THE BIRTHDAY CAKE

If you're going to make a mob drama, you best make sure you do all you can to make it stand out from an incredibly saturated field of classics amongst the genre. The Birthday Cake is the latest mob drama that can't escape the shadow of such greats as Goodfellas and The Godfather, Jimmy Giannopoulos making his directorial debut with a game yet flawed effort that sadly won't be remembered for years to come.

On the 10th anniversary of Giovanni's father's death, Giovanni (Shiloh Fernandez) reluctantly accepts the task of carrying on the family tradition of bringing a cake to the home of his Uncle Angelo (Val Kilmer), Brooklyn's last Mafia boss, for a celebration. Just two hours into the night, Giovanni's life is forever changed and he's forced to grow up after witnessing murder, violence, chaos and the truth about what happened to his father.

Opening with a very Goodfellas like prologue which sees our main character in his younger years being taught the ways of the mob, The Birthday Cake has a few moments that shine amidst what is mostly a mediocre drama. It's confidently presented by first time director, Jimmy Giannopoulos, yet there isn't enough weight behind most of the drama which ends up making it feel like nothing more than a throwaway TV drama.

The screenplay is wafer thin when it comes to both dialogue and character development, throwing in a number of mob drama cliches for good measure. There isn't really much of a visual appeal to the film with some rushed editing and uninventive cinematgraphy, while the score from Giannopoulos and Tim Sandusky just feels incredibly overbearing and jarring towards the film's storytelling.

Coming to the performances, The Birthday Cake features a who's who of crime dramas past and there aren't too many who come out unscathed by this film. Shiloh Fernandez delivers a commendable performance, leading the film with some form of presence but the rest seem to be there to make up the numbers, including Ewan McGregor who appears briefly as a priest yet should have been in it for longer as he's the best actor in here by a mile. It was great to see Val Kilmer in a film after all he's been through with battling throat cancer mind.

The titular birthday cake plays a part in the latter stages of the film, in a sequence that plays out in a more humourous manner than intended. That's the real problem with The Birthday Cake, it doesn't ever quote feel like it's doing enough to be taken seriously as a mob drama and that is a grave mistake to make in such a genre.

Signature Entertainment presents The Birthday Cake in Cinemas and on Premium Digital 16^th July

Verdict: ★½