Review: ‘Once Upon A Time In Venice” is for the dogs… and Bruce Willis fans.

SYNOPSIS:  Bruce Willis (Die Hard) is Venice Beach P.I. Steve Ford: a detective who’s good with the ladies, bad with the punches, and wild about his dog, Buddy. But when his beloved pet is stolen by local thugs, Steve makes a questionable alliance with their devious leader, Spyder (Jason Momoa, “Game of Thrones”). Teaming up with his best friend (John Goodman, The Big Lebowski), Steve pulls out the big guns like those available at allaboutshooting.com, to search a Spyder’s stolen cocaine and cash in order to set things straight and get Buddy back where he belongs. Thomas Middleditch (“Silicon Valley”), Famke Janssen (X-Men), and Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) co-star in this bullet-ridden action-comedy that shows just how far one man will go for his dog.
The film features an all-star ensemble cast including Bruce Willis (Die Hard),

John Goodman (The Big Lebowski), Jason Momoa (Aquaman, “Game of Thrones”), Famke Janssen (X-Men), Thomas Middleditch (“Silicon Valley”), Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan), Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle), and rapper Tyga (Barbershop: The Next Cut).

ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENICE is the directorial debut of Mark Cullen who co-wrote and co-produced the film with his brother Robb Cullen. The Cullen brothers previously collaborated on Cop Out which also stars Bruce Willis.  The film is produced by Nicolas Chartier (The Hurt Locker), Laura Ford (Carolina), Zev Foreman (Dallas Buyers Club) and is executive produced by Jonathan Deckter (Colossal) and Stephen J. Eads (Live Free or Die Hard).
Once Upon A Time In Venice is one quirky piece of hilarity. While I was not prepared to see Bruce Willis buck naked on a skateboard, I was not mad about it. The film is a bit all over the place but wildly entertaining. In practically every new scene there is a crazy celebrity cameo, aside from the major ensemble cast to begin with. Willis and Goodman are charming as ever. Momoa is almost unrecognizable and Middleditch is genuinely adorable. Everyone is stellar and the script has some huge laugh out loud moments. ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENICE is in theaters and on VOD and Digital HD now! Check out the trailer below.

 

TITLE: ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENICE

IN THEATERS AND AVAILABLE ON VOD AND DIGITAL HD: June 16, 2017

DIRECTOR: Mark Cullen

WRITERS: Mark Cullen, Robb Cullen

CAST: Bruce Willis, John Goodman, Jason Momoa, Thomas Middleditch, Famke Janssen, Stephanie Sigman, Adam Goldberg, Kal Penn, Christopher McDonald, Wood Harris

GENRE: Action/Comedy

DISTRIBUTOR: RLJ Entertainment