BEEBA BOYS (Deepa Mehta). 103 minutes. Opens Friday (October 16). Rating: NNNN
Where to watch: iTunes
Deepa Mehta’s visceral, graphically violent gangster pic about Vancouver gangs fighting over turf is not for the faint of heart.
Gorgeous to look at, it’s heart-stoppingly kinetic – almost too much so – as upstart Jeet Johar (Randeep Hooda) and his gang battle Robbie Grewal (Gulshan Grover) and his crew.
The Tarantino-like dialogue in the opening sequences, the mound of cocaine à la Scarface and the non-stop violence pay homage to the genre. But this being Mehta, the female characters are three-dimensional: Balinder Johal gives Jeet’s mom real heft, and Sarah Allen as Jeet’s girlfriend channels Michelle Pfeiffer in more ways than one.
Love the sly Canadiana references: David Suzuki appears, as does a huge deluxe table-hockey game. And is that really Paul Gross, as a psychopathic killer wearing a man bun?
Don’t miss our interview with Deepa Mehta here.
