Plot: What’s it about?
Bobby (Louis Mandylor) is in a bad situation, as he owes a lot of money to some loansharks and his wife is all over his case, since he is unemployed at this time. In order to keep his legs intact and shut his wife up, he agrees to work at South Side Car Dealership, where the money is massive and the sellers are ruthless, to say the least. His new boss is Reggie (Daniel Benzali) and if you think you’ve seen a heartless salesman before, think again, as Reggie refines the term, to be sure. Reggie loves to make money and more to the point, he loves to screw his customers on their cars, the more damage the better. He drills his salesmen with intense meetings each day and then offers cash bonuses to those who inflict the most punishment on their customers, to bilk a few more bucks for floormats or spare tires. Bobby soon becomes a top seller and he even thinks this might be the profession for him, but little does he know just what happens at South Side. You see, there’s more than simple car deals going on and of course, Reggie is the man with the plan and if he isn’t careful, Bobby could end up in the middle, taking a fall he can’t afford to take.
I had read some great reviews of this film, but I was still unsure of just what to expect, as I sat down to watch Suckers. In the end, I was highly entertained and went right through the extras afterwards, as this is one terrific picture. Roger Nygard (Trekkies) directs and cowrites this warped tale of crooked car salesmen, loaded with dark humor from start to finish. It is hilarious to watch these guys bury their clients and then push each other around, very funny stuff indeed. Daniel Benzali serves as the leader and ruthless sales manager of this crew, with Louis Mandylor, Michael D. Roberts, and Lori Loughlin included on the supporting cast. The performances are very good and while often over the top, that suits the material and adds humor, which is just fine, if you ask me. Suckers has some slow spots of course, but not many and in the end, I was never bored in the least and the flick always kept my attention. If you’re a fan of dark comedy or you just hate car dealers, then Suckers is a flick you won’t want to miss. Creative Light has done a great job with the disc also, which means whether you purchase or rent, your money is well spent.
I haven’t seen much of Daniel Benzali in terms of feature films, but after seeing Suckers, I hope to see him more often, to be sure. I love the role Benzali plays here and looking at how intense his performance, I assume he did as well. He fills this character with the needed elements, a twisted sense of humor, larger than life persona, and of course, ruthless sales techniques. I think the moments where he sells cars are his finest here, but those sales meetings always deliver the goods, that’s for sure. I think his mean, hard edge is obvious, but you can also see a slight soft side at times, though that is never explored much here, given the material. All in all, Benzali gives a terrific performance and I look forward to his future projects. You can also see Benzali in such films as A View To A Kill, The Distinguished Gentleman, Murder At 1600, The End of Violence, and of course, Screwed. The cast also includes Lori Loughlin (Back to the Beach, Tv’s Full House), Louis Mandylor (Necessary Roughness, Price of Glory), and Michael D. Roberts (Manhunter, Rain Man).
Video: How does it look?
Suckers is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. Aside from the lack of an anamorphic treatment, this image looks terrific and given the film’s low budget origins, I think that’s impressive. The image is quite sharp here and has no loss of detail, in addition to a clean source print and that’s always needed for a strong visual base. The colors seem bold and show no real errors, while flesh tones look natural and warm, as intended. No issues with the contrast either, as black levels are well balanced throughout and detail was never obscured. I do wish this was anamorphic, but this transfer still makes for a terrific image and as such, I am giving it the score it deserves.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included stereo option isn’t bad at all, though it seems a little restrained at times. The music seems a little limited here and there, but not much and in the end, the elements are well presented, so no real complaints. The sound effects were well placed and created a good atmosphere, as far as stereo allows, that is. No problems with dialogue either, as the vocals are crisp and always easy to understand, thanks to consistent volume levels. I am a little let down however, as no subtitle options were included. A small complaint, but one that is worth mentioning.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc even includes some cool extras, such as Indestructible Man, an early short film by director Roger Nygard. This is a hilarious 8MM short film that Nygard made as a youth, so adjust your expectations as needed. You can also listen to not one, but two audio commentary tracks and in this case, both are terrific and offer a lot of value. The first session includes Nygard, cowriter Joe Yannetty, David A. Brooks, Louis Mandylor, Daniel Benzali, and even others still. This is a very humorous session and it was a treat to listen to, but it also has a good amount of information, which is good news. The second track has Nygard and Yannetty back, as well as cinematographer Nathan Hope, and a couple of the film’s composers. This is a more informative track most of the time, but it also has some humor, so it makes for an enjoyable listen, to be sure. This disc also includes some talent files, the film’s trailer, and a featurette on how not to get screwed when buying a car, with cowriter Joe Yannetty.
