JR is a young guy on his first prison stretch, about to encounter harder, tougher, seasoned cons. He doesn't back down though, and this saves him short term but long term, drags him into more serious crime. He is mentored by Brendan who has JR play a pivotal role in his own escape. Brendan takes a shine to JR for reasons we never quite understand, but Brendan sporadically asserts his independence at various crucial junctures. McGregor is an odd fit in this role, more convincing as the philosophical mentor than as the hardened man of violence. The bromance between the two never quite reaches Donnie Brasco levels, part of an overall unevenness in tone. There is a brisk pace and a decent twist at the end. In short, worth watching, but basically an average heist movie and not much else.
Review of Son of a Gun
