Both Michael Madsen and Eric Roberts have appeared in a lot of cheap and junky projects in recent years, but I had a little hope for this effort because it had both of those actors in its cast. But the end results make it a career low for both of them. Roberts doesn't make that much of an appearance in the movie, nor does he make much of an effort, not just for the fact that he is sitting down in almost all of his limited footage. Madsen has somewhat more of a presence (he also narrates), but it's clear he's just going through the motions. I guess the movie could still have worked despite the misuse of its talented stars, but the rest of the movie fails in every way you can think of. The script has the one-two punch of being confusing and boring. The direction comes across as cheap and quick, ranging from the lack of establishing shots to the often poorly recorded dialogue. And the movie has an awesomely cheap feeling, most prominently from the poorly dressed (and poorly chosen) sets and locations. It just goes to clearly show that a talented cast alone does not make a movie work.
Review of Beyond the Trophy
