Son of a Gun's most fatal flaw is that for the first fifteen minutes the movie is so promising and expectations are built so high that every subsequent scene feels more and more like a slap in the face. The prison scenes are without a doubt the gem to be found in this movie, and I wish that the movie had ended there. Unfortunately, a bigger plot is required to fit the running time, and so, things start their nose dive into tedium and cringe-worthy dialogue.
A useless love interest used only as a plot device for 2 points in the movie (that could have been handled so much better) is thrown our way the moment we're out of prison and is, without a doubt, the worst part of the film. Characters are introduced, developed and dumped just as suddenly as they appeared without trying to explain what happened to them. The further in the movie goes, the more scenes move fluidly into each other without giving weight to anything that is said or done. By the end, I felt like the director had suddenly realised how much time he had wasted with the elongated romance scenes and provided a storyboard of ideas for what should happen next, expecting the audience to come up with all the juicy, tense or action packed scenes that should have happened in between. Perhaps a series was intended to explain the greater significance and links of all the picked up and dropped characters, such as the woman the mob is supporting for election.
There are a few scenes to watch out for once the 'plot' gets going. A scene where JR is sitting in front of the safe house holding a water pistol is a nice, silent scene which seems to have accidentally spilled over from a more symbolic, slow boiling movie following a young kid getting involved with some serious robbers – such as Animal Kingdom. The start of the robbery also gives a few treats, if only there wasn't a requirement to sit through everything before and after.
Ewan McGregor as Brendan provides a solid performance until he finds himself floundering in the water, where his character's actions seem unfounded by the scenes that proceeded it. Brenton Thwaites is admirable for his attempts to pull off JR, however, handicapped with tacky dialogue, particularly any time Alicia Vikander's Tasha appears, he ends up looking like the kid criminal that belongs in a daytime soap opera. The supporting cast of crooks varies from acceptable to good, with a particular nod to Matt Nable as Brendan's partner in crime, Sterlo. However, something is desperately wrong with our main character, Tasha, when the blink and you miss them performances of Damon Herriman and Mick Innes provide more interesting and endearing characters.
So much more could have been done with this movie, starting with removing the love interest and ending with giving the audience any form of catharsis for any scene in the final half hour. All the stars I can give this movie are for the spellbinding opening and a few swell performances. Perhaps in a few more years Julius Avery will provide us with a tight (action) thriller possessing all the greatness that he teased us with in Son of a Gun.
A useless love interest used only as a plot device for 2 points in the movie (that could have been handled so much better) is thrown our way the moment we're out of prison and is, without a doubt, the worst part of the film. Characters are introduced, developed and dumped just as suddenly as they appeared without trying to explain what happened to them. The further in the movie goes, the more scenes move fluidly into each other without giving weight to anything that is said or done. By the end, I felt like the director had suddenly realised how much time he had wasted with the elongated romance scenes and provided a storyboard of ideas for what should happen next, expecting the audience to come up with all the juicy, tense or action packed scenes that should have happened in between. Perhaps a series was intended to explain the greater significance and links of all the picked up and dropped characters, such as the woman the mob is supporting for election.
There are a few scenes to watch out for once the 'plot' gets going. A scene where JR is sitting in front of the safe house holding a water pistol is a nice, silent scene which seems to have accidentally spilled over from a more symbolic, slow boiling movie following a young kid getting involved with some serious robbers – such as Animal Kingdom. The start of the robbery also gives a few treats, if only there wasn't a requirement to sit through everything before and after.
Ewan McGregor as Brendan provides a solid performance until he finds himself floundering in the water, where his character's actions seem unfounded by the scenes that proceeded it. Brenton Thwaites is admirable for his attempts to pull off JR, however, handicapped with tacky dialogue, particularly any time Alicia Vikander's Tasha appears, he ends up looking like the kid criminal that belongs in a daytime soap opera. The supporting cast of crooks varies from acceptable to good, with a particular nod to Matt Nable as Brendan's partner in crime, Sterlo. However, something is desperately wrong with our main character, Tasha, when the blink and you miss them performances of Damon Herriman and Mick Innes provide more interesting and endearing characters.
So much more could have been done with this movie, starting with removing the love interest and ending with giving the audience any form of catharsis for any scene in the final half hour. All the stars I can give this movie are for the spellbinding opening and a few swell performances. Perhaps in a few more years Julius Avery will provide us with a tight (action) thriller possessing all the greatness that he teased us with in Son of a Gun.