Foremost the title is misleading. 'Murder Syndicate' is more of a family business - albeit crime. Having said that, this slow-paced movie does give its key moments once in a while. Crime thrillers have always fascinated the audience and a gripping story, a good fast-paced narrative and an endearing performance in a crime thriller are what the audience looks out for in such a film.
About Murder Syndicate, the story is of three siblings - and their mother Isa aided by her younger boyfriend Zane and the crime syndicate they run. When Isa falls ill during one of their operations and subsequently is asked to rest, the squabble begins between the siblings and Zane to control the syndicate in the absence of Isa at its helm.
Timothy Haug as the younger son Jonah stands out with his gritty performance and gets going in almost all the scenes and so does Steven Martini (as Zane) as the scheming evil boyfriend. Diane Robin as Isa, Mark Justice as her elder son, and Cathy Baron as Sonya give their best but don't raise the bar where their acting prowess is concerned. Nonetheless, the trio has done a good job.
For me Haug has been outstanding for bringing out the best in him as an actor be it in the emotional scenes or as an angry young man. From being naïve and almost getting manipulated to standing strong for a confrontation, he emotes it all effortlessly.
Michael Rossi has written a great crime story (reminiscent of the 80s gangster films) and has brought out the best in his cast and crew despite certain shortcomings. The movie is a great one-time watch, especially for the lead actors Haug and Martini duly supported by the others.
If only the background score and the action sequences were better choreographed, the end result would have been a couple of notchs higher.
