Ìý User Rating 
Contains strong violence, language and hard drug use
True Grit comes to the back streets of Liverpool in Dead Man's Cards, a modern day western about two bouncers - James McMartin (My Kingdom) and Paul Barber (The Full Monty) - who're staring down the barrel of the city's gun culture. Strong performances tease out a gripping story of loyalty and professionalism, that could have been ripped from a Howard Hawks western. Meanwhile, brutal bursts of savage violence add a menacing edge to the low-life Liverpudlian locales.
"You want to do someone in, do it out the back - there's no cameras," explains Paul (Barber) to Tom (McMartin) on his first night on the job. Drawing on actor/co-writer McMartin's personal experience of being a club doorman, this low-budget thriller has a ragged, authentic feel, which it laces into a western-themed story of two men standing up to gun-toting villains. It's only a matter of time until they're targets, giving this nocturnal thriller some clock-watching, High Noon tension.
"BRUTAL BURSTS OF SAVAGE VIOLENCE"
Barber excels as the aging ex-squaddie - who's done three tours in Northern Ireland and knows how to handle himself. McMartin is equally impressive as his big lug mate with a Yosemite Sam style 'tache. When the going gets tough, these tough guys get going: scrappy, vicious violence exploding in the last chance saloon where they act as sheriffs. Debut helmer Marquand directs with surety, even finding some unlikely comic relief (faced with Sunday morning communion, a hungover McMartin pukes on the church steps). A subplot about McMartin's troubled home life never quite gels, though, leaving Samantha Janus unfairly floundering as a feminine footnote in this otherwise macho world.
