Rent The Big Ugly (2020)

Low expectations rewarded - The Big Ugly review by AER

Director Scott Wiper last teamed up with Vinnie Jones for the Australian WWF movie The Condemned about a decade ago and that was another film that shouldn't have been as entertaining as it turned out to be based on its pedigree. This director and star have form, and The Big Ugly proves that they are a great match.

The Big Ugly may be a bit too ponderous for those that may usually pick a tough-guy movie like this to watch, but the characters, the acting, and some of the turns of the plot are a revelation. True, not everything fits together, whilst other parts feel slightly rushed, this is a thoughtful film with deeper layers hinted at along the way. Fine performances from the three famous faces, and from Brandon Skenlar as the baddie - doing good work with a one-dimensional part, elevate the well-worn material. This punches above its weight, is less predictable than you'd expect, and has some nice details at the fringes about life in West Virginia.

PS: I'm confused as to why Stephen Marcus got shot near the beginning though, anyone?

Recommended if you like slow burn, tough-guy movies. This is like a good version of Nowhere to Run, or Homefront.

5 out of 10

Mediocre Gangster/Western - The Big Ugly review by GI

A revenge thriller which is basically London gangsters take on cowboys in a pseudo western that makes little sense and promises lots of bloody violence and delivers little. The big tough guys here seem half asleep most of the time and the women characters are given very little to do other than have fighting factions moon over them. Vinnie Jones stars as Neelyn, an enforcer for top London gangster, Harris (Malcolm McDowell), who is in Virginia sorting out a money laundering deal with corrupt oilman Preston (Ron Perlman). When Preston's psycho son (Brandon Sklenar) takes a fancy to Neelyn's girlfriend and she goes missing Neelyn insists on finding out what's happened to her. This is all predictable, has been done before and better and the characters are all stereotypical. Jones hasn't the acting chops nor the screen charisma to carry a film, this needed the Jason Statham touch to liven things up a bit. For a super hard man he's pretty useless all round in this!! Give this a miss it's mediocre.

really bad - The Big Ugly review by JD

Given the cast i figured this might be ok.

How wrong could i be. The story is just everywhere and so full of 'character does x coz plot'.

Nothing makes sense, and the only thing of remoted interest - Ron and Malcolms relationship is little more than teased.

Vinny - I need somewhere to stay

Woman who has never seen him before - Ok, here's my keys.

This is one really, really bad film.