Review: ‘Top Coat Cash’ beats tough-guy cliches into the ground
Like a fog that corrupts your ability to be entertained, “Top Coat Cash” is genre amateurishness that neither thrills nor makes sense. A dim-witted mélange of testosterone and cliché, it begs to be treated as a “how many mistakes can you count” game for any moviegoer tired of the base competence provided by 1990s-era late-night cable time-wasters or homemade YouTube pranks.
David Tittone’s first blunder was writing a brainless clump of tough-guy tropes masquerading as the story of a hard-luck fighter with a criminal record whose return home to Kansas City is marred by involvement with bank robbers, shady businessmen and his venal ex-wife. Casting himself in the main role was Tittone’s next big error, followed by directing his cast to deliver lines as if they’d just learned how to speak.
Tittone is more animated by scenes of violence and action anyway, but his unflagging energy depicting anything from masked gunmen screaming and shooting at citizens to extended drill torture and domestic vengeance is routinely undercut by laughably inane story and character details. (No space to enumerate them here — make that your own masochistic pastime.) Cops will always tell you that the reality is, 99% of criminals are stupid. “Top Coat Cash” will make that majority feel awfully good about themselves.
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‘Top Coat Cash’
Running time: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Not rated
Playing: Arena Cinelounge, Hollywood
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