User Reviews

For once a Canadian film set in Canada, without an American "name" star and done in a distinctively Canadian style. There's non Hollywood glitz. Indeed most of it is shot in the winter with typical Canadian winter scenes. (Hollywood never does that unless it's a movie about skiing.) Nor are the bad guys glamourized. The Boyd Gang may have been the closest thing we have to Bonnie and Clyde. But they aren't wrapped in tinsel the way B&C were. Nor is there any of the excess gunplay that Hollywood so loves. The entire film is shot in a low saturated colour --- almost black and white --- which, with the many winter scenes, gives it a gritty feel that is altogether appropriate. They also have done a superb job of recreating the late forties and early fifties. The cars, the furniture, the clothing, the interiors are truly representative of the era. I know. We once had a bedroom set and a kitchen table identical to ones in the film. All the more surprising that there are two major goofs...a widescreen movie theatre and a home telephone which looks nothing like the standard black Bell Canada handset that was universal in those days. But those are small points. This is a gripping, graphic, genuine piece of work.

This was a pretty good bio drama, granted it lost itself at times and focused more on the human story than the usual shoot-em up gangster style movies. It actually reminded me a lot of 'Public Enemies' in the storytelling style. Scott Speedman was impressive in his conflicted portrayal of Edwin Boyd (Canada's very own John Dillinger) showing a quiet level of PTSD, strong love for his family, frustration and the excitement and cockiness experienced during the robberies.

Inspired by real events the story follows WWII veteran Edwin Boyd who, upon returning to Toronto after the war is disillusioned by a lack of opportunities. Frustrated by his job as a bus driver and embarrassed to still be relying on his father to help support his British war bride and two children. In time he turns to robbing banks, becoming one of the most famous criminals in Canadian history.

The period detail is well done here along with a bleak and cold filming style. I enjoyed Kevin Durand who plays fellow inmate/prison escapee and gang member Lenny Jackson. Brian Cox was also great in a smaller role as Boyd's judgemental (retired policeman) father.

I also liked the love story, as from beginning to end we see we see how much Boyd loves his wife Doreen, initially only robbing banks to support her and the kids but ultimately losing them in the process. The ending surprised me. It's entirely possible I crossed paths with an aged Boyd as he ended up living in the same province, you just never know. Worth checking out. 8/29/15

Toronto was seemingly a nice and secure town after the World War II, and no or poor security measures in prisons and banks made gangs' ideas and plans easy to fulfill and proceed. Moreover, radios and black-and-white newspapers were not much of help in engaging co-citizens for identification and informing about criminals. Such was the surroundings where Boyd and his fellows lived their life; not as brightly as their U.S. counterparts before and then, which is probably the reason why the depiction is not that catchy and even robberies resemble asking money nicely in the presence of guns... Pre-robbery scenes are too long and only loosely connected with the remaining story, and the ending is rather awkward. The cast is uneven as well, with non-Canadians performing more versatile (Kelly Reilly as Doreen Boyd and Brian Cox as Glover); those presenting the Boyd gang seemed not catchy to me.

Thus, an above-average story based on real events and characters, but not a must-see movie.

Edwin Boyd (Scott Speedman) is a WWII vet driving the bus. He has Hollywood dreams. He feels trapped in his life with his wife Doreen (Kelly Reilly) and his kids. One day, he simply walks away from his job. Money problems pile up but he keeps his acting dreams. After overhearing more putdowns from his father Glover (Brian Cox), he goes rob a bank and tells his wife that he got an acting job. Detective David Rhys (William Mapother) is put on the case. After getting caught, he is unrepentant. He escapes with fellow bank robbers Lenny Jackson (Kevin Durand) and Willie 'The Clown' Jackson (Brendan Fletcher). With Val Kozak (Joseph Cross), the crew wrecks havoc across Toronto.

It's a slow prodding movie in the beginning. The colors are drained from the screen. It's like a world seen through Edwin Boyd's eyes. It's a tired world that justifies his need for excitement. It's an interesting choice by director Nathan Morlando. It brings a coldness to the world. However if that's the point, I would expect more colors after he starts robbing banks. I'm just guessing anyways. Without a doubt, Speedman is doing some good work. It's a nice small Canadian drama.

"Citizen Gangster" from 2011 is an interesting film directed by a first-timer, Nathan Morlando, who also wrote the script. He does an excellent job telling this story.

Set in Canada, Eddie Boyd (Scott Speedman) is a good-looking war hero with a wife (Kelly Reilly) and two children. He's a bus driver, and his wife works as well. One day, after helping a veteran in a wheelchair onto his bus, Eddie walks away from his job. He heads to Lorne Greene's (yes - the star of Bonanza) acting school seeking film work. Not having the money for the classes, unable to support his family, and about to lose his home, Eddie decides to become a bank robber. He disguises himself with makeup and successfully robs a number of banks, all the time telling his wife he has acting jobs. He becomes a folk hero and revels in his publicity.

Finally, he is caught and sent to prison. There he meets other inmates Lenny Jackson (Kevin Durand), Willie 'The Clown' Jackson (Brendan Fletcher), and Val Kozak (Joseph Cross) who have a plan to escape, which they do, becoming The Boyd Gang.

Fascinating story, all the more fascinating because it's true. There is actual footage of Loren Greene on the Canadian network's first broadcast talking about the search for Eddie.

Scott Speedman does an excellent job of portraying Eddie - in the beginning, he looks like the '40s-50s actor Guy Madison, very handsome. He definitely captures Eddie's desire for fame and his lack of interest in the consequences on his family, though he claims he's doing it all for them. Well, not really. Reilly as his long- suffering wife Doreen who can't help but love him is wonderful, as is Brian Cox as Eddie's ex-police officer father, who warned Doreen about his son.

What happens to Eddie later on is amazing - the film covers some of it but by no means all. I suggest the Wikipedia article for some really surprising facts.

A dark film about a post-war dark world. Morlando's first time effort should be applauded.

Okay, the movie is based on a true story (a fad nowadays, it seems), and it most certainly has its moments. But in general the entire flick lacks some panache. If it were a Canadian province, I'd say it's (northern) Manitoba on a Tuesday night.

While the main protagonist is portrayed rather decently, as well as his 'transformation' the rest of the movie is a bit stale and dry - I'd go so far to say clinically clean. Yeah, I get it, he's quite a normal guy, a victim of circumstance and all, trying to make ends meet and all. And I dig the story, but it's like eating a loaf of dry bread - you satisfy your hunger but without much joy. Personally I think the director (maybe as writer, too), tried a bit too hard to make it "arty" and forgot that a movie also should be entertaining, otherwise it's just bland ol' life. I'll keep the director in mind, maybe his next flick will be less Manitoba and more Québec.

Handsomely shot, with a slick, cold style, this movie plays out like a made for TV production with (slightly) better production values. As a non-Canadian who always sees a lot of Canadian films while attending the Toronto Film Festival, I just couldn't bring myself to care about this lead character. Played by the solid but ultra-bland Scott Speedman (who is looking more and more mature but whose handsomeness is wearing thin), we follow the adventures and travails of a famous Canadian historical personage. But "Bonnie and Clyde" this is not. On the contrary the movie suffers from a lack of zest, a lack of energy. Speedman is nice to look at but he brings no sense of urgency to anything he does. I know it's a stretch, but compare this to Warren Beatty, who was the very definition of a sex icon but who brought a goofy, affable, ever-so-slightly psycho charm to his Clyde Barrow. We get none of that here. Not even close. On the plus side I enjoyed some of the minor characters and for a first film it's reasonably well directed. BUT...and this is a big "but"...there is a deficit of real drama. This genre has been done so well by so many A-list directors and actors that a minor entry into the realm just isn't enough. I'm adding a star because I think this director could have a future but I don't see this film traveling south of its Canadian audience, nor does it deserve to. And truth be told I don't think most Canucks will care either. The film doesn't give them a good enough reason to, and this, above all, is its failing.

I did not really sync with this movie until Boyd stopped his bus to carry on a wounded vet who was in a wheel chair. He carried him over his back. The faces in the bus were all blank and without expression, you would think risking your life for your country was worth at least some feeling. I can remember growing up in Canada in the 50s, everyone had a stiff upper lip, very few ever talked about WWII. My uncle least of all, until his son, a fireman, was killed saving a man from a burning apartment. Suddenly his days on Malta during the German blitz came back. The movie captured the chill of post WWII and the bleak Victorian like atmosphere in Toronto. The scenes from the Don Jail were totally Gothic, even now the mention of the jail sends shivers down your spine. Nowadays, our wars are fought without declaration, our soldiers are sent to places where they don't even know who the enemy is. We expect that our society will be protected by superheros. The truth is that ordinary people fight for our freedom without fanfare, and unfortunately often with no support when they come home. This movie was a perfect description of this.

I've benn watching robbery movies just for study purpose only, the canadian Eddie Boyd that never hear a thing, come out as legendary Bank robbery, but to reach to this point the picture told how he becames a thief, after comeback from the war was stuck as bus driver without recognition, under such context and stifled by a hard life to get a suitable supporting a family, also in jail he joins with another inmates to escape and try again back to old methods now as gang, aside Speedman as the gang's brain another high point is Kevin Durant the wooden's foot are really great in this role as second in command, the final is true poignant story and finally he pays your debts with the society!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD-R / Rating: 7.25

"Your dreams, you made them ours. I believed you. I didn't think it would be like this Eddie." Eddie Boyd (Speedman) is living day to day as a bus driver trying to provide for his family. When a rider boards his bus one day he rethinks his life. With his house facing foreclosure and barely being able to scrape by he goes to a director in hopes of becoming a movie star. When all else fails he resorts to robbing banks. I knew very little about this going in and was actually surprised when I found out that this was a true story. This movie is very very similar to "Public Enemies" in story and pacing. While this was a good movie that is worth watching it is feels very long and drawn out. Speedman does a pretty good job in this as well as most of the other cast. The only real problem I had with this was the same I had with "Public Enemies". I felt it hard to stay focused on it the entire time and was losing interest off and on. This is not a bad movie but be prepared for it. Overall, as close to a remake of "Public Enemies" you can get. Good, but long. I give it a B-.

True tale of Eddie (Speedman) - WWII vet and family man that gets fed up with being poor. He dons some dark makeup and starts robbing banks. But once in jail, his associations get darker and the tale turns tragedy.

Based on a true story, this film depicts the life of a Canadian World War II veteran who becomes a bank robber after being unable to ably support his family in Toronto .

This is a fine film which is highly welcome as it depicts a part of Canadian history in a way that is exciting and informative. It is also nice to see an English Canadian film that has a clear plotline and does not try to draw us in to sympathize with characters who are psychotic for no apparent reason.

Period detail is strong in the depictions of Toronto in the 1950s and 1960s though it was a bit much that every outdoor scene had snow on the ground. This seemed to reinforce a false stereotype of Canadian seasons being winter all year long.

The only other criticism would be that the film's fine storyline could have been enhanced. War flashbacks might have been used to connect Boyd's past with his downfall into a life of crime. The film could have also delved into the past for his family life - expanding on the troubled relationship with his elderly father.

But the directing, acting, and period detail make this film worth seeing regardless.

I was really liking this slow, well-acted film until the rock music started blaring, of course reminding everyone of the rock music so prevalent in the 1940s. Not. I turned it off. Enough said.

Edwin Boyd is a fast-paced roller coaster film that proves fact can indeed be stranger than fiction. It is filled with poignant, heartbreaking moments. Boyd longed to be a Hollywood star and he would no doubt have a joyous tear in his eye to see this beautiful portrait of his life on the big screen.

First-time filmmakers can certainly take notes and learn a thing or two from Nathan Morlando here. Morlando (also the screenwriter) executes this ambitious true story period piece on a low budget with such excellence you'd think he's been making films for years.

The flow and tone of the film don't scream "period piece" -- which is a great thing and a conscious decision. It feels modern and slick, for instance, with the hand-held camera, particularly during the bank robbery scenes, which really place you right in the middle of the action. The soundtrack is also genius. Morlando mixes up the old tunes of that era with the jolting sounds of modern bands that feel like they could be from another time and place in history (i.e. The Black Keys). It's totally unexpected and completely exciting while watching. Brilliant work.

The overall aesthetic look to the film is stunning. Shot on film, giving it warmth and life, it still has this cool grey almost newsreel type of look to it, only using flashy, vibrant colours where necessary; making them all the more gorgeous.

Scott Speedman plays the title role and he truly shines in the tricky part. He shows off tremendous range as an actor. From the inner frustration and sadness simmering just below the surface, to the eventual angry blow ups, to the fun-loving gentleman-thief dancing around the banks and flirting with tellers; Speedman shows us he is capable of great things.

The supporting cast is outstanding as well and they all play their parts just perfectly in showing off the different faces of Eddie Boyd (big praise to Morlando as well for fleshing out each character so well in the script in order to get deeper into the psyche of our lead character).

The interactions with the fellas in the Boyd gang are so exciting and fun to watch, especially during their prison breaks and bank robberies -- you're placed right in the middle of the action, feeling like the fifth member of their gang. The scenes with Eddie and his wife Doreen, played by Kelly Reilly are beautiful and poignant. Completely in love at first, their relationship becomes strained over the years due to Eddie's lifestyle decisions, despite the love for each other always being there. Brian Cox does a great job playing Eddie's father (a retired police officer), adding a sad tension and insight in their tattered father-son relationship.

Overall, Edwin Boyd is an extremely well-crafted film. Not just for a first-time director, but for any filmmaker; it's solid all the way around. Morlando handles the tricky, ambitious material of a real-life figure with total poise and precision. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll be on the edge of your seat.

Definitely consider checking out this film. I can't wait to see it again.

First 10 minutes or so is OK, then movie turns into melodrama. Quite frankly Edwin Boyd is probably flipping in his grave at how stupid this movie is. Either way, story has nothing at all to do with reality of one of Canada's best known bank robbers. Watch the movie, then go read wikipedia entry on him.

I expected either mostly accurate portrayal of Edwin Boyd's life as bank robber, or decent story, this movie is neither.

If they released this as TV movie, without connecting it to a real person, perhaps it would have been passable movie, maybe 5/10, but when you expect to see movie about killer shark, and instead you wind up watching kid and a dolphin for 2 hours, waiting on killer shark to kill them both, and that shark never appears in entire movie, ... well, you see where this is going.

Not a happy story. So if you are suffering any lockdown deprression give this one a miss. almost fell asleep too. Where was this filmed? Someones garage?

Many thanks to our previous reviewer for - once again - confirming how narrow minded and stereotypical can the response of the general American viewing public be towards foreign material. Particularly in regards to great films made with very, very limited resources. Comparisons to Bonnie and Clyde? Please. If you can't read Cassavetes or the early Scorsese throughout Morlando's film I won't bother explain. And b.t.w. Scott Speedman completely nails the part with his best performance to date in my (and not only mine) opinion. I won't start here the debate on the current sorry and pathetic state of the big US film studios and market in general because that would be like shooting on the Red Cross. Please...

My most sincere admiration goes to this movie, the director and the production team as a whole.

BRAVO!!!

Very occassionally an actor lights up the screen and from the first appearance I feel as if I had just been smacked upside the head. "Who was THAT?" "This actor has star quality in spades." From the moment he appeared, Kevin Durand, had that effect on me. Looking up his filmography I noticed that I would have seen him before but thanks to his range, I had not recognized him. I watched the film through to the end and loved every minute of it, although I found I could not sympathize with the characters and they got what they deserved. Just one question, does Toronto every get a summer?