixon, Parker's protege, becomes increasingly suspicious that there's more to Parker's scheme than he lets on. Dixon takes his concerns to Sands, Parker's long-time partner, who threatens to block Dixon's promotion if he continues to ask questions.

During the burglary, Riley and Corso's lieutenant, Cutter, are surprised to find much more money than planned. Riley questions how they could have lucked into such a major heist, but Cutter dismisses his concerns. Cutter later makes an attempt on Riley's life and tries to escape with the loot, which results in a high-speed chase through London. Cutter dies when his car crashes, and Riley takes the money. Meanwhile, Dixon convinces Sands to go straight, and Sands confronts Parker. Unwilling to give up his schemes, Parker kills Sands and attempts to frame Corso for the murder. Parker's plans go awry when Dixon survives an assassination attempt, and Parker becomes increasingly desperate to raise money to pay off his debts to powerful mobsters. Parker steals from several of his associates and plans his escape from London once he can retrieve the money stolen by Riley.

Riley sets up a meeting with Corso, and Parker uses his contacts to find the location. Corso, Riley, Parker, and Dixon converge on the meeting spot, and Parker kills Corso. Dixon arrives just as Parker is about to murder Riley and take the money. Disgusted, Dixon kills Parker and lets Riley escape. In the aftermath, Dixon meets with his superiors, who want him to keep silent about the details of the case. Dixon cynically compares Parker's actions to that of a mobster, and his superiors agree, though they had been aware of much of Parker's actions. In return for his silence, they offer him a promotion, and Dixon agrees, reasoning that the resulting scandal would be disastrous for the police force.

Cast

Production

Shooting took place in London over seven weeks. Funding came in part from Mascolo's father. Isaac, who had never written a screenplay before, said that he could not find one that he wanted to film. Mascolo was supportive when Isaac suggested that he write his own. Influences included The Driver, The French Connection, Marathon Man, Layer Cake, and The Long Good Friday. [2]

Release

The film - as All Things to All Men - was initially certified by the BBFC on 22 March 2013 with a running time of 84m 18s, [3] but was re-certified at 89m when released theatrically 5 April 2013. [4] When released on DVD and Blu-ray in early 2014, it was re-titled The Deadly Game, and a 98m 49s cut was used, running to 94m 52s [5] due to PAL speed-up.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 29% of 14 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 4.5/10. [6] Leslie Felperin of Variety wrote, "A moody star turn from Rufus Sewell elevates this overplotted British crime thriller". [7] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated it 3/5 stars and called it "a smart, engaging film" with a convoluted plot that does not stand up to scrutiny. [8] Andrew Osmond of Empire rated it 2/5 stars and wrote that it "wants to be Heat " but "ends up closer to a high-gloss episode of The Bill ." [9] George Bass of Total Film rated it 3/5 stars and called it a "nimble thriller" that borrows from L.A. Confidential . [10] Trevor Johnston of Time Out London rated it 2/5 stars and called it "another London-set crime flick with mostly unfulfilled ambitions to the cool sheen of a Michael Mann thriller." [11] Alistair Harkness of The Scotsman rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "All Things to All Men is the latest attempt to make a British Michael Mann-style crime epic based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what Michael Mann actually does as a filmmaker." [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Night Shyamalan</span> American filmmaker and actor

Manoj Nelliyattu "M. Night" Shyamalan is an American filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for making original films with contemporary supernatural plots and twist endings. He was born in Mahé, India, and raised in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. The cumulative gross of his films exceeds $3.3 billion globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riley Keough</span> American actress (born 1989)

Danielle Riley Keough is an American actress and filmmaker. Born in Santa Monica, California, to musicians Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough, she is the granddaughter of actress Priscilla Presley and singer Elvis Presley. Keough was raised primarily by her father in Hawaii and Los Angeles, and additionally spent time residing with her mother in California and Tennessee. At age 15, she began modeling, including appearances at fashion shows for Dolce & Gabbana and Christian Dior, as well as appearing on the cover of Vogue.

<i>The Final Cut</i> (2004 film) 2004 American film

The Final Cut is a 2004 science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Omar Naim. It stars Robin Williams, Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Mimi Kuzyk, Stephanie Romanov, Genevieve Buechner and Brendan Fletcher. The film takes place in a setting where memory implants make it possible to record entire lives. Williams plays a professional who specializes in editing the memories of unsavory people into uncritical memorials that are played at funerals.

Rufus Sewell British film, television, and theatre actor

Rufus Frederik Sewell is a British film and stage actor. In film, he has appeared in Carrington (1995), Hamlet (1996), Dangerous Beauty (1998), Dark City (1998), A Knight's Tale (2001), The Legend of Zorro (2005),The Illusionist (2006), Amazing Grace (2006), The Holiday (2006), Paris, je t'aime (2006), Judy (2019), The Father (2020), and Old (2021).

<i>The Cutter</i> 2005 American film

The Cutter is a 2005 American direct-to-video action film directed by William Tannen, and starring Chuck Norris, Joanna Pacuła, Daniel Bernhardt, Bernie Kopell and Marshall R. Teague. After a deadly kidnapping rescue gone wrong, a guilt ridden detective recruits his specialized SWAT team to successfully rescue an aged diamond cutter from the hands of a murderous thief.

<i>Passenger 57</i> 1992 action thriller film by Kevin Hooks

Passenger 57 is a 1992 American action thriller film directed by Kevin Hooks. The film stars Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne, with Snipes portraying a security consultant who finds himself forced to foil a plot to free a captive terrorist during a commercial airline flight. Critical reviews were mixed, but the film was a box-office success, and made Snipes a popular action hero icon. It also introduced Snipes's famous line: "Always bet on black."

Craig Fairbrass English actor

Craig John Fairbrass is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Delmar in Cliffhanger, as Dan Sullivan in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and as Pat Tate in the Rise of the Footsoldier film series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xavier Samuel</span> Australian film and theater actor

Xavier Samuel is an Australian actor. He has appeared in leading roles in the feature films Adore, September, Further We Search, Newcastle, The Loved Ones, Frankenstein, A Few Best Men, and played Riley Biers in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, and Billy in Spin Out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaya Scodelario</span> British actress

Kaya Rose Scodelario-Davis is an English actress best known for her roles as Effy Stonem on the E4 teen drama Skins, and Teresa in the Maze Runner film series (2014–2018). Other roles include Catherine Earnshaw in Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights (2011), Carina Smyth in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), Carole Ann Boone in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019), Haley Keller in Crawl (2019), Katarina Baker in the Netflix original series Spinning Out (2020) and Claire Redfield in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Taylor-Johnson</span> English actor (born 1990)

Aaron Perry Taylor-Johnson is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in Kick-Ass (2010) and its 2013 sequel, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) character Pietro Maximoff in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Taylor-Johnson began performing at age six and has appeared in such films as Shanghai Knights (2003), The Illusionist (2006), The Thief Lord (2006), and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008).

<i>Tezz</i> 2012 film by Priyadarshan

Tezz (transl. Fast) is a 2012 Indian action thriller film directed by Priyadarshan. It stars Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, Zayed Khan, Sameera Reddy and Boman Irani. veteran actor Mohanlal appears in an extended cameo appearance. Upon release, the film received mixed reviews from audiences.

<i>Radio Cab Murder</i> 1954 film

Radio Cab Murder is a 1954 British crime film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Jimmy Hanley, Lana Morris and Sonia Holm. It was made at Walton Studios and on location around Kensington and Notting Hill in London. The film's sets were designed by the art director John Stoll. It was made as a second feature and was released by the independent Eros Films.

Jai Courtney Australian actor

Jai Courtney is an Australian actor. He started his career with small roles in films and television series before being cast as Charlie in the action film Jack Reacher (2012). He has gone on to star in A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), I, Frankenstein (2014) and The Exception (2016).

<i>71</i> (film) 2014 film

'71 is a 2014 British historical action thriller film written by Gregory Burke and directed by Yann Demange. Set in Northern Ireland, it stars Jack O'Connell, Sean Harris, David Wilmot, Richard Dormer, Paul Anderson and Charlie Murphy, and tells the fictional story of a British soldier who becomes separated from his unit during a riot in Belfast at the height of the Troubles in 1971. Filming began on location in Blackburn, Lancashire, in April 2013 and continued in Sheffield, Leeds, and Liverpool. The film was funded by the British Film Institute, Film4, Creative Scotland and Screen Yorkshire, and had its premiere in the competition section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, held in February 2014, where it was particularly praised for O'Connell's performance and Demange's direction.

<i>O21</i> (film) 2014 Pakistani film

O21 is a 2014 Pakistani spy thriller film, directed by Jami, and Summer Nicks and produced by Zeba Bakhtiar and her son Azaan Sami Khan. It is the first spy action thriller movie from Pakistan.

<i>The Machine</i> (film) 2013 science fiction film directed by Caradog W. James

The Machine is a 2013 British science fiction thriller film directed and written by Caradog W. James. It stars Caity Lotz and Toby Stephens as computer scientists who create an artificial intelligence for the British military.

<i>Debug</i> (film) 2014 Canadian science fiction horror film

Debug is a 2014 Canadian science fiction horror film written and directed by David Hewlett. It stars Jeananne Goossen, Adrian Holmes, Adam Butcher, Kjartan Hewitt, Sidney Leeder, and Jadyn Wong as computer programmers who must deal with a hostile artificial intelligence on an interstellar spaceship. It was released on 3 November 2014 in the UK.

<i>The Last Witness</i> (2018 film) 2018 film

The Last Witness is a British-Polish thriller film directed by Piotr Szkopiak based on a stage play by Paul Szambowski.

<i>The Survivalist</i> (2021 film) 2021 American film

The Survivalist is a 2021 American action thriller film directed by Jon Keeyes and written by Matthew Rogers starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Malkovich.

<i>The Outfit</i> (2022 film) 2022 American film by Graham Moore

The Outfit is a 2022 American psychological crime drama thriller film directed by Graham Moore in his directorial debut from a screenplay by Moore and Johnathan McClain. The film stars an ensemble cast including Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O'Brien, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Simon Russell Beale. Rylance plays an English tailor, or, as he prefers to be called, a "cutter", in Chicago whose primary customers are a family of vicious gangsters. The film premiered at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival on February 14, 2022, and released in the United States on March 18, 2022, by Focus Features, to positive reviews.

References

  1. ↑ Rose, Steve (5 April 2013). "This week's new films". The Guardian . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 Cooper, Sarah (8 December 2011). "All Things To All Men". Screen Daily . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  3. ↑ BBFC: All Things to All Men, film, 22 March 2013
  4. ↑ BBFC: All Things to All Men, film, 5 April 2013
  5. ↑ BBFC: The Deadly Game, video, 28 November 2013
  6. ↑ "All Things To All Men (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  7. ↑ Felperin, Leslie (10 April 2013). "Film Review: 'All Things to All Men'". Variety . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  8. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (4 April 2013). "All Things to All Men – review". The Guardian . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Osmond, Andrew. "All Things To All Men". Empire . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  10. ↑ Bass, George (22 March 2013). "All Things To All Men". Total Film . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Johnston, Trevor. "All Things to All Men (tbc)". Time Out London . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  12. ↑ Harkness, Alistair (4 April 2013). "All Things to All Men". The Scotsman . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.