User reviews

OK, so the `what' British film industry needs another gangster-flick about as much as Zsa-Zsa Gabor needs another facelift, but this film is worth a look just for the fact that it's not set in London (hurrah!), it's very funny and it features Samuel L. Jackson in a kilt. Coming from Liverpool myself, I loved the fact that someone has taken the effort to make a decent film about my city (the last film set in Liverpool was ‘Beneath the Skin' – shoe-gazing rubbish with Samantha Morton, who couldn't act her way out of a wet paper bag).

Energetically directed by Yu, with flamboyant performances by Carlyle, Ifans et al. 51st State is difficult not to enjoy. Okay, so it's not very deep and meaningful, and the plot may have been done a thousand times before, but that could just about describe almost every film that Hollywood has churned out this year. With film, as with any other entertainment medium, it ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it.

Moaning about the ‘dodgy' accents or the depiction of Liverpool as a haven for drug dealers and corrupt policemen is pointless nit-picking and should not detract from the fact that 51st State is a lively, refreshing and ultimately entertaining two hours worth of celluloid. It is also a damn sight better than all the British-films-not-made-by-Working-Title that have been released this year.

The 51st State is certainly no classic, but its funny and has a half-decent storyline. Being from the Liverpool area, I'm glad to see a film set there, even if it is about crime. Samuel L. Jackson is as cool as ever as kilt-wearin', drug-dealin' Elmo McElroy, and Robert Carlyle is in good form as Felix DeSouza, desperately trying to get himself a cut in the deal. The use of Ricky Tomlinson, a very funny actor pretty much unknown to American audiences, was also a nice touch. I'm very much a believer that British comedy is (almost) always better than American. I always enjoy the inclusion of English words and slang, and with Elmo not having a clue about English customs, such as the different language and the Mini Cooper, makes this film very funny. I'm not sure about Americans, but English people will appreciate the hilarity of the situation as Elmo and Felix run around Liverpool, with Elmo wanting his 20 million, and Felix just wanting to watch the Liverpool vs. Man Utd game! A clever twist at the end adds a bit of a philosophical side to the film, and shows The 51st State is more than just a few laughs.

It's easy for any of us to resemble the 'comic book guy' from the Simpson's and rant for days about this belated release mimicking the action/comedies of the last decade. Don't. This is not 'Get Shorty' nor 'Who is Cletis Tout?'.

Plot: A unfortunate jinx leads a chemist to an underground drug world. With clever calculations at foot and in mind, he devises an intricate plan for early retirement. Then Liverpool happens.

Granted, the first time I watched it seemed like a product from a 'Quentin Tarantino' screen writing class. Upon watching a few more times it becomes clearer that there is no other fault. Had this movie arrived before such 'Res Dogs' type movies it may have been the golden boy of this new genre (not-likely). But it still stands as a light-weight contender. The situations are cleverly drawn, the acting is very comical and the casting is on the money. The fast drawn shots keep the pace, the thunderous soundtrack imports the ambiance, and the British ghetto lingo always reels you in to the lovely slums of Liverpool.

Bottom Line: Better Title 'An American Drug Dealer in Liverpool'

Elmo McElroy is an American chemistry who has developed a new drug that is 51 times stronger, more effective and better than everything else on the market. He kills the major drug dealers in LA and heads to England to get a better deal. He arrives in England and is collected by Felix DeSouza and escorted to meet criminal Leopold Durant. However Elmo's hit on The Lizard failed and he remains keen to get hold of the drug - however the formula only exists in Elmo's head. The Lizard charges hit-woman Dakota (coincidently Felix's ex) to keep Elmo alive until The Lizard can get to him and get the formula. Meanwhile Elmo and Felix combine to try and sell the drugs.

Yet another in the treadmill of British bandwagon filmmaking, this film is, surprise surprise, a comedy British gangster movie with, wait for it, larger than life characters, funny violence and hyper-kinetic directing and editing. How very Lock Stock - things look pretty bleak from this description, except that the cast at least offers the hope that sufficient money has been poured into it to make it more than just another cheap cash-in on the success of Guy Ritchie's films. From the start it is obvious that this film is going to be more about energy than anything else and, to prove this, it then quickly edits it's way into a plot that relies more on forward motion and coincidence than anything else. The story is nonsense throughout and at times I found it a little irritating that so little attention was paid to the plot - but in fairness, to make a big deal out of that is to miss the point.

This is because the film is all about style, humour and pace and not about character or plotting. In this regard it is an enjoyable ride, albeit a silly and energetic one. The hyper directing from Yu really suits this and he does well even if he is not really very original in regards his shots etc. The editing fits with the formula set by Ritchie and is pretty much what you expect. What makes the film stand out from the rest of the copies is that it actually is quite good fun to watch (as opposed to some copies that are just cheap and nasty) - never hilarious but it is energetic enough to pull you along with it no matter how silly it gets. Of course it has weak points - a few characters are too daft and, whenever the overall plot is the main focus then it struggles.

Despite this the cast do well to keep things moving and they play a massive part in making this work. Jackson may not be doing anything new or wonderful here but he is key to the film working and he is worth every penny they must have paid him. He has great presence and he brings a lot of fun and energy to the film in a way that his lesser co-stars cannot. Carlyle is a good actor but he pales in comparison to Jackson in this - he isn't helped by the awful accent he is lumbered with and the fact that he is a little irritating. Mortimer is annoying as her character is just daft in the context of the plot, but not as annoying as Meatloaf who is easily the worst thing in the film. The support cast includes reasonable turns from Pertwee, Ifans, Tomlinson and Barber but this is Jackson's film 100% and it is difficult to imagine it being as enjoyable without him.

Overall, we all know what to expect - this is yet another gangster film in the mould of Lock Stock. In that regard it isn't original and it is, frankly, a mess in regards character and plotting. However it moves fast, is slick, clearly had a bit of cash thrown at it and, apart from a handful of stupidly silly moments, is actually quite fun to watch - even if it is almost instantly forgettable. The cast includes quite a few well-known faces but it is the awesome presence of Jackson (who looks like he is enjoying himself in an undemanding role) that makes this worth seeing.

An American whiz master chemist Elmo McElroy (Samuel L. Jackson , also co-executive producer and he brought in HK's Ronny Yu to direct) plans to score big on a once in a lifetime drug deal . As he develops the ultimate and revolutionary pharmaceutical narcotic , then double-crosses his L.A. boss connection nicknamed Lizard (Meat Loaf) to sell it to a Scouse kingpin (Tomlinson) and later on , Lizard seeks vengeance . All does not go as planned and he is soon entangled in a web of deceit . The Californian pharmaceutist flees to Liverpool to make a more lucrative business there , dealing with a local mafioso called Felix (Robert Carlyle) and his hoodlum (Paul Barber ; this is the second film and 'Robert Carlyle' and 'Paul Barber' have done together , the first was Full Monty ,1997). Meanwhile , a gun-toting motorcycle-riding hit woman pursues to kill him and she happens to be Felix's ex .

This exciting as well as wild picture is loaded with noisy action , irony , slapdash , comedy with tongue-in-cheek , bad taste jokes , rapid flash thrilling choreography , funny situations and with a distinctly British sense of humor . "The 51 State", is a savage hybrid among the best " Quentin Tarantino", ¨Brothers Cohen : Joel and Ethan¨ and ¨Guy Ritchie¨ , topped with a little bit of original touches here and there ; including a due homage to Liverpool FC . It turns out to be pleasantly fun that offers no intellectual stimulus whatsoever ; an exercise in pure action cinema in which entertainment and bemusement are guaranteed . The scrip written by Stel Pavlou not reinvents nothing, it is a blending of previous films , writing an enjoyable Popurrí , though it is where lies his greatness . Writer Stel Pavlou was working as an assistant in a liquor store when he penned his screenplay ; it was sent on spec to Tim Roth as Pavlou knew that Roth insisted on reading all independent scripts sent his way.

The motion picture was compellingly directed by Ronny Yu , though Tim Roth originally planned for this to be his directorial debut and Uli Edel was originally set to direct . Yu began to direct The Servant , the film became the No.1 box office hit for the summer, and Yu's future seemed destined to be in film after all. Throughout the 1980s Yu directed and produced many other box office hits in Hong Kong . In 1986 , he directed Brandon Lee , Bruce Lee's son , in Legacy of Rage . In 1993, the successful as well as romantic swordplay epic The bride with the white hair (1993) . Bride was a huge summer hit in Hong Kong, and also became an art house theater favorite in the U.S. and Europe . In 1995 came the equally ravishing The Phantom Lover(1995), a love story inspired by the original novel of The Phantom of the Opera . Following these nice films, Yu launched his Hollywood career . As he went on to direct Warriors of virtue and The 51st State or Formula 51 . His best picture and the most acclaimed results to be Fearless with Jet Li . His flair for visually rich narration appealed immediately to broader Western audiences and has been associated mostly with the terror film genre, as he has revived three franchises with The bride of Chucky (1998), adding some hilarious touches ; then Freddy versus Jason (2003), of the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises, respectively, where its box office total is more than the two franchises'combined earnings .

Elmo McElroy (Samuel L. Jackson), a streetwise American master chemist comes to England to introduce a new drug to the European rave scene. When he finds himself double crossed in the mob's underworld. The only support that MeElroy finds is a rabid local hood Felix DeSouza (Robert Carlyle), who hates all things American.

Directed by Ronny Yu (Bride of Chucky, Freddy Vs. Jason) made an enjoyable, trashy, indefensible guilty pleasure. Although there is nothing special about this film unless you love seeing Jackson in a Kilt. The film almost has a scene stealing performance by Emily Mortimer as a Hit-Woman. The movie has an good supporting cast like Sean Pertwee, Rhys Ifans and Meat Loaf. This film was a Box Office Flop but it worth a look for fans of the stars or you are in the mood for wild, tongue in cheek, Hong Kong style action/comedy. Samuel L. Jackson is also one of the executive producers. Original British Title:The 51St State. Super 35. (***/*****).

I am not really sure what the appeal of this movie actually is. It's definitely not the action, since fights are simple and few and far between. I wouldn't think its the comedy, since the premise of pretty much every joke is the same. It seems the majority of the humor in this movie is Samuel L. Jackson's character dealing with the differences between England and America and Robert Carlyle's character's disgust with Americans. Of course, every-so-often, we get a dash of toilet humor to mix things up. Pretty simple. Nothing special.

And yet, somehow, this movie manages to stay entertaining enough throughout the bulk of it. My only guess is that it comes from the charisma of the cast and characters. Samuel L. Jackson defies logic by kicking ass in just about every movie he's in, whether the flick's good or not. Robert Carlyle's energy and enthusiasm is enough to prevent me from getting annoyed with his constant whining. Emily Mortimer plays the soft-spoken, sexy assassin hired to bring in Jackson's character. And Meat Loaf....well....Meat Loaf bothered the hell out of me. His role as the Lizard, the big-time American drug dealer and previous employer to Jackson, is over-the-top and completely unconvincing as someone who would have rose to power in the American drug market. At times, he is just downright aggravating to watch (especially when he starts ranting and referring to himself in the third-person).

Fortunately, Meat Loaf (and a nearly as annoying Rhys Ifans)are not enough to completely drag the film down. It manages to stay quirky enough to keep entertaining and you shouldn't feel as if you completely wasted the last 92 minutes of your life. My advice? Check it out once, it's a hit or miss.

From start to finish this film is a great laugh, it never takes itself seriously. The characters aren't consciously making jokes, what they say is just inherently funny. Be warned though if you don't like swearing in your films this isn't the one for you as just about every line contains more than one obscenity.

The film stars Samuel L Jackson as an ultra-cool, kilt wearing drugs chemist wanting to make one high-profit deal, Robert Carlyle as a Liverpool gangster and Emily Mortimer as the hottest assassin I've seen in a film.

I won't post any spoilers but if you enjoy films with car chases, funny dialogue and over the top action involving guns, golf clubs and heavy duty laxatives then this is the film for you.

I liked this film - it's a funny combination of US action comedy with British gangster film. The mix works. For example, having gone the non-British drive-on-the-'Right'-side (left) experience, the car race in the Liverpool streets caused me one of the best laughs in recent years. There are more reasons for satisfaction in this film, like the good acting of Samuel Jackson and Robert Carlyle, Emily Mortimer - so sexy that the next Bond girls auditions should have a look at her, and the English slang and football (the real one!) humor. Sure, the film is problematic for the soft approach to drugs, but it's still a refreshing comedy worth watching. 7/10 on my personal scale.

Formula 51, to me, wanted to badly to mimic the cool characteristics of films like Snatch and in doing so left behind elements which were necessary to get there. The script found the film with it's first fault when it was clear that during the writing process things like a flowing, rich and intelligent script were replaced by excessive overly 'Cool' dialogue, the f word and a narrative which shamelessly places the characters in situations with the sole purpose of them showing how witty (in a dialogue sense) they can be. And yes, I will admit, at times it works and you do enjoy some of this but it is overall tedious and relies far to heavy on this to make this film.

On the acting front I noticed pretty quickly how the actors saw their characters were written and just played with it (with the exception of Sam L Jackson who seemed to kick into auto pilot and let his cool persona shine through on his part). I think in the context this was a good choice by the actors, this movie was not a masterpiece and they treated it appropriately. But still, the characters lacked charisma and charm. Even the always likable Samual L Jackson failed to really strike a chord with me.

I guess I semi enjoyed the film but still felt as though it was trying to be something more and failed. I keep thinking it wanted to be Snatch, but to be, it needed the characters, the pace, the dialogue (subtlety needed) and the overall richness that Snatch possessed. Try to not make comparisons upon viewing, and take it as no more than a piece of entertainment. 5/10

What do you get when you put Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Carlyle, Meatloaf, Rhys Ifans, and Emily Mortimer together in a movie? A rollicking good time! This movie is pure entertainment and has some very, very funny moments. The dialogue is mostly tongue-in-cheek and snappy. The soundtrack is excellent (this coming from someone who doesn't really like techno, club, rap, or hip-hop music), and I would definitely buy this movie to watch again. It may not be for everyone, but the cast is first-rate; the story line believable, and seeing Samuel L. Jackson in a kilt couldn't be beat! I give this movie a 9 out of 10. It's not Academy Award material, but who cares!

This was a really good movie. I've seen the trailers and had no interest in seeing this film then I found out Ronny Yu directed it. I ended up taking a chance and ordered the import DVD under the original title The 51st State. I'm glad I took the chance. Yes, it's dumb,yes, it's cheesy. But it had me interested beginning to end. It's a fun movie. Cool scenes,funny dialogue and a fast pace. It's not high art but it's a slick little film that holds your attention. I can't wait to listen to the commentary!!!

Yes it's Liverpool, yes it's a well used theme and yes, Sam wears a kilt!!! Those last words should have you booking your tickets, but if that's not enough then read on. We start our ride in the States with a freshly graduated Elmo McElroy driving along the coast, sparking up a joint as the sun sets in the background and life is looking good. That is all changed by the wail of a cop car, and the subsequent booking of the young Elmo. Life has just got an awful lot more complicated. Before you know it you're in the middle of a big drugs deal that blows up in everyone's face, and our Elmo is on his way to merry ol' England with the next wonder drug in a sweet packet, being followed by an assassin who is fascinated by whether or not there is underwear beneath that kilt. Now you need to hang on tight as we meet a yankie hating, football loving henchman (Robert Carlyle), an inflatable ring using boss (Ricky Tomlinson), a yoga enthusiast night club owner (Rhys Iffans), the most inept, bent police officer (Sean Pertwee) and everyone in between. Car chases the likes have not been seen since the Italian Job and The Blues Brothers, guns, drugs and a pounding sound track all conspire to detract from the core i.e the script. But they cannot as gags, one liners and even entire conversations, will have you doubled over with laughter. And not just in the cinema, as this will probably be one of the most quoted films down the pub or at work this year without a doubt. Yes there is swearing and yes it's not the most intellectually stimulating films made, but it never tried to be. What it tried to be was an all out action comedy Hollywood style with British wit and sarcasm driving it. The performances are second to none and the direction and editing will leave you blinking. The pace builds relentlessly and before you can fidget, the credits are rolling and you are on your way out the door!!

Don't believe the bad press, this is one hell of a film, with one hell of a cast and written by one hell of a British writer...GO AND SEE FOR YOURSELF!!

Just sit back and be entertained. There's no hard thinking to be done, just a bit of "suspension of disbelief" which is needed by most movies these days.

I really enjoyed this movie and found it very funny. I really didn't need exposure to the nude thing at the end though.

Look here!: 51st State is funny.

Oh yes, its true. And here, in brief summary form, are some other things that are true: The acting of Samuel L Jackson and Robert Carlyle is very good. The plot is ok but there are some holes in it. The directing can be quite annoying and often undermines the action taking place. The other actors range from quite good to pretty bad.

Overall this film is just a good laugh so if that's what you want then I would definitely recommend it. However if you're looking for a new British classic then stay away mofo!

It's easy to critique 'Formula 51' and personify the comic book guy from the 'Simpsons'. "Worst Tarantino remake ever!"... DON'T This is not a typical Spin-Off of crime/comedy films of recent such as 'Who Is Cletis Tout' & 'Get Shorty'. Realistically, Tarantino is primarily a Spin-Doctor himself, brother mixes a mean party.

Pampered with Brittish Ghetto humor, 'Formula 51' is better titled 'An American Drug Dealer in Liverpool'. Samuel L. resumes his Bad MoFo persona, this time as a Pharmacist gone underground. He has developed a powerfully suggestive drug known as POS 51, more powerful than any drug on the market. After betraying The Lizard (Meat Loaf in a very tolerable role as a sleezy druglord) he ends up in Liverpool and situations just get worse from there. It seems every time Jackson get's close to sealing the deal, sh@t hits the fan (sometimes literally). Together with local hoodlum/tourguide Carlyle, they find themselves escaping assasin's bullets, crooked police and even worse the rival soccer team. With a cute love story amongst theives in the middle 'F 51' delivers a well humored, action ladden movie worth renting.

Bottom Line: Fans of the genre without ego-hatred for spin-offs will delight in this well constructed action/comedy. All other comic book store employees will continue to munch on their junk-food blabering that they could of done it better.

Well, well, well, it really doesn't get any worse than this! If this is anything to go by the English certainly can't make movies any more that's for sure. The only saving grace is that Robert Carlyle does what he's good at doing, playing an up tight anti hero with a certain amount of humor and in all fairness he jells well with Samuel L Jackson who also effectively portrays what he is supposed to do. Yet despite a few other big name starts to boot they can't save this turkey; the film stinks big time!!

It really goes down hill fast when the location moves to the UK, but it should have been fair warning when we were introduced to a scrawny woman with a Liverpool accent that is a "hit-woman", how ludicrous is that. However, as the movie progresses I don't know if it was the holdovers from the now defunct UK soap "Brookside", dopey police, DeSouza pulling out a pistol in a crowded Airport after 9/11, Rhys Ifans cartoon character performance, I could go on but why bother. I haven't been to Liverpool for over 20 years but I'm sure it's moved on from the recession ravaged city of all those years ago, however, if you were to view this you wouldn't think so. Too many scouse stereo types of a negative value, I was waiting for an appearance from 'Yosser Hughes' (giz a job) or a cameo from Alan Bleasdale. Has Liverpool got more to offer than and scrap metal merchants, drug gangs, organized crime or foul mouthed Liverpudian house wives; were the makers of this film trying to take the mickey out of Liverpool? If so, there 20 years too late and don't deserve it anymore!

The English are very cynical towards Americans "bloody yanks" mentality, they never waste an opportunity to mock or laugh at the USA. Yet despite that, deep down they are sensitive to what the USA thinks of them. The English always like it when a home grown movie of sorts does well in the USA "did we impress the yanks", it always makes big news in the UK. Although I realize that the quaint old Ealing movies or the stiff upper lip image has passed it's time, but the image of what is on offer now should embarrass them. Of course there was meant to be a certain amount of humor in this movie but it fell flat, it was simply awful!

The English think that their humor is better than US humor, or that they have a better sense of humor than Americans. On this performance you have got to be joking! The days of Faulty towers, Yes minister and Black adder have passed too. So what do they offer now — drunken moronic football fans, thugs, cholesterol laded dinners, fry ups, fish n chips wrapped in newspapers, drugs, how inarticulate the Brits are, profanity, gun running and an overall crass and idiotic persona! It's simply not funny, just embarrassing, is this the image they like to portray today? Unfortunately I think it is! To the old LWT sitcoms and the old 'Carry On' films, please come back all is forgiven!

The pre-story is a bit weak and either poorly lighted and/or shot in a studio, but from the moment the film moves to the present day, it shifts into top gear and stays there. Jackson, Carlyle and later, Mortimer have a great synergy from the off, Ricky Tomlinson is average and Rhys Ifan is, well, Rhys Ifan! Sean Pertwee devours every second of the time he's on screen and none of the supporting cast let the side down

The film moves along at a cracking pace, the obligatory car chase well filmed mixing tension with humour (the explanation of 'bollocks' vs. 'dogs bollocks' is worth a mention).

Well worth a watch, even after all this (2019) time.

We've all seen the 'buddy cop movies' where two mismatched police officers are forced to work together in order to solve a case. Well… this is like one of those. Only the central protagonists aren't cops – they're criminals. And, naturally, they're not looking to solve a case, only to works a drugs sting which involves double-crossing about every drug dealer from Los Angeles to Liverpool.

It could have been nothing special and, although the plot is hardly legendary, the fact that the two main leads are Samuel L Jackson and Robert Carlyle go some way to raising it above average. For a start they play off each other well. It's fair to say that the two actors are about as different physically as can be and that also goes some way to help their – fragile – relationship as they're pursued through Liverpool by everyone from drug dealers to crooked cops and assassins.

The two leads are about the only 'A-listers' on the case, but the supporting cast has all sorts of familiar faces cropping up, all turning in pretty decent performances.

It may not have the general wit and style of other British gangster films (ala Lock Stock and Snatch), but it's fast paced enough to keep most people's interest if you're generally a fan of gangster films and don't mind watching too much violence and blood (and other bodily fluids) flying across the screen, then you might like to give this one a go. Considering it's never really mentioned when people talk about the 'great' British gangster films, it's not as bad as it could be (and you get to watch Samuel L Jackson bust a few heads with a golf club – what more could you want?).

The thing I like most about the 51st State is that it seems calculated to annoy pretentious idiots with their heads stuck up their own bottoms. It doesn't take itself seriously at all, and is therefore a very good psychological device that can employed to weed out those people that do. I LOVE the fact that it's an American style movie but that it takes place on English shores. Who on earth wrote the rule that if it's British it needs to look crap, have bad acting, have laughable dialogue (Guy Ritchie) and generally be embarrassing to watch? We live in a global age, and The 51st State is very much a global movie appealing to people in whatever country they happen to be. Hence British writer. American Star. Hong Kong Director.

AND IT'S A DAMN GOOD LAUGH. SEE IT!!!!

I was particularly interested in seeing this film, since it was written by someone who a friend of mine knows; written whilst he was working in an off-licence in my old home town. I have been following its progress for some 5 years now, since I heard that he'd sent the script off to Tim Roth and that Tim Roth had rung him back late one night, much to his surprise. The script was then passed on to Samual L Jackson who produced and starred in it. So I went to see it last night... The film was quite frankly appalling. Maybe the script was better that the film made out, maybe not; it was hard to tell in amongst the awful "oh here we go again, doesn't work outside Asia" Hong-Kong slow-motion(tm) film direction. The acting talent available should have made this a much better film, if you exclude the female hitman, which I guess points to the fact that the film making and the script were more than likely to blame. Gratuitous bad language is funny in the hands of intelligence. Think Derek and Clive when Peter Cook uses more swear-words per minute on one comedy record than anyone else before or since. Yet they are funny, since they are used in an intelligent, clever, witty fashion. The use of bad language here was just simply there because the writer thought that using the 'Fredrick' and 'Celery' words alone was somehow 'funny'. It's not. You become insensed to it and then annoyed. I actually walked out 10 minutes from the end as the film descended into a downward spiral of crapness as Samual's character gave away his new found drugs to 'the kids'. The film was a pseudo-Tarantino pastiche of every other gangster film you can name. Almost in the same way that the Scream franchise drew on Craven's earlier horror schlock flicks, only not as intelligently done. Unlike Taratino, who at least provided clever and amusing dialog for his first couple of films (including the much underrated From Dusk Til Dawn), this script fails single-handedly to deliver any sort of originality, even going to the extent of using a Tarantino mandatory in the form of Jackson, to give the film some kudos. I cannot recommend this film and have not walked out of a movie for years... which is a shame, since I'd have liked it to have been good, since the humble beginnings of this film are somewhat fairytale. I fear that Stel P's career will dry up very quickly if this is all he has to offer.

A 'B' movie in wolf's clothing. A wolf that has been shot.