Sweet Leaf

Director - Julian Grant (RoboCop: Prime Directives)
Starring - Brandon Galatz (My Haunted House), Graham C. Jenkins (The Defiled), and Alexis C. Martino (Street Fighter: The New Challengers)
Release Date - 2013
Genre - Action/Crime
Tagline - "It went from bad...to perverse!"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     No horror July continues.  So far this month I have watched some sleazy action flicks, some sexploitation, several exploitation, and even a drama.  Now I turn my sights to an action flick that tries to capture that look and feel of the old grindhouse films of yesteryear.  That film was Sweet Leaf and it was sent to me from my friends over at Wild Eye.  This one was directed by Julian Grant who was the man behind Arkham Sanitarium: Sou Eater.  I reviewed this one well over a year ago and was not really a fan of it.  The film left a lot to be desired.  With that being said, the trailer made the film look really good and for good reason.  The film is actually good!  Once again, thanks for sending this one my way guys!

     The film follows Steve (Galatz) and Billy (Jenkins) who are in a tight spot.  The smoked all their drug dealer's weed and now owe him a lot of money.  They come up with the perfect plan.  They will rob a small gas station the night they have a lottery drawing.  They enlist Byrdy (Zane Byrdy) to be their get-away driver and Mary Lou (Martino) to help with the heist.  Word gets back to the drug dealer, Tyvan.  He wants in on it and instead of sharing their score he wants it all to himself.  He pays them a visit and tells them that they will rob the place and bring their score back to his pad.  Things turn complicated when everyone starts looking out for their own and it turns bloody.  

     When I was sent the press release for Sweet Leaf several months ago I knew this would be one that I enjoyed.  The film looked like it tried to capture that grindhouse feel while paying tribute to the early work of Tarantino.  The acting in this one is great.  The entire cast does a great job and works very well together.  Brandon Galatz is great as the film's lead and Graham C. Jenkins does a solid job as his side-kick.  The two work very well together and often contrast one another.  This added some cheap laughs to the film.  The supporting cast is great and really bring their characters to life.  The story for this one is great and takes us back to a time when films like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs where action flicks were character driven and full of dialogue and not just mindless action.  The story has some great moments full of tension and suspense while giving us some very likable characters.  The dialogue is great for the most part but does get very repetitive and boring at times.  Finally, the film does have some action but that is rather weak.  In fact, the action takes the back seat in he same manner that the action takes the back seat in the same manner that it does in Reservoir Dogs.  The action may be lacking but the effects are surprisingly good.  We get some solid practical effects and some great prosthetics considering this is not a horror flick.  Overall, Sweet Leaf was a pretty enjoyable experience.  It has a few minor laughs, some great characters, and a solid story.  If you are looking for something inspired by Tarantino then look no further.  This one is right for you.