DVD Shadows in Paradise

This group of actors would have been hard pressed to give a performance better than a group of 10 year old students at a school play. The acting was amateurish, except for Armand Assante and Tom Sizemore. All the female actors were absolutely dreadful. The storyline was basically good, but the directing was awful. Doesn't work to have the director being the writer. The whole thing was flat. That is the easiest way I could describe it. The music did not match the would be tension of the scenes. I kept watching in the hope it would improve. Unfortunately it did not happen. It looked like a very low budget movie with a group of actors that maybe hadn't worked in a long time. The set itself looked as if it was filmed in a studio, no real rough terrain as you would find in Iraq. Also the actors and their uniforms/clothes remained spotless all the way through, which considering they were supposed to be operating in a dirty dusty environment, was laughable.

One would normally expect a review full of irritation and vitriol from someone who gives a film 1/10. But I actually found this film quite amusing.

OK, it wasn't meant to be amusing, but I was genuinely grinning at so many things during the movie that it was kind of enjoyable.

The reason for the grins comes down to the dreadful make-up of this film. They clearly began with a fixed budget, and they must have blown 90% on the wages for the stars. There are some well known actors in this film (Mark Dacascos, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo to name but a few), but there is no point in having an actor if you can't do anything with him.

So, they saved money on the following – 1) The set: Hilarious scenes which were meant to be in the middle of busy Middle Eastern towns (with cardboard buildings which would have looked cheap even in a school nativity play) or out in the Iraqi desert (which funnily enough has the exact appearance of American countryside). 2) Military advisers: I'm no military expert, but when I watch a girl (supposedly a crack commando) feebly wrestle a magazine into the gun, give it a couple of limp wristed slaps on the barrel and then fire it directly up in the air (when the target is in front of her) I know that someone's not bothered to get any training. 3) Retakes: Actors stumble over things, drop equipment and act in a way that would have had a director pulling his hair out … but they decide to keep what was clearly a first take of every shot.

Oh, and the plot was ridiculous, the scenarios hilarious and the script was like something a 12 year old would write.

If you want to have a giggle at an incredibly cheaply made movie then this isn't a bad option. Don't get me wrong, money isn't everything … but when you're clearly working with no ambition, no advice and no talent – this is what you get.