The dangerously funny South African crime film – The Mail & Guardian

Clumsy crooks: Brothers Dovi (Emmanuel Castis, top left) and Justin (Carl Beukes) are randomly involved in a murder in The Shakedown. (Coco van Oppens)

The Shakedown, a crime comedy set in Cape Town, is Amazon Prime Video’s first-ever South African film.

“I’ve always loved the crime comedy genre,” writer and director Ari Kruger told the Mail & Guardian in an interview. “So it was a huge honour to be the first production company that Amazon approached to make a feature film. I’m eternally grateful that they greenlit this crazy project and that it exists now.”

Crime comedies like Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, the Coen Brothers’ films and recent Australian films have had a big influence on the tone and style of his project, Kruger adds.

“I’m also fascinated by the South African underworld, a treasure trove of absurd stories, larger-than-life characters and clumsy hits that go wrong,” he says. “I felt like there was an opportunity to explore the danger of our underworld through a more comedic lens and hopefully give audiences something fun and fresh.”

Shot over six weeks between June and July last year, The Shakedown is not only a stunning visual masterpiece, but also a dangerously funny film. The film revolves around a medical aid broker, Justin (Carl Beukes), who becomes entangled in the Cape Town underworld after his mistress threatens to expose the secret of their affair.

Just like his role in the 2010 comedy Jozi, it’s great to see Beukes’ easy-going ability to portray a feisty character on screen. In The Shakedown, we follow Justin on a series of hilarious misadventures to maintain his reputation as the golden boy.

For example, in the opening scene, plans are made to dismember a body to destroy evidence. To make up for his misdeeds, Justin looks for solutions on the streets with his little gangster brother Dovi (Emmanuel Castis).

Casting the two lead brothers was difficult but fruitful, Kruger tells me. “For Justin, I needed a lead who could do comedy and make an unlikable character likable. It was a huge win when Carl auditioned, and an even bigger win when I found out Carl and Emmanuel were old friends.

“They had a natural chemistry that they brought to the screen, and that was everything and more than I could have hoped for.”

To help his brother, Dovi enlists his idiotic henchmen duo Clinton and Mickey to perform the “shakedown.” A case of mistaken identity and barking up the wrong gangster pedigree, their plan provides viewers with a suspenseful and comedic experience.

Kruger says he previously shot a short film called Waiting for Goldman, which features the same characters: Mickey and Clinton.

“David Isaacs played Clinton, so I asked him back to play the part. When the original Mickey actor was no longer available, I offered the part to rapper Jack Parow, who I knew from directing some of his music videos and who I also thought was funny.” The role of Justin’s wife Natalie is played by Julia Anastasopoulos. In this film, Anastasopoulos shows a different acting range than her popular characters Suzelle and Tali.

“I cast Julia as Justin’s wife Natalie because not only is she my wife, she’s also one of the best comedic actresses in the country.”

The cast of South Africa’s greatest comedic talents includes Kurt Schoonraad and newcomer Berenice Barbier, who plays the role of mistress Marika.

Kruger co-wrote this film with his longtime friend and creative partner Daniel Zimbler, and their lenses and pens certainly offer viewers a thrill of idiot gangsters, gambling rabbis, frustrated wives and Boer mafiosi.

Award-winning production company Sketchbook Studios, co-founded by Kruger and Anastasopoulos, has created exciting content including the SuzelleDIY and Tali’s Diary series. While Cape Town’s storms last year presented the biggest challenge during filming, Kruger and the crew remained flexible and committed to the project. “Making episodic TV is much harder than making a feature film,” he explains. “The preparation that our previous work has given me has put me in a much stronger position to tackle my first feature film.”

Because the film was commissioned by a global streamer, Kruger says he received more financial backing than previous projects, making the process go remarkably smoothly.

“I’ve never had to film so many action scenes before, which meant I had to set aside time to prepare the actors and get the beats right.”

The intriguing script and high-quality cinematography have made The Shakedown popular both locally and internationally.

Amazon Prime Video launched its local service in Africa in August 2022. While Prime Video has a significant collection of South African films, Prime Video’s strategy for developing original local stories is somewhat vague.

Many filmmakers and viewers were surprised when the streamer suddenly announced in January of this year that it would stop funding the African and Middle Eastern markets, barely two years after the series launched.

Despite these challenges, Kruger is happy with the opportunities streaming platforms offer the local film and TV industry.

“There has never been a better time to make film and TV in South Africa. Streaming has opened the doors for South African filmmakers to make their work with bigger budgets and provides access to a global stage.

“There is also a greater openness among audiences globally to watching content from unexpected sources and I believe South Africa has a unique offering in our storytelling, characters and tone to compete on an international level.”

A hybrid genre, crime comedy combines the danger of crime genre and the hilarity of comedy with a few layers of dark humor. Viewers are captivated by the misadventures of dimwitted criminals who foolishly carry out serious criminal acts, often with comedic results.

The Shakedown ticks all the boxes. It nestles alongside other local events such as The Umbrella Men, Paradise Stop, Big Nunu’s Little Heist and Skeem. While it highlights universal themes such as marital infidelity, family relationships and promoting healthy lifestyles, it’s the Afrikaner mafia hues within a South African Jewish community that sets The Shakedown apart.

“I think our South African identity is our unique currency,” says Kruger, adding that historically, local audiences seem allergic to seeing ourselves on screen, but ironically, we also want to see ourselves represented.

“I think it’s a delicate balance of how we present ourselves that doesn’t feel too close to home or too jarring. I hope that with The Shakedown we’ve given audiences an entertaining way to experience our nuances, humor, and unique characters while staying within the safety of the genre.”

For international audiences, Kruger hopes not only that the film will intrigue, delight and surprise, but also that “the story will engage and entertain them as any other international film would.”