''Hard Men'' is a 1997 British

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

black comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the olde ...

directed by J. K. Amalou. A forerunner to ''

Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' is a 1998 British black comedy crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, produced by Matthew Vaughn and starring an ensemble cast featuring Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Steven Mackinto ...

'', it was originally shown at the

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

on 28 October 1996. It was released in cinemas on 28 February 1997.

Synopsis

The plot resolves around three friends Tone (

Vincent Regan Vincent Regan (born 16 May 1965) is a British film and television actor, best known for his roles in ''300'', ''Troy'', ''Unleashed'', '' Clash of the Titans'' and ''Lockout''. Early life Regan was born on 16 May 1965 in Swansea, Glamorgan, Wal ...

), Speed (

Lee Ross Lee David Ross (August 25, 1942 – May 14, 2021) was a Canadian-American professor. He held the title of the Stanford Federal Credit Union Professor of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University and was an influential social psychologist wh ...

) and Bear (

Ross Boatman Ross Maxim Boatman (born 3 March 1964) is an English actor, professional poker player and a member of the poker-playing group the Hendon Mob. He is known for the role of Firefighter Kevin Medhurst in the ITV drama series '' London's Burning'' f ...

) working as

debt collectors Debt collection is the process of pursuing payments of debts owed by individuals or businesses. An organization that specializes in debt collection is known as a collection agency or debt collector. Most collection agencies operate as agents of ...

on behalf of notorious crime boss Pops Den ( Mad Frankie Fraser). Tone discovers he has a baby daughter and decides to retire from gangster life. Pops Den subsequently orders Bear and Speed to kill Tone and to deliver his hand at 9am the following day. The story shows the fears that Bear and Speed have, while trying to think of a way to kill Tone by giving him one last big night to remember.

Reception

''Hard Men'' received mixed reviews. '' Loaded'' gave the film a positive review and went on to say "In a nutshell, '' The Krays'' meets ''

Reservoir Dogs ''Reservoir Dogs'' is a 1992 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino in his feature-length debut. It stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Tarantino, and Edward Bunke ...

''." On the other hand ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote a negative review, as they felt that the "Film has a consistently interesting look on an obviously meagre budget, with atmospheric use of grungy London locations and much use of close-ups in dialogue sequences. The latter, unfortunately, only serve to emphasize the script’s weaknesses."

References

External links

* * 1996 films 1996 action comedy films 1990s crime comedy films British crime comedy films 1990s English-language films 1990s British films {{comedy-crime-film-stub