Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Easy Money: Hard to Kill Blu-ray Movie Review

Easy going or hard to watch?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 25, 2014

Cinema is quite literally littered with hundreds upon hundreds of movies within each and every genre, most of them looking and sounding almost the same, only the settings and their characters' names and faces really changing from one to another. It's a rare event when a movie arrives that truly bucks the system, does something old in a new way, or bursts onto the scene with a completely novel approach to storytelling. The "Gritty Crime Drama" is right up there amongst the genres with the most transparent wannabes on the (now usually virtual) shelf. It's easy to see why. The backdrop tends to offer ample opportunity for dark themes, dangerous dealings, shaky morals, questionable interpersonal relationships, and heightened violence. Most every one of them falls into obscurity, rehashing old ideas and never really exploring new territory within the well-worn confines of genre basics. Easy Money: Hard to Kill is one such film, and one with aspirations of ascending above the fray. It takes off but never quite soars. It works hard but never reaps all that many added benefits. It shows potential but never really seizes the opportunity. It's a solid take on an old style and certainly a film genre aficionados will want to watch, but it doesn't bring much novelty to the table, even as it does what it does better than many others of its kind.

Freedom.

***Spoilers for the first film follow***

JW (Joel Kinnaman), student and aspiring socialite turned key cog in an illegal drug operation, finds himself imprisoned alongside Serbian mobster Mrado (Dragomir Mrsic). The two grow close in the big house. JW's release sees him attempt to solidify a deal for potentially lucrative stock market computer software he's developed, only to learn that a former business partner (Joel Spira) has double-crossed him and sold the product without cutting him in on the deal. Meanwhile, South American drug dealer Jorge (Matias Varela) continues on in the drug business despite a growing distaste for the world it's placed him in, a world he cannot escape. At the same time, Mahmoud (Fares Fares) finds himself indebted to criminal kingpin Radovan (Dejan Cukic), forced at gunpoint to acquire a large sum of money in a matter of days, a task that not only threatens his life but whatever standing he has left with his family.

Easy Money: Hard to Kill, perhaps not better known in the States by its native Swedish title Snabba Cash II, is the second film in a trilogy of gritty European underworld Crime pictures, based on the writings of Swedish Author Jens Lapidus and his novel of the same name. This multi-character film sequel pushes forward with a plethora of genre staples, dealing in violent crime, torture, blackmail, sex, money, double-crossings, fear, and catharsis. The film is frequently frenetic and occasionally confused, enough to perhaps momentarily stupefy audiences unfamiliar with the original film (currently not available on Blu-ray in the United States but available as a region 2 UK release; the sequel is due to hit Stateside in mid-May, also from Cinedigm). Still, genre convention dictates that, even as it frequently switches character streams, the nuts-and-bolts basics hold together well enough to paint a rather cohesive story with which most veteran moviegoers will be intimately familiar, enough to fill in the blanks and decipher the key plot and character intricacies to keep the picture flowing at the intended pace. The picture's superficialities are little more than window dressing, though, for the deeper character studies that are at the heart of the matter and the examination of lives negatively influenced by the dark dealings, nefarious characters, and dubious ethics that circumstances have pushed them towards, for better or for worse.

For all of the hard violence, dark themes, amoral dealings, and other ugly events that shape the film, it's the deeper characterizations, the positive and negative results of the seedy underworld on the human psyche that prove the more satisfying elements the film has to offer. The story produces several emotionally charged and dramatically riveting moments of catharsis, from Jorge and Mrado in particular, that serve to ground the story in a very real, tangible, relatable human essence that doesn't push aside the violence and bad dealings but rather embodies them in the very real, palpable toll they take on otherwise goodhearted people who wish to put aside the past but find that they cannot wash it away, even as their bodies purge the negativity in a flow of raw emotion. Matias Varela's heartfelt scene is the film's best. In it, he calls his mother to apologize for his actions and the direction his life has taken him, but it's much more a personal release than it is emotion directed solely at his mother. The moment is remarkably well done and serves to show the power of true human emotion and the toll the life of crime takes on the characters. It's these sorts of moments that best define the genre and where the better films stand apart from the otherwise heartless and procedural pack.

Easy Money: Hard to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Easy Money: Hard to Kill looks fine, though it doesn't necessarily dazzle in the greater sense. Cinedigm's Blu-ray transfer is dependable and stout, often good looking but never a cut above or of reference quality. It's a touch flat, sharp but not razor-sharp, clear but a hair hazy. Details are good but don't impress beyond basic high definition goodness. Facial and clothing textures are adequate, showing positive, intricate and intimate details but not the sort of mind-blowing, eye-popping stuff found in the best transfers. Likewise, colors are fair but don't show an explosive, natural pop. The palette pushes through a well-rounded collection of hues that replicate real life but don't go that extra mile to truly awe the senses. Black levels are never neither too dark nor too bright. Skin textures are satisfactorily even. The image suffers from no major bouts of noise, banding, blocking, or other maladies. In a few words, one might describe the transfer as "serviceable and professional but not extraordinary."

Easy Money: Hard to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Easy Money: Hard to Kill's go-to track is a native Swedish language DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Cinedigm has also included a dubbed English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Both presentations offer a positive overall listening experience. The film begins with light rainfall that quickly gives way to a tremendous amount of bass, the kind that's so heavy and deep that it's bound to shake objects off the nearby bookshelf. It's very powerful and a little sloppy at the bottom but the effect is undeniably exciting. The penetrating low end sets a dark, dangerous tone for the film and powerful bass is no stranger to the rest of the picture. Music plays big on a few occasions, notably during a brief dance scene in chapter two that pushes heavy beats into the listening area. Smoother notes shaping less potent moments are well spaced and enjoy excellent clarity. The track presents a number of scenes with nicely enveloping ambience. Action sound effects are full and satisfying. Dialogue plays evenly and accurately from the front-center. English subtitle options are included. Note that audio tracks cannot be changed "on the fly;" users will have to navigate either the main or pop-up menu to switch between the native Swedish and dubbed English audio presentations.

Easy Money: Hard to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Easy Money: Hard to Kill contains only the film's trailer (HD, 1:53, DTS-HD MA 5.1).

Easy Money: Hard to Kill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Easy Money: Hard to Kill isn't a perfect movie. Its superficial pieces cannot escape from genre convention and generality, but it does find a satisfying and very well done emotional core underneath the violence and other "gritty criminal underworld" staples that are expertly interwoven and admittedly very well done. The film is better enjoyed with a familiarity of the first film, but most audiences won't have too much trouble piecing together the backstory as this film evolves. It won't set the world on fire, but genre fans will appreciate the attention to detail, solid performances, good pacing, and deep inward content the film has to offer. Cinedigm's Blu-ray release of Easy Money: Hard to Kill features good video and audio. Unfortunately, supplements are limited to a trailer. Recommended to series fans, and newcomers should track down a copy of the novel or the first film before diving into this one.