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Cast: Nickola Shreli, Stivi Paskoski, and Danijela Stajnfeld
Elvis Martini is in deep shit. His dilapidated Detroit apartment building is about to be foreclosed on by the bank, most of his tenants are behind on rent, and he’s in big debt to bookies in the dangerous Albanian underworld. The only light in his dark world is his nine-year-old daughter, Lena; he’s in debt to her school, too. Elvis finds some ill-gotten cash in an evicted tenant’s apartment and is able to briefly keeps the wolves at bay, but he soon learns that the money belonged to an even bigger wolf – one that wants his stolen money back.
When Lena is kidnapped by the mysterious menace he’s accidentally messed with, Elvis has 24 hours to come up with $25,000 to save his daughter's life: cash only.
"Cash Only" tells the story of Elvis who is in over his head in debt, he is the landlord of an apartment building that is falling apart and he is about to lose it to foreclosure. To make matters worse his tenants are not paying their rent and his daughter's school refuses to take her back because he is behind on the tuition. But things go from bad to worse when he evicts one of his renters and finds a bag full of money, at first he thinks it is the saving grace he was hoping for. He pays back a loan shark a big chunk of the money he owes him, he pays the bank to avoid foreclosure and goes by the school and pays the priest the tuition he owes so his daughter can return to school.
But things go south when he gets a phone call from someone who wants their stolen money back and then his daughter is kidnapped and they demand $25,000 if he wants his daughter back alive. Elvis does everything he can to come up with the cash including, borrowing, stealing and conning but will getting the money up be enough to save his daughter and even himself?
"Cash Only" starts off a bit slow while in introduces us to Elvis and the rest of the important characters in the film. It also lays out the story starting with the opening scene where we see a man running, he runs into his home looking desperate and even a bit scared. Then you see him catch his house on fire and run back to the bar only to find out that his wife came home early and was upstairs taking a nap, welcome to the world of Elvis. After that things never really get any better for him as he struggles to keep his apartment building and pay off another loan worth $10,000. We get to see him con, lie and do whatever else it takes to get by and take care of his daughter.
"Cash Only" is a Crime/Drama/Thriller, it is a gritty film that slowly builds on suspense as it moves along. Even though you know Elvis is a slum lord you still feel for him because he just can't seem to get out of the debt he is in no matter what he does. But you also know that he never does himself any favors either and before he knows it he finds out that his desperate actions have consequences.
This is an intense, and realistic thriller that will have you glued to the screen the entire time. The suspense and tension build as the story moves along and the climax takes it to another level. It is brutal, violent and awesome. By the time the credits began to roll I said to myself, "Wow, I really loved this film." A ton of credit must go out to Director, Malik Bader who did a fantastic job telling the story by Writer, Nickola Shreli who also stars in the film as Elvis. Shreli gives one of the most intense, realistic and impressive performances I have seen in a while. The rest of the cast did a great job as well including, Stivi Paskoski, and Danijela Stajnfeld. "Cash Only" is the kind of film that will have you slowly creeping to the edge of your seat as it moves along and it will also have you telling all your friends and family about it as well. I loved this film, it is thought-provoking and original, "Cash Only" hits Theaters and VOD May 13 and I cannot recommend checking it out enough. If you like a good Crime/Thriller then this is a must see.
Released by Filmbuff
**** Out Of *****