Director: Wayne Kramer
Starring: Paul Walker, Norman Reedus, Elijah Wood, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser
Running Time: 112 minutes
Certificate: 18
HUSTLERS (or PAWN SHOP CHRONICLES in the US) follows the lives of a group of people who happen to pass through the same pawn shop. As their stories unfold, we see how their paths cross and where their journeys take them.
Three main stories see Paul Walker planning a robbery with his friends while high on drugs, Matt Dillon on the hunt for his missing wife and Brendan Fraser touring as an Elvis tribute act.
Paul Walker captivates in this insane adventure as the hilarious, dirty and drug-fueled imbecile – which certainly makes a nice surprise for the actor more commonly known for being a pretty boy in his roles. His character is so high when the film begins that he sees fire come out of painted flames! However, despite the severity of his story – and the moments of violence – Walker’s segment becomes the funniest of the whole film. This is largely due to him and his friends being outrageously stupid. So much fun is had at their expense that you can’t help but laugh. One scene, in particular, see a shockingly hilarious conversation take place between Walker and his co-star Kevin Rankin, as they discuss the logic of Racism Vs. Antisemitism and the finer points of being a white supremacist.
Dillon’s story is far more serious and far more violent, as a quick stop at the pawn shop with his new bride sees him find a ring he once gave his previous wife. Years after her disappearance, he is convinced that she was taken and did not run away voluntarily but his quest for answers takes him to darker territory than first appears to be the case. Dillon plays an incredibly violent man and scenes of his search are certainly not for those with a weak stomach!
Sadly, against Walker’s and Dillon’s stories, Fraser’s bizarre Elvis impersonator falls flat but it is so completely bizarre that it becomes hard to look away. Not to be forgotten, hidden among all the insanity, is the brilliant partnership of Vincent D’Onofrio and Chi McBride who chew the fat all day in the pawn shop while the others come and go, putting the world to rights in their own amusing way.
The result is an intentionally disjointed film that is as shocking and as violent as it is funny. Moments which are actually quite serious quickly become farcical due to the black comedy of the film but somehow it works. The dark humour of HUSTLERS allows it to get away with a lot more than most and the filmmakers have clearly held nothing back.
HUSTLERS is fantastically deranged, incredibly violent, utterly ridiculous and so much fun. It is the kind of film Quentin Tarantino might make if somebody dared him to make a comedy.
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HUSTLERS is released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 21st April.
