The Level

2008
5.3| 1h30m| R| en
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Two bodyguards set out to find their boss's killer before his son starts a mob war.

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Also starring Todd Christian Elliott

Reviews

GazerRise Fantastic!
Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?
AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Scarecrow-88 Distortions in reality and only slivers of truth in Jeff and Josh Crook's bloody D.O.A. which centers on a supposedly dead mobster's two bodyguards and how they attempt to uncover who killed their boss and why. From the point of view of Eddy(Paris Campbell), there are a number of possible suspects, including Youngstown mobster Al's own son, Junior(Adam Kidd) and his whore girlfriend, Lexi(Dana Perry). Eddy also comments on his unstable partner, Rock(Robert Haley), a sadist who enjoys inflicting pain and torture on anyone he believes could be responsible for the death of Al(Lou D'Amato). The problem is we are not sure if even Eddy's testimony, spoken as he is being tortured by another using a golf club, is truth or fiction. Eddy does seem to come off as an innocent bystander unable to control Rock's actions as he drowns Junior in a barrel of water wanting to know where this group of redneck bikers(nicknamed the Horde by Lexi)is located, even trying to save Lexi who promises to sweet talk the gang's leader, Spanky(Danny Ray), into letting him join! Lies beget lies as Junior and Lexi, not to mention, Al's own chauffeur, Chester(Chris Ferry), offer their own versions as to what happened to the mobster. What seems to be a recurring truth within every story told is that Al walked into a school bus serving as a meth lab triggering a bomb resulting in an explosion that killed him. It's who got him into the school bus that's more than a bit confusing and suspect. The violence is as ugly as the camera work and characters, repellent and gratuitous to the extreme. How Junior confesses about wiping out a whole bar of bikers by himself, Lexi's details of the Horde as some sort of force of nature(as well as Chester's story regarding a shoot-out with the same dreaded hicks as Al was cowering in fear behind a seat for his life) point out how preposterous each character embellishes to save their own hides. We get Eddy and Rock in a gunfight with Lexi's girl posse(equipped with machine guns for chrissakes)among other eye-opening moments(..like the visit to the "Asylum" where Eddy tries to shock Junior back to life using battery cables hooked to a running engine!)such as a beheading and a face exploding from a shot gun at close range. As expected there's plenty of foul language and nudity to go along with the graphic violence. Not for all discernible tastes, D.O.A.(DEAD ON ARRIVAL)will mostly appeal to those who like their movies as gritty and unpleasant as possible. The movie ends with a tongue being cut out to kind of clue you in on what awaits. Not one single character has any redeeming qualities, so when people continue to kill each other, I imagine viewers will care less.
flixfan404 First of all let me thank everyone who has said good things about this movie (on this site and others). My brother and I made this movie on a shoestring budget so that we could do what we wanted. We shot it on short ends and cut the negative in my bedroom with nothing but take-up reels and a frame counter.I know this film is not for everyone but we're really proud of it. The US distribution deal went into limbo and it seems most people are seeing the pirated version through bit-torrent sites. Whatever. Believe it or not, we made this film because we wanted people to watch it. It has been amazing that it has been seen by people all over the world. That's what it's all about anyway.Some of the criticism is justified. No film is perfect (especially The Level). But for those who have complained about the low-budget feel or the level of violence I would just like to say, "kiss my ass!" Low budget means someone sweated blood to make it and if you were offended by the violence, then you were not the intended audience.Again, thank you for all the support. The response we've gotten from around the world has been amazing. It's the life-blood of independent film.
bexandbarn I'm writing this because as it stands it has been given a rating of 4.9 after less than 200 votes. This is absolutely unfair, as this is definitely above average, especially as there are no big names in it and the whole film has a very low budget feel to it. Film makers who clearly have a low budget should be applauded for making films of this quality when there is so much dross around which have millions of dollars spent on it.Of course, this won't be for everybody. For a start, it is very, very, very violent. The opening five minutes packs a rather nasty punch but should be enough for the viewer to know whether this film is for them or not. If you are put off by the violence, you will hate this movie. If you say 'wow' then you will not be disappointed by the rest of this movie.The two heavies this story revolves around play their roles superbly and at times, too convincingly. The viewer never knows what actually occurred with different versions of the truth being played out. It culminates in a fairly grizzly finale, but one which is plausible and pleasing (especially for the sick among us).It's funny, but all the reviews on IMDb are positive. So who are these people downgrading it? And for the record - I'm in no way affiliated with this film, as a lot of reviewers are on IMDb. Check out my other reviews to prove it. This is a tour de force of realistic violence with a good story and excellent acting. A must for gangster film buffs who like their violence grittily displayed.
fallguy_jack I was surprised at how enjoyable this movie was. Clearly not a big budget film, it ended up being quality entertainment.The story keeps you interested and guessing, so that in itself makes for better than a lot of movies of any budget.The acting is actually pretty good, especially considering there are no high priced actors, I think we'll be seeing more from a lot of them with this on their reels.There's definitely some brutal stuff, and some funny stuff.All in all I don't see anyone who is not expecting an Oscar worthy film being disappointed with watching this.

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