A Bag of Hammers (2011)

Waste of time

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The film deserves all ten stars. It has everything. Great acting, good plot, but the themes - oh, my, the themes!There is friendship and the influences that tug and tear at it. Would the two men who are slacker/criminals stay together and remain the 'bros' they seem to be for life? There is family and what makes a family. What used to be revered - the role of father - is denied by one man and assumed by two others. No one seems qualified to assume the role, not even the state providing services. But then, that is what every man who becomes a father needs to ask himself: am I good enough for this job?There is the role of the mother. Being a biological mother with a strong love for her child, a woman fails and fails again. Ultimately, she can't cope with the repeating failure and she removes herself from the family - permanently. How a woman can feel the total responsibility on her weak shoulders is portrayed so accurately in this film, it brings tears. At one point, she asks an interviewer, 'Can you help me?' The shock is: he can't. Or he won't.There is the role of teacher. Someone who has to go by the rules, even when he may suspect that the rules are going to not play out to the benefit of a child. Then there is, for me the most important, what makes a stable relationship without sex? My impression was that these two men are not homosexuals and don't become homosexuals. Yet, their bond is strong enough to keep them in the project of a lifetime - raising a child to adulthood. At the very least, you hope that when a man and woman marry, they can get that far - to raise a child to be a young successful independent adult. But often don't! Even same-sex marriage suffer from the same maladies. Two friends? What are the odds that they could? There is the resilience of the young boy. Does every young person come so well equipped? Why did he turn out to have a future NOT behind bars but with a chance at a real education? Why is the fear that the child with a background stained by tragedy is somehow less equipped to deal with bad influences, whether while growing up or when operating as an adult? There is so much to think about having seen this movie - that it is almost TOO thought-provoking. It's a feel-good movie AND a downer movie. People are poor. Women suffer in relationships that strain their abilities to cope, and when they and children are abandoned. All too acceptable and 'normal' in today's world. There are no easy answers, not from watching this story unfold. Yet, it is worth every second of watching!

I would like to give this movie a higher rating. There were some good parts. The positive feelings toward the abandoned child were good and well expressed. The scene with the homeless lady was also good.But the movie simply glorifies stealing. Toward the end, they even have the boy helping them steal a wallet. I would also add that it is unrealistic that two thieves could get away with the same scam (pretending to park cars for those attending funerals, then selling the vehicles) over and over and over. I really believe the movie could have been made with the plot involving some lesser moral failures... at least less than grand theft auto. That part was unrealistic. They would not have been able to pop in and out of jail so easily.

It's so great to be surprised by a film you guess is just OK, and then it turns out to be a real gem. The title is just what it is - A bag of hammers. A depiction of life when it's not on the sunny side. This film is like what Tom Waits would be, if he was a film. Two best friends, living on the edge of the law after having a rather bad upbringing, still have both brains and hearts. They notice th little neighboring boy on 12 which has a similar upbringing they had. A smart, cute kid, which is very much neglected by his "bad mother", which is poor, out of job and depressed. One day they realize they have to take action.The film is definitely from the shadow-side of life, and you may expect to shed more tears than laughter. Well payed by all involved, the film slowly steals your heart, and makes you think what life is all about. The film manages to be funny as well as serious in a very rare way. The actors manage to make this both believable and rare. Recommended!

Really lovely storyline, well acted and genuine, I absolutely loved it. It wasn't what I expected and the advert really does not do it justice. I would recommend it to anyone. It also has a truly stunning accompanying soundtrack and I would highly recommend just listening to on its own. Its a very gentle film that doesn't pull its punches, its truthful and as the film goes on and the story starts to pull together you really start to realise how beautifully thought out it all is. It touches on the themes of neglect, a badly run welfare system and the horrible cycle of poverty and unfairness. Totally uplifting it made me cry twice! This film really does not get the credit it is due. Watch it and recommend it to all your friends!