TRIGGER MEN

US/UK, 2001, 95 minutes, Colour.
Neil Morrissey, Donnie Wahlberg, Adrian Dunbar, Pete Postlethwaite, Amanda Plummer, Claire Forlani, Michael Rappaport, Saul Rubinek.
Directed by John Bradshaw.

Trigger Men is a mixture of serious Mafia drama with comedy, in the vein of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It has an American setting, two English petty criminals are mistaken for American assassins and given a job to liquidate the retiring crime boss of the city. In the meantime, the two criminals have been preoccupied with looking at a young woman so that they missed their hit money being stolen. The irony is that the woman they were watching is the daughter of the man to be eliminated. There are other petty criminals as well as the would-be successor and his ruthless henchman.

Neil Morrissey (Men Behaving Badly) and Adrian Dunbar (Hear My Song) are the two Englishmen abroad. The Americans, with some wisecracks against the Limeys permeating their dialogue, are Donnie Wahlberg and Michael Rappaport. Amanda Plummer has a brief role as Adrian Dunbar's wife. Claire Forlani is the daughter of the Mafia chief played by Pete Postlethwaite.

Gradually the threads all come together, the ironies appear, but the result is a mild version of comic crime capers.

1. A combination of the serious and the comic? Which prevailed? Giving the tone to the situations, characters?

2. The American city setting, the inner city, hotels, apartments? The musical score?

3. The title, the reference to the American killers? To the British?

4. The complications of the plot: the focus on the British, the stealing of the money, the Americans missing out on the contact? Emma and her being a distraction, as well as Benny C's daughter? The romantic complications? The mix-up with the assignment? D'Amico and his henchman, the pressure to assassinate Benny C? The meeting up of the various parties - and Benny C prevailing?

5. The English: Pete, his being the leader, taking the money, leading Andy on? The possibility of becoming an assassin? Examining his own attitudes? The final confrontation, shooting the henchman? His decision to work as a hit man for Benny C? The contrast with Andy, managing pubs, in the United States, his relationship with Penny, her arrival, the pregnancy, his not wanting to be an assassin? Happy to live the good life, but opting out and going back to England? Penny, her arrival, pregnancy - and pragmatic attitude towards the situation, trying to Engineer the escape? The happy ending? The wedding, the birth - and their calling the baby after Pete?

6. The American assassins, Terry (and his name from Marlon Brando's character in On the Waterfront?) and Tommy? Watching Emma, missing the money drop? Waiting for the contact? Their discussions, Tommy and his attitude towards the British? Terry and the meeting with Emma, the various lines, the approach, her acceptance, the meals together, the outings? His wanting to do the assassination? The encounter with the Brits? The sorting things out, the shoot-out? His giving up his job? Tommy and his continuing to work for Benny C?

7. D'Amico, the torture of Jazzer, and his death? The mix-up about the assassins? The pressure on the British, the henchman and his coming to their room, his demands? Their trying to get out of killing Benny C immediately? The finale, the death of the henchman? D'Amico and his taking over from Benny C - only to be shot by him?

8. Jazzer, the drugs, the contact, his confrontation of D'Amico, the henchman throwing him over the railing?

9. Benny C, the kingpin of crime, the initial sequence and his avoiding assassination? His relationship with Emma? Her being his daughter, people presuming that she was a prostitute? The truth, his wanting her to get out? Her relationship with Terry, a happy future? Benny C and his still ruling - with his new henchman?

10. The traditions of the crime thriller along with the comedy of mix-ups?