Hoodlum and Son

Crisp camera-work, rich in detail, and a thoroughly personable cast offset a rather lacklustre storyline and a slightly weak script in a film by newcomer Ashley Way. Filmed in South Africa, the film is nice to look at, and fun for the kiddies - a wisecracking hero, a great kid that's a refreshing change from the usual pain-in-the-butt kids in Hollywood movies, and a whole passel of fun villains battling it out for a pile of illegally-gained moolah. Ted King and Myles Jeffries work well together, and Robert Vaughn is suitably menacing as arch-hoodlum Benny 'The Bomb' Palladino - but the true fun guy in this is Ron Perlman as upstart Irish hoodlum 'Ugly Jim' MacRae, all red hair, cigars, and the most incredibly loud clothes you've ever seen. Just a joy to watch. Fun movie to keep the offspring happy on a wet Sunday afternoon.