Knockaround Guys

Knockaround Guys is a 2001 black comedy crime drama film starring Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Seth Green, John Malkovich and Dennis Hopper. It was filmed in locations in the U.S. and Canada including the small town of Delia, Alberta.

Knockaround Guys
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBrian Koppelman
David Levien
Produced byLawrence Bender
Brian Koppelman
David Levien
Written byBrian Koppelman
David Levien
StarringBarry Pepper
Vin Diesel
Seth Green
Andrew Davoli
John Malkovich
Dennis Hopper
Music byClint Mansell
CinematographyTom Richmond
Edited byDavid Moritz
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Release date
  • September 8, 2001 (2001-09-08) (Oldenburg International Film Festival)
  • October 11, 2002 (2002-10-11)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryCanada
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[1]
Box office$14.1 million[2]

Plot

Matty Demaret (Barry Pepper) is the son of a mob boss, but he is used as little more than an errand boy. His relative and friend Chris (Andrew Davoli) shares this urge to be part of something bigger, and Matty finally convinces his father to give him a job, with the help of his father's right-hand man Teddy (John Malkovich). Matty and Chris get their friend Johnny Marbles (Seth Green) to fly up to retrieve a bag full of money for Matty's father Benny "Chains" Demaret (Dennis Hopper), as there have been mysterious shortages in their money lately.

On the way back with the cash, Marbles stops in a small Montana town to refuel his personal plane. He has been instructed to guard the bag with his life so he takes the bag with him as he goes to pay for the fuel. However, Marbles sees the sheriff and his deputy and is paranoid that they may question him about the bag's contents. Marbles is also in possession of cocaine which he dumps on the runway. He drops the bag amongst a pile of luggage waiting to be loaded onto another flight, and despite telling the cashier to keep the change, the other flight takes off before he can retrieve his bag. Unknown to him, the bag of money was taken by two local teenage pothead skateboarders who work as baggage handlers at the airport. (He learns the money's location later.)

He calls Matty and tells him the news. Matty, though upset, knows that he must fix the situation quickly and quietly if he ever wants to work for his father. Matty, Chris, and their friend Taylor (Vin Diesel) fly to the small town of Wibaux, Montana to help Marbles search for the missing money.

While in town, Matty and the other guys attract the attention of two local law-enforcement officers (Tom Noonan and Shawn Doyle) who find out about the money and want to keep it for themselves. The mob guys then try to negotiate with the officers to get the money back but are turned away. Matty calls Teddy and Teddy arrives in Wibaux with two other mob henchmen. Chris decides to leave for home and disappears. Marbles hangs around in a bar with the two mob henchmen who secretly hate him, while Taylor and Matty wait in their hotel for word from the Sheriff. After taking him outside in a friendly manner, the two mob men throw Marbles to the ground and ask where Chris is. Marbles, defending his friend, tells them he doesn't know and one of the men shoots him dead and puts his body in a trunk.

Later that night, a deal is arranged for the Sheriff and Deputy to meet Matty and Taylor in an abandoned abattoir. When they arrive, the lawmen are planning to kill Matty and the others and keep the money, but Teddy and the two mobsters show up when Matty and Taylor do, turning the meeting into a Mexican standoff. Chris arrives and shoots the Sheriff's cousin who came to help the Sheriff, and Matty and Taylor inquire about Marbles. Chris says that he thought he was with them. Chris is killed by Teddy's men. In the chaos, the sherrif and deputy shoot and kill Teddy's men. Taylor then kills both of the lawmen. As Teddy prepares to shoot Matty, Taylor pushes Matty out of the way and is shot in the arm. Matty accuses Teddy of stealing money from his father. Teddy claims that Matty doesn't have the guts to shoot him. Teddy attempts to shoot Matty but Matty quickly shoots Teddy in the chest several times, killing him. Matty and Taylor get the money and return home. Matty hands the bag of money to his father and quits the family business before driving off with Taylor.

Cast

Release

The film premiered on September 8, 2001 at Oldenburg International Film Festival in Northwest Germany, three days before the September 11th attacks. The shots of the World Trade Center towers were kept in the film and never edited out. The film was released in the United States on October 11, 2002.

Reception

Knockaround Guys received negative reviews from critics, as it holds a 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 104 reviews. It also bombed at the box office, making less money than the cost of production.

References
  1. "Knockaround Guys - Box Office Data". The Numbers. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  2. "Knockaround Guys (2001) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
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