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Good Time
A flashy starring performance by Robert Pattinson not withstanding, 2017's Good Time is an overbaked action thriller that, after a promising start, loses all its momentum thanks to a confusing screenplay that's all over the place and some really unappealing characters.
Pattinson plays Constantine "Connie" Nikas, a criminal who has just robbed a bank with his mentally challenged brother Nick (co-director Benny Safdie), but Nick ends up in jail shortly after the robbery. Connie makes it his mission to get is brother out of jail but before her can, Nick gets in a fight in prison that gets him hospitalized. Connie goes to the hospital and sneaks into a hospital room being guarded by a uniformed officer and finds someone in the room handcuffed to the bed with bandages covering his face. Unfortunately, after getting out of the hospital, Connie realizes that he's kidnapped the wrong guy. Instead of his brother, he has snuck a psycho parolee named Ray (Buddy Duress) out of the hospital.
It's at this point where Safdie, along with his brother Josh go way off track because, for reasons that still have me scratching my head, instead of just letting the guy go and going back to the hospital to find his brother, Connie for some reason thinks he's linked to Ray and that letting the guy go would jeopardize himself and Nick. Connie actually takes a still unconscious Ray to the home of a stranger with a 16 year old granddaughter who Connie has sex with when a newscast comes on TV with a picture of him. Nice huh?
Yeah, there are really not nice or terribly bright people caught in a really messy situation that they just keep making worse with every move they make. I was also bothered by the fact that Connie didn't seem too concerned about his brother after he realized he had the wrong guy. It's not until the beginning of the third act that we see Connie calling the hospital to get an update on his brother's condition and when finally do see Nick again, it's like nothing we have been subjected ever happened, at least not in Ray's eyes.
The brothers Safdie definitely show definite promise as filmmakers. Their resume consists of a lot of shorts and documentaries, but they do display a flair with the camera here. It should also be noted that Benny Safdie, in addition to co-director and co-writing this film, also edited it, which I think is his strongest contribution to this film. Robert Pattinson is a real eye opener in the starring role. This was my first Robert Pattinson movie and, I won't lie, it was his performance that kept me invested in this mess. Buddy Duress also impresses as that nutburger Ray and Jennifer Jason Leigh is wasted in a glorified cameo, but unless you're a Pattinson fan or a fan of the Safdies, I'd give this one a pass.
A flashy starring performance by Robert Pattinson not withstanding, 2017's Good Time is an overbaked action thriller that, after a promising start, loses all its momentum thanks to a confusing screenplay that's all over the place and some really unappealing characters.
Pattinson plays Constantine "Connie" Nikas, a criminal who has just robbed a bank with his mentally challenged brother Nick (co-director Benny Safdie), but Nick ends up in jail shortly after the robbery. Connie makes it his mission to get is brother out of jail but before her can, Nick gets in a fight in prison that gets him hospitalized. Connie goes to the hospital and sneaks into a hospital room being guarded by a uniformed officer and finds someone in the room handcuffed to the bed with bandages covering his face. Unfortunately, after getting out of the hospital, Connie realizes that he's kidnapped the wrong guy. Instead of his brother, he has snuck a psycho parolee named Ray (Buddy Duress) out of the hospital.
It's at this point where Safdie, along with his brother Josh go way off track because, for reasons that still have me scratching my head, instead of just letting the guy go and going back to the hospital to find his brother, Connie for some reason thinks he's linked to Ray and that letting the guy go would jeopardize himself and Nick. Connie actually takes a still unconscious Ray to the home of a stranger with a 16 year old granddaughter who Connie has sex with when a newscast comes on TV with a picture of him. Nice huh?
Yeah, there are really not nice or terribly bright people caught in a really messy situation that they just keep making worse with every move they make. I was also bothered by the fact that Connie didn't seem too concerned about his brother after he realized he had the wrong guy. It's not until the beginning of the third act that we see Connie calling the hospital to get an update on his brother's condition and when finally do see Nick again, it's like nothing we have been subjected ever happened, at least not in Ray's eyes.
The brothers Safdie definitely show definite promise as filmmakers. Their resume consists of a lot of shorts and documentaries, but they do display a flair with the camera here. It should also be noted that Benny Safdie, in addition to co-director and co-writing this film, also edited it, which I think is his strongest contribution to this film. Robert Pattinson is a real eye opener in the starring role. This was my first Robert Pattinson movie and, I won't lie, it was his performance that kept me invested in this mess. Buddy Duress also impresses as that nutburger Ray and Jennifer Jason Leigh is wasted in a glorified cameo, but unless you're a Pattinson fan or a fan of the Safdies, I'd give this one a pass.