Directed and written by Ray Burdis, Gangster’s Kiss follows two lifelong friends, Jack (Charlie Clapham) and Danny (played by Daniel O’Reilly), who get caught up in the seedy underworld of organized crime through a series of incidents. From childhood, they have always been mischievous. As they got older, they started jacking cars and causing trouble. They dream of being like rich and powerful gangsters, not realizing that Danny’s uncle (appropriately named “Don”) is, in fact, connected to the mob. “I just thought he was a nice guy,” Jack observes ironically.
The movie looks at the ironic twists of Jack’s aimless life, including his multiple career changes. He tries boxing but gets his a*s kicked by a heavyweight champ during his debut match. “Britney Spears could have done a better job,” Jack reflects on his embarrassing performance. Then, he embarks on a scandalous acting career. After shagging his co-star, he joyfully remarks that Linda Blow Lips lived up to her name.
“Two friends caught up in the seedy underworld of organized crime.”
Everything goes sideways for Jack when a texting typo makes him the target of angry gangsters. In the fateful text message, he means to send an “x” for a kiss but accidentally hits the “c” instead—sending an obscene word for female genitalia. Through this slip, Jack finds himself in trouble with dangerous men in the most cartoonish and unrealistic way possible.
Gangster’s Kiss is an admirable effort, and while it has a few good qualities, it is still about what you’d expect from a low-brow U.K. comedy. The film is complete with British accents, f-bombs, fat jokes, and countless rude references to female anatomy. The comedic performances and banter are mediocre. While a few scenes are humorous, as a whole, this movie fails. The comedy falls short, and there isn’t much storyline. The pace is jarring, jumping from one joke to another without creativity or build-up. Characters enter at random, without backstory. The premise is flimsy: we are promised a “gangster’s kiss,” but it’s light on gangsters, there’s no kissing at all, and it provides too few real laughs.
"…A text typo results in being marked by gangsters"
