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Paying Mr. McGetty

           review by Bobby Blakey

After the success of the inspirational anti-bullying film The Martial Arts Kid, the team is getting back together with stars R. Marcos Taylor and 11 Time Kickboxing champion and action film icon Don “The Dragon” Wilson along with director Michael Baumgarten for the film Paying Mr. McGetty. Could they have another hit on their hands with this different type of film or will it not be able to pay off its debt?

Paying Mr. McGetty follows Tyrell after a night of drinking and gambling who is awakened by an angry call from his girlfriend, Meena and finds himself in bed with a strange woman, Cecelia -- a local mob boss' daughter. Once the local mob boss finds out, he hires Shota -- a relentless hitman. To make matters worse, the reward on Tyrell's head has dozens of others looking for him, too. Adding to Tyrell's troubles, the worst thing of all... Meena, the love of his life, is put in harm's way. Tyrell must make a stand by taking on the mob, taking on Shota, and finding the money to pay their landlord, Mr. McGetty, before the day ends. This independent film that showcases what you can do with a talented crew and cast that know what they are doing. Sure there are some issues here and there, but overall it still manages to be a good time. Taylor does a good job in the lead taking on a character that is polar opposite to his turn as Suge Knight in the hit Straight Outtat Compton. He brings some laughs and fun to the role while still being able to carry the action when necessary. Wilson shows up as the more strong silent type letting his fists and feet do the talking for him most of the time, but still carrying the role like only he can. His look is something completely different than we normally get in a hitman and instead an average joe that means business and works perfectly.

 

Co-star Anita Clay offers up probably the most complicated performance as she is regulated to having to act in situations regarding phone calls back and forth with Taylor. This is a hard feat to make work sometimes as they don’t always have the other actor to play off of, but every moment of her screen time is a shining point in the film. Despite being a supporting player, Clay is really the backbone to keep Taylor grounded and had thankfully she has the skills to make you understand why she means everything to him. Their great chemistry alongside his torment and her irritation makes for a relationship and life we can all relate too. Some of the supporting players are a bit hit and miss with some over acting and silly dialogue, but that is part of the charm of this lower budget fair.

There is a specific sequence that takes the film in a bit of a strange direction that harkens back to films like The Last Dragon and No Retreat, No Surrender which I found to be an interesting inclusion. This film isn’t for everyone as it is a little strange at times, but old school fans of Wilson will no doubt have a good time just getting to see him kicking but as usual throughout and that is really all that matters. Plenty of old school martial arts fights and some laughs make Paying Mr. McGetty a film worth checking out if you are a fan of any of the cast.

For more information head over to the official site at http://www.payingmrmcgettymovie.com/

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