Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

BallWubba Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Ian Hunter Imagine if you will all the scenes in 'Mafia' films that have stirred your imagination or induced a sense of wonder at the 'mob' culture both at the internal structure of the 'family' and the loyalty that it demands, or, the dark and depraved levels of brutality that is served colder than yesterday's Ziti. Each film, and let's not forget the wonderful Sopranos series depicted more than their fair share of gruesome details. Now imagine hurrying to fill every scene, sub-plot and hard hitting moment into one film? Well, this is it. This film seems hurried, the scenes are empty and the plot holes and unbelievable relationships between characters are clear and awkward. This is a film that you think you've seen before simply because there's nothing original to the viewer. I did find myself saying 'no' at predictable story lines... I did say 'no' rather a lot!The best thing about this film was smiling at Harvey Keitels New Jersey? accent.

LeonLouisRicci It's Difficult to Make a Boring Mafia Movie. There is So Much Gold to Mine that Even a Half-Hearted Dip Into the Dirt and You Can Dig Up Some Old Bones Worth Studying. So Why is this Wannabe So Dull, Unconvincing, and Bad.Well, the Movie has No Soul. it is a Lackluster Affair with Less Rhythm than a White Rapper. It Spits and Sputters its Uninteresting Story Delivering Cliché Upon Cliché. Hell, Clichés are Clichés for a Reason. They are Tried and True Things That Work. But Not Here.The Movie has Some Bad Acting with Character's Meant to Be Edgy, Spouting Middle of the Road Rants About This and That. It is So Familiar and Shop Worn it Leaves the Movie with No Room to Entertain, At All.A Couple of Scenes Show Some Zip and Promise, Like the Confrontation Between Nick and His "Friend" (Slaine), as Nick Must Confront the Fact that He is a "Poser". Harvey Keitel and Toby Jones are Wasted. In Fact Their Performances are So Restrained and Sleepy, Maybe They Both Were Wasted. Who Knows.This Movie is Simply Not Entertaining and is Guilty of Playing Around in the Mob Genre where it is Not Recommended to Venture Unless You've Got a Pair. This Thing is a Eunuch.

zardoz-13 The apathetic R-rated mafia movie "By the Gun" generates minimal velocity, and the foul-mouthed characters don't curse half as much as they should. If you're itching for something like either "Goodfellas" or "Killing Them Softly," you're going to be sorely disappointed. The urban action meanders aimlessly for little more than a half-hour before our handsome but ineffectual hero finds himself face to face with his big contract kill. Sadly, Nick cannot summon the nerve to pull the trigger. Instead, his obnoxious buddy George (Slaine of "The Town") takes care of Nick's business for him. Niccolo Emilio Tortano (Ben Barnes of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"), who dreamed about being a 'made man' in the Italian mob, gets his opportunity about 41 minutes into the slow-burn action as his boss Salvatore Vitaglia (Harvey Keitel of "Mean Streets") administers the omerta oath.Trouble is killing isn't in Nick's blood. Nick's father Vincent wants nothing to do with either him or the mob. Nick also has his eyes on a female bartender, Ali (Leighton Meester of "Country Strong"), and likes to give her flowers. As it turns out, Ali's father is scummy mafia chieftain Tony Matazano (Ritchie Coaster of "Blackhat"), and Nick's friend George takes Tony hostage and beats him within an inch of his life. George threatens to blab off to everybody about what he did for Nick. Tony tells Nicky repeatedly to kill George, and suddenly Nick blows Tony's head off. This prompts Sal to take a contract out of Nick. Indeed, Nick gets to sleep with Ali who abhorred her own father, but by then Nick's days are numbered. When Sal's shooter Jerry (Toby Jones of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier") comes gunning for Nick, he finds Ali alone in bed and ices her. Nick manages to shoot Jerry with the same silenced automatic with which Jerry rubbed out Ali. Finally, Nick musters some guts and goes after Sal.Sophomore director James Motten of "Trucker" and rookie scenarist Emilio Mauro delay the inevitable for what seems an eternity. More characters bite the dust in the last ten minutes than the previous 100 minutes. Leading man Ben Barnes drums up little charisma. He isn't sympathetic for a mafia protagonist who allows situations to manipulate him. Motton and Mauro deliver a double whammy surprise at fade-out, but it is too late to salvage this mediocre melodrama. The locations appear realistic enough, and the budget seems more than adequate. Nevertheless, "By the Gun" emerges as a forgettable fiasco.

gradyharp As written by Emilio Mauro and directed by James Mottern BY THE GUN is another Boston Mafia flick, but this one is a bit more sensitive to character development and conflicts of the gang world than most. Perhaps most of that is due to Ben Barnes very exceptional portrayal of the lead character, but kudos must be passed around to a supporting cast that is less concerned with star turns then depicting the miasma of Mafioso life, perhaps the most dysfunctional concept of 'family' ever created.Nick Tortano (Ben Barnes) is a smooth-talking, ladies man, ambitious criminal from the streets of Boston. After years spent working for and idolizing the Italian gangsters he finally proves himself to the boss Salvatore Vitaglia (Harvey Keitel) and becomes a made man. However, once inside, Nick conflicts with a moneymaker for the Mafia and begins to drive a wedge between him and Boss. In the sidebars, Nick's 'driver' is the fat but fearless George Mullins (Slaine) who makes Nick's initial difficult kill for him, Nick's real father (Paul Ben- Victor) and younger brother Vito (an impressive turn for Kenny Wormald), a love affair with Ali Matazano (Leighton Meester), and various conflicts with Salvatore's enemies. There are some fine minor character roles by Toby Jones, Ron Komora, Tully Banta-Cain, William Bloomfield, Richie Coaster and others, but basically this is Ben Barnes film –a confused young man who makes some wrong choices but does so in a manner that keeps our compassion.Not a great film, nor does it pretend to be, but for a small Indie look at the autopsy of the Boston Mafia it fares well.