Synopsis
Brooklyn-to-the-core thief Nick (Charlie Mattera) is betrayed by his friend Manny (PeterGreene), who is jealous of his love with Maria (Justine Miceli). Released from prison years later,Nick moves to LA, where he re-connects with Maria. Maria had married Manny (who is nowa brutal cop), but the two have since split. Nick is also taken under the wing of Harry (EdLauter), an aging gentleman bandit, who trains Nick to be a more elegant criminal than he hasbeen until now. The fi…m’s plot gets slowed down by far too many flashy montages, and muchof the dialogue is banal in the extreme. The bank robberies, however, are fun to watch, and fora reformed thief, Mattera turns in a credible performance. Curiously, the film is actually called“Gentleman B.” in the credits.
Audio
Ouch. The sound (available in both 5.1 and 2.0), has good, expansive music, but the dialogueis, far too often, very badly distorted, to the point of becoming a chore to listen to. The soundeffects have decent rear presence, but that dialogue is a real problem.
Video
The format preserves the original 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio. The blacks arevariable, ranging from deep and strong to weak and grainy. The picture isn’t quite as razor sharpas it could be, but the colours are strong, and the print in fine condition.
Special Features
The menu has a fully animated and scored main page, which admittedly suggests are rathermore action-intensive film than we actually get. Director Jordan Alan’s commentary is good: hespeaks well, has an interestingly sarcastic tendency, and sounds like he should be host of a late-night jazz program. Beyond this feature, there are also 6 deleted scenes, a fascinating interviewwith Charlie Mattera about his past, trailers for Gentleman Bandit Love & Happiness,filmographies (for the actors, and a biography for the director), and a still gallery.
Closing Thoughts
Hardly a crime classic, but an okay 93 minutes, and there’s some interesting backgroundhere.
Special Features List
- Director
- Deleted Scenes
- Charlie Mattera Interview
- Still Gallery
- Trailers
- Filmographies
