Disc Reviews

Hustlers Review

27th Apr 2014

From the opening scene of Hustlers you know you are in for an extremely strange ride with this film. The film brings together a talented cast all of whom seem to be playing off type, including Paul Walker in one of his final roles, Matt Dillon, Elijah Wood, Brendan Fraser and Vincent D’Onofrio.

Hustlers features three intertwining stories, all steaming from events that take place in and around a pawn shop, that lead you on a bizarre journey. First we are introduced to the owner of the pawn shop, Alton (Vincent D’Onofrio) who serves and one of the links between the stories.

Our first story The Shotgun or The Road To White Gold features Paul Walker, showcasing an amazing talent, playing completely against type as meth addict Raw Dog. On the hunt to find a weapon to rob their meth dealer, Raw Dog and his strung out companion Randy’s already bad day goes to hell. The Ring or Caged Love, stars Matt Dillon on the hunt for his estranged wife who went missing several years before. His violent journey leads him to an extremely creepy Elijah Wood, and a horrible discovery in the barns out back. The Medallion or Split Ends At The Cross Roads sees Elvis impersonator Ricky (Brendan Fraser) dumped by his girlfriend, forced to pawn a medallion once owned by The King himself to make it to a county fair.As the film progresses the links start to fall in to place, and we see how everything is connected.

The film is fast paced and great fun – if an times absolutely insane, but it also showcases some great talent. Paul Walker really brings a fantastic performance to the film and is so far away from the normal roles he played. Matt Dillon is pretty much going full on Bruce Campbell as Richard, Elijah Wood takes another role where he can explore a darker side to his acting career. And as Elvis impersonator Rickey, Brendan Fraser brings a great comedic performance to the film. There’s also a surprise in Ashlee Simpson who is in a small role but she brings a solid character to the film. Costume and set design have done a great job and there’s so many small details that you might not notice straight away but when you do it just adds to moving the story along.

The disc also contains a commentary with director Wayne Kramer and writer Adam Minarovich, there are some great behind the scenes info on on set stories included and it adds a nice little extra to the film. The first time you watch the film you might come away with a ‘WTF?’ feeling but on a second watch you will enjoy it more and see the links much earlier.