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Oh, how the mighty have fallen. One such person is Tim Tucker (Dylan Bruce), who is a hometown skateboarding star. He captained his school’s hockey team and guided them to the finals, but was unfortunately crippled in the last match. This brings us to the vital point where you are left with only one big dream, that’s it. Everything is gone. NO! It does seem like there is a lot of opportunity out there. But for the time being. For Tim, failing in the attempt at becoming a mob assassin leaves him wallowing in self pity as he now works as a pizza delivery driver.
Butler Brothers: First Round Down covers the unfortunate life of Tim Tucker and introduces us to the younger Matthew (Percy Hynes White) who happens to be his brother. Tim also seems to have an eccentric best friend Bobby (Rob Ramsey), but still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend Kelly (Rachel Wilson), who, for some reason, ordered a pizza from him.
“…for each pizza he delivers, he is, after all, a hero who is living under the shadow of his former glory…”
First Round Down has an intricate and convoluted plot and it’s all up to Tim to come up with a solution to his life problems before going insane or dead. First, within the hero’s mind, Tim is still seeking peace as he is constantly recognized with every pizza he delivers. Secondly, Tim has a debt to repay after his former mob boss’s hit crew was beaten down by Tim when he went to deliver pizza. The delivery, instead of being routine, turned out to be a disaster. Then there is his ex wife who Tim is pretty sure still has feelings for him. She may be about to marry a different man and wants to reconnect for the wrong reasons. Matt is the only remaining member of Tim’s family and he also happens to be his teen accountant so he and Tim share a soft side.
The movie’s plot might feel like a lot, but somehow everything seems to work for it. Despite the intricacy of the plot, it is fairly straightforward, and the running action sequences keep us interested all the way. Every single scene whether it’s romantic, action, family, or intrigue serves a significant role. Dylan Bruce splendidly portrays Tucker, enabling the movie and its supporting cast to shine. This just shows how talented the Butler brothers are when it comes to weaving an action tale.
FIRST ROUND DOWN is certainly off the right foot. An image of a Hockey stud checking himself out in a mirror wearing a tight polo shirt. He is turbocharging a vintage plymouth while the voiceover is narrating something that has to do with hockey. Oh, And he is also on the way to deliver pizzas. He is met with all sorts of flack including being called a ‘Loser’ This fully encapsulates the man’s life. Jungles of trash cans piled near the road suggest that it is not a period piece but a surely contemporary one. The credits roll and oh boy, The Cuba’s song is catchy “Good old hockey game (is the best game you can name)”. Through the voiceover, the viewers get to know more about the central character of the movie.
The film takes place in Hamilton, the very town where spirit of the Canadian small town outlook is captured by the Butlers. The men, primarily the hockey enthusiasts are very much like the vile and rude male chauvinist pigs. The older citizens recount the great Timothy Tucker days and the women interact in a more suggestive manner.
The film is divided into three acts, each representing one of the periods in a hockey match. We meet Tucker (Dylan Bruce from ORPHAN BLACK), a hockey superstar who has since fallen off his pedestal and is now set to return home to attend to his younger sibling since both of their parents have died. Now, he is a hitman for the Montreal mob but has grown tired after doing it for a decade and now works as a pizza delivery driver. His hopes of living a normal life are shattered when he encounters his former girlfriend, Kelly Quinn (Rachel Wilson, THE REPUBLIC OF DOYLE) at the Sterling Cup reunion and is spotted by his old boss. With these circumstances, he tries to carefully orchestrate a big move and canvas the life he has lived.
The film indulges in the same trap of all other small town movies. There is the hero who has left the small town and has come back to prove himself. In the process, he finds his ex girl friend to be already engaged and sets out to win her back. Somewhere along the lines, plans for some celebration are arranged to remind him of his past and he, of course, impresses everyone. All these elements are captured in FIRST ROUND DOWN.
Stage, television and film actor Rob Ramsay should be ‘congratulated’ for giving life to the most obnoxious and irritating character in a movie so far this year, perhaps beating Jack Black who I find hard to watch. Bobby, who Ramsay plays is annoying to the audience with his weird screams and other noises, but every character in the film – his best friend, his mates and even the girls – are just as annoyed. Dylan Bruce is ok as the lead hunk who has the good looks for a star hockey leading man.
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