Could've been worse, I guess. It feels as though Brian De Palma is really on auto-pilot for this, and Harvey Keitel is wasted, but I dug some of the other performances and there were occasional laughs to be had here.
It's a broadly comedic crime movie about two low-level gang members who get in over their heads, eventually finding themselves in danger, and then plenty of stupid things and scenes of black comedy play out. Crime and comedy are two genres that almost always combine in interesting ways, but Wise Guys does feel strangely mild and a little bit whatever, especially considering the talent involved and the potential, which is only occasionally realized.
Still, it's watchable. It's probably not the worst Brian De Palma movie I've ever seen, but I imagine if I were to rank those I had watched, it would hover somewhere near the bottom (and the enjoyable parts here really don't feel like they're enjoyable because of De Palma's involvement, funnily enough, which is just a weird thing to feel considering the bold and distinctive filmmaker he usually tends to be).
It's a broadly comedic crime movie about two low-level gang members who get in over their heads, eventually finding themselves in danger, and then plenty of stupid things and scenes of black comedy play out. Crime and comedy are two genres that almost always combine in interesting ways, but Wise Guys does feel strangely mild and a little bit whatever, especially considering the talent involved and the potential, which is only occasionally realized.
Still, it's watchable. It's probably not the worst Brian De Palma movie I've ever seen, but I imagine if I were to rank those I had watched, it would hover somewhere near the bottom (and the enjoyable parts here really don't feel like they're enjoyable because of De Palma's involvement, funnily enough, which is just a weird thing to feel considering the bold and distinctive filmmaker he usually tends to be).