Director: Mo Ali
Writer: Jeremy Sheldon, Peter Lowe (Screenplay)
Starring: Lars Mikkelsen, Ashley Walters, McKell David, Adam Deacon, Brad Moore, Darrell D’Silva
Plot: In the mean streets of London’s East End, a former Serbian commando and a fourteen-year old boy plot revenge against a powerful crime lord and his ruthless lieutenants.
Tagline – Raised in the streets, trained by an assassin.
Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Montana starts as we meet streetwise Montana (David) a young man that helps deal get completed for the local drug lord Lazarus (D’Silva), he isn’t high up in the organisation, with the guys seeing him as disposable.
When Lazarus looks to eliminate Montana, a stranger Dimitrije (Mikkelsen) comes to his aid, an assassin who has been watching, waiting for his chance to get revenge on Lazarus, he trains Montana, with the two of them going on a clean up mission around the streets of London.
Thoughts on Montana
Characters – Montana is the streetwise kid who has been dealing for the local drug lords, his reputation will give him protection, until the drug lord wants to get rid of him, leading him to learn how to become an assassin to get back at the people who tried to leave him dead. Dimitrije is an assassin that has arrived in London looking to finally get his revenge on the person that killed his family, he takes Montana under his wing to learn more of the system, looking to pass on his skills. Lazarus is the drug lord that is continuing to look to grow his empire, cutting loose ends and looking to stay on top. Pitt and Ryan are the two connection to Montana, they know they will need to kill him, but know the money he brings in is too high to risk right now. We do see the different sides of the police that are trying to stop or working with drug dealers.
Performances – McKell David in the leading role is strong, showing the tough image that is needed to survive the streets. Lars Mikkelsen brings the aging hitman to life, showing how his character has been beaten down in life. The rest of the cast fill the roles well through the film, making us see just how the drug world is operating.
Story – The story here follows a young drug dealer that gets left for dead by his gang, only for him to be taken in by an assassin looking to get his revenge on the drug lord that took everything from him. This is a by the book idea of a drug dealer being taken out of the system, before being thrown back into the world to get the revenge on the people that tried to out him. We have the different levels of the people involved, which will constantly change, only it does seem to focus on trying to get to the top without having the stability about the operation.
Action/Crime – Most of the action is saved for a couple of sequences, which do have moments of style in them, while we are inside the crime world of drug dealers, assassins and corrupt cops.
Settings – The film is set in a London estate which will show us how the streets operate, with a drug culture through the gang’s behavior.
Scene of the Movie – Training montage.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – That drug lord never feels in control.
Final Thoughts – This is a by the book style crime movie, it puts us into a world where the drug dealers are looking to keep control, while an assassin is looking for revenge.
