SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

kosmasp ... movie that is. With a very prominent face -> Patrick Stewart. He is the one character who's talking in English (other characters speak English to him as well), but this is a refreshing new take in Israeli cinema. And it all might have started with two horror movie friends. Genre cinema can creep into every corner of the world and it's nice to see movies with different sensibilities.This movie though may have needed a bit of a rewrite here and there, but it's decent enough to have fun with it. It's clear that the filmmakers have seen their fair share of heist and con thrillers over the years. You get a feeling that they are toying with you a bit. In a good sense that is

pottypat I enjoyed this and we sniggered away at all the vulgarity and many jokes. No ghastly PC humour here and a refreshing take on ADHT. What I found interesting was the depth of tragedy, characterisation and realistic exchanges along with what was essentially slapstick. I can recommend this as pretty good evenings entertainment. Sasson Gabai and Moni Moshonov are wonderful as two old 'terrorists' underplayed their roles to great comic effect. A great performance from Gil Blank as the grandson. A nice surprise is Patrick Stewart playing the uncle an awful English ham which he appears to relish. 'Dying is easy, it's comedy that's difficult' I'm giving it an 8 as it deserves it.

dromasca The popular comedies mixed with Mediterranean melodramas got a name of their own in the Israeli cinema of the 70s: 'bourekas movies'. 'Bourekas' are the local flavor of the Turkish pastries. The genre was dominant while the Israeli cinema was in its teens age, decreased in popularity with the maturity but never really died. We may find traces of it in some of the more recent successes, and with 'Hunting Elephants' which combines the genre with the bank robbery and the more recent 'retired actors playing retired gangsters' international genre, it generates a film which is at many moments very fun to watch.Much of the story actually takes place in a retirement house where two veteran fighters from the time of the underground independence movement (played by Moni Mosonov and Sasson Gabai) are joined by one of their Brit arch-enemies (and yet family to one of them, and yet a lord, and yes - Patrick Stewart) and by a teen kid in a plot to rob a bank. If the premises seem a little fantasist, I need to say that the script has the unexpected quality of making them almost credible. The old men have the passion of proving once again that their lives fit to the values they fought for in a world that changed. The Brit has his own moral and material reasons. The intellectually super-gifted kid is bullied at school and must do something to revenge the death of his father and save the honor of his mother. There is an evil system (the banks) to fight and an evil person (the bank manager - Moshe Ivgy) to punish. All fits.The three lead actors are big stars of the Israeli film and stage. It's fun to see them acting especially that some of the lines are really funny. In many moments the film compares well with such famous international productions like 'Space Cowboys' in the 'old boys' genre. Director Reshef Levi's lack of experience with sustaining the pace and avoiding some repetitions and building up for the actions scenes is however felt. In a bank robbery movie the robbery scene is the key and peak of the interest. Here it is repeated - maybe by design, maybe by coincidence - without adding consistent comic or action value, more in order to justify an ending which is good to the heroes and within the limits of some morality. This does not work well, and this is the main reason the film is in my opinion not a big success but only a nice try.

moshesabag An Entertaining motion picture to the extent that I've managed to forgot when was the last time I had so many laughs watching an Israeli movie. This is a truly Israeli-well-made-quality movie featuring the best actors as could ever be casted to such a movie ! When you think of Moni Mushonov and how funny he can be than you don't even begin to apprehand how funny he is in this amazing movie. Moni has always been (Since I can remember myself as a young kid) the character to fall in love with and laugh from the second you lay your eyes on him. Gabai, Evgy & "Jean Luc-Pikard" - who would imagine such a cast for an Israli Flic. They are wonderful together and I Loved it, Go and watch and laugh till your eyes pop out :)