jotix100
Jack McCallister is a professional criminal who manages a caper in which most of his men are gunned down during an encounter with the police after they have done the job. Jack manages to conceal the money away from all the people that wants a part of it. This includes his two sons, George, who like his father has been in jail for the crimes he has committed, and Michael, a small time con man, who is too shy to follow his old man, or his brother."Hand Gun", directed by Whitney Ransick, is a film that takes a lighter approach to what we see in the movie. Mr. Ransick, who also wrote the screen play, has done a good job with this story that is more of a comedy, than a heavy take a la Tarantino. There is enough blood to parallel those other films, but Mr. Ransick keeps that light touch throughout the picture.The main reason for watching this movie is the cast that was assembled. Treat Williams and Paul Schulze play George and Michael McCallister, two brothers that are as different as day and night. Could both have been sired by Jack McCallister? Well, in many ways, the answer is yes. They have a knack for engaging in crime, each in a different style. The excellent Seymour Cassel plays the father. The supporting cast is also a delight to watch. Michael Imperioli, Michael Rappaport, Frank Vincent, John Ventimiglia, Anna Leon, and the rest, give a lot to make this a fine movie, with an ironic twist, a great way to spend time watching it.For lovers of the genre, they will not be disappointed if they approach this movie without any expectations. Let Mr. Ransick work his way to you with these diverse low lives characters doing unexpected things.
sbunc92-3
I'm not sure why this movie was called Hand Gun. There are a lot of guns in the movie but the title is to generic. The movie itself is mostly forgettable and none are the characters are very sympathetic. It does have a surprising sense of humor. It is subtle but it is there.
Tom Wilson (tawilson34)
I expected a good-guys versus mafia types, and kinda got it. After about 5 minutes, I thought the dialog was stupid, and the characters unbelievable. After another 5 minutes, I realized that it actually was a comedy, very subtle and understated.I would have given it a higher grade if I had known that sooner. Whose fault was that? They have to take some of the blame.
dsmithcvs
That's how Joe Bob Briggs put it when I first saw this film back in 1995 on The Movie Channel. In early 2002, it was on late night on TMC, and I got to check it out for the first time in years.Still a great crime movie with excellent dialogue and acting. For 'Soprano's' fans, you will definitely love seeing many of your favorite characters pop up in this earlier work, many of which are minor roles. Treat Williams, Paul Schulze, Frank Vincent, and several others give great performances. The action sequences, consisting mostly of close-up gun battles, are a little hard to believe, unless people in New York are lousy shots. But the storyline and comedy bits definitely make this a worthwhile film to watch, especially for fans of mob movies.
AD
