‎Lowlife (2017) directed by Ryan Prows • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Lowlife

2017 Directed by Ryan Prows

Blessed are the Meek

The sordid lives of an addict, an ex-con, and a luchador collide when an organ harvesting caper goes very, very wrong.

Nicki Micheaux Mark Burnham Jon Oswald Ricardo Adam Zarate Shaye Ogbonna Santana Dempsey Mark Wallace

98 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Sean Baker 8

Wow. This is an insane one. Has a Mystery Train/Pulp Fiction non-linear story structure that results in fun reveals. But be warned... about as dark as a black comedy can get.
Impressive debut. Looking forward to seeing Ryan Prows's short Narcocorrido and what he does next.
Review by ♡ ♡ 🎃v𝖎𝖓ce𝖓t § vega🎃 ♡ ♡ ★★★★½ 2

Lowlife
Still one of the best independent features of the decade. Just go watch it, I beg all of you.
A-
"Best Films Of The 10's"
Review by Icarus Arts ★★★ 1

This totally messed-up movie that deals with human sex trafficking, organ theft, hard drugs, organized crime and corrupt cops somehow manages to pull a few heartstrings by the end. Lowlife seems to suffer from budget and casting constraints at the beginning—and you'd like to see a story this good have a little more technical polish—but things really pick up by the midpoint and Lowlife wins you over, even as it pushes you away. The inclusion of Ricardo Zarate's enforcer character (with a luchador mask and legacy to protect) and Jon Oswald's ex-con character (a non-racist with a full-face swastika tattoo) were highlights for me and leant both laughs and tremendous heart to an otherwise grimy film. Though an inexact and…
Review by Dale Raulerson ★★★★½ 2

A powerhouse feature length debut for director and co-writer Ryan Prows. A Pulp Fiction-esque anthology of interlocking stories presents a cast of deeply flawed characters, destroying the lives of those around them as they collide together in their own quests for redemption. Each member of the cast brings depth to their character, making each stand out without drawing away from the ensemble (though arguably Ricardo Adam Zarate stands out with his surreal, larger than life performance as a disgraced luchador turned hired muscle).
The script finds moments to be both funny and devastating in its presentation of how drugs and crime have torn people and families apart, and set them on a path of self destruction. The grand finale, bringing all of these characters and tales together, ties all the plots up satisfyingly, both with tragedy and the hope for a better future. It's a rich and original set of tales that shouldn't be overlooked.
Review by Madeleine ★★★★½ 3

The first time I saw this film, it was an explosion. Prime spot, world premiere at the Fantasia film fest, packed Concordia university theater. The crowd freaked out like a wild animal. No budget daringness — bombastic, clever, and grotesque.
Watching it again tonight in a half full microcinema, I realized how challenging and potentially offensive Lowlife is. It’s a different beast in a small room where you can hear everybody breathing. And man do I love it.
This movie is dark as fuck. It’s a sadistic type of humor, getting off on making you laugh at something awful while someone else in the room is grimacing. But somehow within that button pushing that I’m sure will irritate certain viewers, there’s…
Review by cherryz ★★★½

Day 19, Augusts Horror Scavenger Hunt. Watch a movie with a wrestler in it.
Pulled through the pit of hell and back when a group of people find themselves in Teddy's web of organ theft and sex trafficking.
These individuals have sunk low, and the way they band together is quite something. Gives you hope that Evil will be overcome. I for one was cheering each hit to the face El Monstrou pounded at the end.
Cherryz yelling 'TAKE HIM DOWN'

Recent reviews

Review by Trash City ★★½

Full review: filmblitz.org/lowlife-2017/
This almost schizophrenic nature may be an inevitable result of this being the product of comedy collective Tomm Fondle [a name I initially thought was just a particularly unfortunate personal one!]. While Prows is the name on the director’s chair, I suspect there was a fair amount of creative input given to other members. That may explain why the end product feels like it’s perpetually getting pulled in a number of different directions, from black comedy through social commentary to thriller. It doesn’t qualify as an unmitigated success as any of them; then again, not does it completely fail, either. It’s probably significant that some impressively well-made corpses are the sole element likely to stick in my mind.
Review by ♡ ♡ 🎃v𝖎𝖓ce𝖓t § vega🎃 ♡ ♡ ★★★★½ 2

Lowlife
Still one of the best independent features of the decade. Just go watch it, I beg all of you.
A-
"Best Films Of The 10's"
Review by Bakterium ★★★★

A violent and humorous twist on the life of people with really bad luck, organ theft and sex trafficking. Had some good laughs and some of the violent scenes really surprised me. Overall a slow pacing I'd say but it's constantly filled with violent outburst. Storytelling reminded me of Pulp Fiction.
Review by Vincent ★★

a lot of wasted potential is what this is, I don't know if the actors just didn't get good direction or if they simply weren't good, but El Monstruo and Randy were the only ones I cared about and Randy is only introduced in the story after 45 minutes, and then there's Mark Burnham's character who outclasses everyone ; also no signs point toward this being a 'comedy'
Review by ♡ ♡ 🎃v𝖎𝖓ce𝖓t § vega🎃 ♡ ♡ ★★★★½

Lowlife
Does independent cinema still rise to the occasion? If you were to ask director Ryan Prows, I’m sure his answer would be a resounding yes, and truth be told when films as exceptional in quality as Lowlife come along, it’s incredibly endearing to think towards the future of cinema. This is a shotgun blast to the face of culturally, colorful characters. If not for a stupendous cast, this maybe would still be a good film, but each performance elevate this genre fare above anything that’s come out this decade.
Tarantino-ish was dubbed after Tarantino made Pulp Fiction and wannabe directors made terrible films. I think this might be one of the best homages to his signature style, if not…
Review by WizardmanJones ★★★★

September Slate 14/25
El Monstruo isn't the hero we need, or want, but he's kind of what we deserve.
Review by frankvallin ★★★★

Holy shit! I’ve been putting off this movie for a while and I finally got to see it and I kinda regret waiting this long to see it. It’s fucked and one of the blackest comedies I’ve ever seen. It’s very Tarantinoesque in the best way possible. I can’t wait to see what Ryan Prows does next.
Review by Jerboa Black ★★★★½

Lowlife is the story of a number of individuals and how they get involved with Teddy Bear Hughes, an criminal organ selling “pimp.”
Lowlife starts with us following a fallen luchadore named el Monstro, who blacks out when he’s angry and wakes up to find he has done terrible things. From there, the story opens up in a great way. The film is a series of interconnected stories that all end up feeding into each other for one hell of a conclusion. It’s a low budget film, but it uses its budget wisely, making the stakes feel large even when it doesn’t have the budget to do so. There are nice, bloody, pulpy practical effects scattered all around the film.…
Review by erahurka ★★★

An ok Mexican Guy Richie wannabe.