Laugh Killer Laugh (2015) Reviews

• Ambitious, but ultimately lackluster and inaccessible dark comedy

  quincytheodore2015-06-05

  There have been many movies which utilize dark theme of crime cynically, even amongst them Laugh Killer Laugh is one of the quirkiest. It takes so much liberty on presenting the dark narrative, it ends up dry and incoherent. The most notable anomalies are the exhausting script and the rigid lead character which frankly repels the audience's sympathy. This is the story of Frank Stone, a gangster in lamentation. He wanders unemotionally at times, barely uttering words for the majority of the movie. Meanwhile, his colleague narrates the story with too much crude delivery, it becomes less audience friendly. It uses plenty of self-awareness about the genre and deliberately makes fun of it, half of the plot is Frank attending writing class as a sort of realism commentary. However, it's done with tiresome dialogues resembling drunken banter. Heck, some of these are actually drunken banters. They talk in cryptic, brash and repetitive manner, occasionally to themselves and even the audience. The screenplay seems forced, and despite the ambitious take on the gritty subject, the movie feels detached. It demands patience from audience since it takes quite a while to build up and even then it's littered with inconsistent narrative. Acting and cinematography are made to emulate real life. The shots are all taken in diagonal claustrophobic angle and most of the scenes have heavy 80s action movie atmosphere. Unfortunately, the characters are either highly exaggerated or extremely cliché. It also displays incredibly gory scene out of nowhere, which is far from appealing. While it tries to deliver cynicism on crime element, the bizarre script and unsympathetic characters will deter casual viewers and genre fans alike.

• This is the Story of the Joker!

  pinkwerewolf-12016-05-01

  If you are a fan of the comic masterpiece "The Killing Joke", then this is your movie. Give this title a chance and do not look at the neigh sayers that did not get the joke. ;) This film has an outstanding 80's feel to it with the soundtrack and camera edits. The acting from the lead is fantastic/ Oscar worthy with his stone cold personality going from one thing to the next. This also has a beautiful gritty gangster vibe that QT would lend ever so naturally with little to no budget. For those that know the story of the Joker from the Killing Joke title, you will get the influence that takes place here. Watching Frank Stone morph into something totally different is extremely satisfying and makes you want more! There are some great shootout scenes that are not over the top and make sense, and the lead female actress feels very down to earth and real. There are some corny 80's elements that do nothing but lead into a special charm that this film needed. I would give this a 10 if not for the somewhat slow beginning, but this movie once it unwinds becomes very entertaining. I say give it a shot.

• A worthy maiden voyage

  mike-47422015-06-14

  William Forsythe does more with facial expressions and reactions (and nonchalance) than actors who might have played this role in a ham-fisted way. The 180 degree turn of the role gave him a chance to sink his teeth into it. The writing is excellent which is how he got Mr. Forsythe in my opinion. We are sensing something bad is going to happen and it does. The directing is a bit much with the camera at moments but forgivable for a maiden voyage. The editor may not have been given the shots required for smooth transitions and the music is 70's TV-esqe. The D.P. is also excellent. Three stars. I will look forward to another film by this filmmaker. Congratulations!

• Totally Worth the Watch !

  jb-909252015-06-09

  Great job all the way around.Tom Sizemore,Victor Colicchio and Bianca Hunter perform well but William Forsythe as Frank Stone stands out from the rest of the cast. The others did a good job but Forsythe is just a cut above the rest in this one.He pretty much is playing two characters in one as his personality is completely opposite after he awakens from the coma.He is just about great in every role he plays.My favorites are Ice in Stone Cold and Manny Horvitz in Boardwalk.Excellent story by Kamal Ahmed who is both the writer and director. Wish there were more movies of this style out there.It has that old school style to it.With so much garbage out there nowadays, this one is a breath of fresh air. A definite much watch.

• A unique film

  ogreaterone2015-06-13

  A cool new way to look at gangster films. A unique twist a solid cast what more could you ask for? This was one I have not only seen once I have watched it a few times. It is very interesting and the more you watch it the more things you will pick up on.... I would love to write in here just what they are, but part of the fun is finding them yourselves. The other is that I do not want to ruin ti for you.... It is a must see film. We often ask for filmmakers to be more original, well here you have it... The Writer/Director has taken us through his own minds eye and the journey is quite a ride... I am getting tired of seeing the same old boring mob movies. Laugh Killer Laugh is not boring and it is not cliché'... You need to watch this one... We need more films like this... Originality please!