Peter (James Murray) is obsessed with documenting the lives of him and his mates, Mickey and Jez, on his semi-professional video rig. It's never clear how he came about this equipment, but in the end, he values it above all else. Sadly, it's this obsession that forces us, the audience, to view everything through the eyes of Peter's camera. So much so, that when watching the few moments that aren't a POV shot, I found myself horribly disoriented. I can't say if that's a good or a bad thing, but I'm leaning toward the latter. Peter obviously has some talent and could make some money recording people's weddings and other events, this situation makes for one of the film's best sequences, but I guess that would be too much like work for these lazy punters.

As is the case with many of these films, one of Peter's crew, Jez, finds himself on the wrong side of a local mobster, Eddie. It seems Jez has been smoking his instead of selling it and needs to make up the difference… fast. The gang tries to think of a way to get the money, from petty thieving to knocking over an armored car, until they eventually hit on the idea of making a low budget caper pic starring them and the denizens of their London warren. They immediately get Eddie's support for the idea by casting him as the villain, but the catch is that they need to try and secure a "real" actress for the film, to help insure that it'll be able to get sold to a distributor. Setting their sights on the lovely Crystal (Caprice Bourret), they scam their way into her life and then her into their film.

With all the pieces in place and some additional help from a local pornographer, Peter and company start shooting their film. It becomes obvious that no one they've cast can actually act and even their "real" actress isn't that good. Frustration soon sets in, and Peter realizes that casting an actual psychotic goon, Eddie, to play a psychotic goon wasn't such a good idea. Despondent over their failing endeavor, Eddie forces the gang to commit an actual robbery under the guise of "making a movie" bringing the already precarious house of cards these characters live in crashing down around them. The title, Nailing Vienna, refers to achieving the "mythical state of mind where hopes and dreams are fulfilled." Sadly, this movie is about as far from "Vienna" as you can get.

The DVD:

Picture: The film is presented in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and looks good, with a sharp, clear image and no grain present. DV can either look great, or terrible, and this is somewhere in the middle, primarily due to its handheld, POV style.

Audio: The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track sounds fine, as the soundtrack consists almost primarily of dialogue with little to no music present.

Extras: There are no Extra Features included on this DVD.

Conclusion: I know I said in the first paragraph that Nailing Vienna was somewhat enjoyable and, as such, I will stand by that assessment. James Murray is great as Peter and really serves as the glue that holds the whole thing together. There are a few scenes that really gel and give you a sense of what director, English, was going for. Unfortunately, his choice of an almost entirely first-person style is more alienating than ingratiating and serves only to jar and jostle the viewer throughout. Still, if you're a fan of Trainspotting or Snatch and just need to fill your craving for "Britsta," than Nailing Vienna is a worthwhile Rental.