Tag: 2018

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Movie Review

I Like Me (2018) Movie Review

Director: Joshua Land

Writer: Abby Sussman, Joshua Land (Screenplay) Ben Cagan, Abby Sussman, Joshua Land (Story)

Starring: Sue Schaffel, Anna Fagan, Chris Kozlowski, Jackson Trent, Alex Palting, Jonathan Helwig, Melissa Robinson, Mindy Shaw

Plot: In the midst of family tensions, an egocentric free spirit who hits rock bottom finds unexpected success as a self-empowerment guru after publishing a self-help book.


Tagline – Discover the positivi-me in your life!

Runtime: 1 Hour 23 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Motivation Based Comedy

Story: I Like Me starts with Maggie (Schaffel) and her sister Hannah (Fagan) father’s funeral, where Maggie has returned to town along with her reckless behaviour, not thinking before talking and drinking habits, turns to Hannah for a place to stay, where things only continue to see the tension grow between the sisters.

When Maggie learns Hannah is reading self-help books, she decides to read them and write her own, which makes her an overnight sensation with her books popularity going viral, but now she needs to start putting her own life back together.

Thoughts on I Like Me

Characters – Maggie is a free spirit that has spent most of her life being carefree, she returns home for her father’s funeral where she invites herself to stay with her half-sister, Maggie will drink too much and cause constant stress in her sister’s life, while not even getting a conversation out of her son. She writes a self-help book that makes her a big star, which offers her a chance to help people, but she struggles to deal with her own problems in life. Hannah is the younger half-sister of Maggie, she is married and looking for a promotion at work, she has her life pretty much together, until Maggie arrives in her life and things start to go wrong. Luke is Hannah’s husband that is still feeling young heart being a fan of disco bowling. Michael is the son of Maggie’s, the person she most wants back in her life, but he keeps his distance from her.

Performances – Sue Schaffel and Anna Fagan take the leading roles, they show us great chemistry through the film as they both have to show the ups and downs of their lives. Chris Kozlowski will get most of the laughs in the film.

Story – The story here follows a free spirit that returns to her home town, where she tries to put her life back together with her self-help book making her an internet sensation, but can she fix her own life before it is too late. This is a story that does focus on the idea that people will need help in everybody life, people might turn to books, but in reality it will always be yourself that helps the most. We do see how people can go off the rails and will try to find their own directions, while we will also people that seem to be grounded, but lack direction. We do get the important messages here and by the end of the film you will understand the meaning behind everything in the story.

Comedy – The comedy in the film comes from Maggie’s action and a lot comes from Luke just trying to be a good husband without ever siding with anybody.

Settings – The film keeps the settings simple enough being everyday home locations, until we go to the disco bowling which adds the colour and fun to the life of the characters.


Scene of the Movie – Disco bowling.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – There could have been more on Maggie’s childhood, like was she raised with Hannah, who was her mother.

Final Thoughts – This is a fun comedy that does have a life message involved, it will get the laughs and has strong performances throughout.

Overall: Fun comedy.

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Movie Review

Wild Rose (2018) Movie Review

Director: Tom Harper

Writer: Nicole Taylor (Screenplay)

Starring: Jessie Buckley, Julie Walters, Sophie Okonedo, Jamie Sives, Craig Parkinson, James Harkness, Janey Godley, Daisy Littlefield

Plot: A troubled young Glaswegian woman dreams of becoming a Nashville country star.

Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Beautifully Charming Movie

Story: Wild Rose starts when Rose-Lynn (Buckley) is released from prison returning to her home with her mother Marion (Walters) and her kids Lyle (Mitchell) and Wynonna (Littlefield), Rose-Lynn wants to continues her dream of chasing to become a country singing star, even though her mother doesn’t want to see her not making the money to support her children.

With Rose-Lynn needing to get a job, she ends up being a cleaner for businesswoman Susannah (Okonedo) whose children hear her sing, Susannah pushes Rose-Lynn to record something, which will leave Rose-Lynn in the toughest decision of her life, chase her dreams, or raise her children.

Thoughts on Wild Rose

Characters – Rose-Lynn has just come out of prison after a year, she has always dreamed of being a country singer, she has the talent to perform, which is never going to be questioned, though she is to take life more seriously because of her two young children, she must find a job, which she does as a cleaner, which opens a massive opportunity for her dream. Rose-Lynn has a way of not giving everybody the truth about her life, which sees her using people to either help her career or look after her kids, that she isn’t prepared for. Marion is Rose-Lynn’s mother that had to raise the children while she was in jail, she has tried to support her daughter and would do anything for her grandchildren, though she just wants her daughter to do something responsible with her life. Susannah is the businesswoman that has Rose-Lynn as a cleaner, she pushes her to follow her dream, even using her connections to give her a big opportunity in her life, though she doesn’t learn everything about Rose-Lynn’s past. To complete the cast we have the children that Rose-Lynn doesn’t give the most amount of time too as well as certain people that don’t learn everything about the past.

Performances – Jessie Buckley is fantastic in this leading role, playing a role that isn’t always the most likeable, but once she gets free to sing, you will become mesmerized by her performance. Julie Walters is one of Britain’s best actresses, she shines in the supporting role throughout the film, showing every emotion required through her facial expressions. Sophie Okonedo in the supporting role is great to watch too, as are the whole cast in the film.

Story – The story here follows a Scottish country singer fresh out of prison, where she wants to put her life back on track, only she needs to learn what is the most important part of her life, her music or her children. This is a story that is about being able to balance the chasing of dreams with the reality of life, learning to find a balance that can make you enjoy your passion, without giving up on your family, trying to get back on your feet after a stupid mistake. This does have the traditional feeling you will get when you see somebody needing to face this decision, you know there is always a chance for greatness, while it could be just waiting to happen, you must chase a dream. We do get to see how life can find a way for you whether you are from the bottom or starting at the top.

Music – The music in the film is the country sound that Rose-Lynn enjoys listening to and performing.

Settings – The film is mostly set in and around Glasgow, this does show us the tougher everyday life that Rose-Lynn was raised in and where she wants to be, the places which have given her a chance to perform.


Scene of the Movie – Glasgow song.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Rose-Lynn is selfish character at times.

Final Thoughts – This is a delightful movie that shows us just how much dreams and reality need to be balanced to never give up on either, with a stunning performance from Jessie Buckley.

Overall: Wonderful movie.

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Movie Review

In Darkness (2018)

Director: Anthony Byrne

Writer: Anthony Byrne, Natalie Dormer (Screenplay)

Starring: Natalie Dormer, Emily Ratajkowski, Ed Skrein, James Cosmo, Joely Richardson, Neil Maskell

 

Plot: A blind musician hears a murder committed in the apartment upstairs from hers that sends her down a dark path into London’s gritty criminal underworld.


Tagline – Fear Blinds the Truth

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Overly Complicated Thriller

 

Story: In Darkness starts blind pianist Sofia (Dormer) starts getting worried about her neighbour Veronique (Ratajkowski) who eventually gets murdered by Marc (Skrein) who sees that Sofia on the night he commits the murder, worried she could expose him, he starts to get close to her learning that she is blind and that she isn’t a threat.

Sofia does have her own secret though which dives into a much bigger conspiracy as to what is going on within the main suspects, will the truth come out or not.

 

Thoughts on In Darkness

 

Characters – Sofia is a blind pianist that makes the best of the surrounding sounds which is why she is so respected in the music industry, she hears the murder of her upstairs neighbour which leads her down a spiral of conspiracies which she is just as involved in. Veronique is the upstairs neighbour that has been worried about her life, she does stay honest with Sofia though, until she gets murdered, which sees her connection to everyone being the key to everything. Marc is the man that is sent to kill Veronique, he needs to tie up the loose ends which sees him starting to target Sofia until he learns her position in everything. Niall is the connection that Sofia has to her past, he will help where he can always willing to help her.

Performances – Natalie Dormer does a great job in when it comes to the blind side of her character, it is when it comes to certain other sides, things start to show the weaker side of her performance. Emily Ratajkowski struggles like she always does in acting, while Ed Skrein and James Cosmo do as well as they can with their roles in the film.

Story – The story here follows a blind woman that hears a murder only to find herself in the middle of a bigger conspiracy going on with the people involved in connection with the victim. The story plays out like a thriller that wants to be bigger than it actually is capable of being, trying to through in a twist in nearly every scene which just seems to make it out that the people involved here are a lot more trained and skilled than they are portrayed for the opening parts of the film. if we had just played most of this straight, we might have gotten away with certain twists along the way, but in the end we just try to over complicate for the sake of it.

Mystery – The mystery in the film seems like it gets revealed early on, it is more why it happened, which does try to keep us guessing only to keep throwing more twists in along the way.

Settings – The film is set in London, which barely gets used to make an impact in the locations used.


Scene of the Movie – The funeral.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Too many twists in the story.

Final Thoughts – This is a mystery thriller that just makes things more complicated than it needs to be, this format would have played out better in a television series over a film.

 

Overall: Here is a twist, there is a twist, everywhere there is a twist.

Rating

 

 

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Movie Review

Eaten by Lions (2018)

Director: Jason Wingard

Writer: David Isaac, Jason Wingard (Screenplay)

Starring: Antonio Aakeel, Jack Carroll, Asim Chandhry, Johnny Vegas, Vicki Pepperdine, Kevin Eldon, Sarah Hoare, Nitin Ganatra

Plot: When Pete and Omar lose their beloved Gran they go in search of Omar’s estranged father, confronting him on the day of his daughters engagement party.


Tagline – Two boys…three dads

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Enjoyable Comedy

Story: Eaten by Lions starts as we follow half-brothers Omar (Aakeel) and Pete (Carroll) who have just moved into a new foster home after their Gran passes away, asking that they both look after each other. Omar wants to go in search of his real father, which Pete isn’t going to let him do alone.

The boys head to Blackpool where Omar’s estranged father is meant to live confronting him at his daughter’s engagement party, Malik (Ganatra) only to learn that it his brother Irfan (Chaudhry) is the father and he isn’t ready to be one.

Thoughts on Eaten by Lions

Characters – Omar decides to go in search for his real father after his grandmother passes away, he learns that he is the son of a rebellious member of a big Indian family and does everything he can to help Pete through the days. Pete is the half-brother of Omar, they were raised together, he doesn’t let his disability get in his way and is happy to talk he way through each situation he finds himself. Irfan is the father of Omar, he is a laidback man that isn’t ready to be a father and only shows himself to be a bad example to the boys. The rest of the characters we meet are the family that Omar is sudden thrown into and the friendly local that helps the boys out when they need help.

Performances – Antonio Aakeel does give us the reserved performance needed for his character being the straight-talking shy of the two brothers. Jack Carroll gets nearly all the laugh through his confident character, the two show excellent chemistry together. Asim Chaudhry gets laughs too showing us how he can play this role for laughs.

Story – The story follows two half-brothers raised together and with different father with different culture backgrounds that decide to go in search for one of their real fathers, this sees them heading to Blackpool and meet his father and testing his loyalty to his half-brother. This does show how brothers can come from different parents and will always be there for them, you true family will always be willing to let you in and moving on from losing a parental figure can become very difficult. The way this story is told does give us plenty of laughs and gives both boys an adventure.

Comedy – The comedy in the film does get plenty of laughs with Pete and Irfan getting most of the laughs through the film.

Settings – The film is mostly set in Blackpool, which does give us a chance to see the iconic boardwalk and tower.


Scene of the Movie – The party.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The awkward racism from the foster parents.

Final Thoughts – This is a delightfully entertaining comedy that could be enjoyed by all and shows how cultures can clash with ease.

Overall: Fun and entertaining.

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Movie Review

Night School (2018)

Director: Malcolm D Lee

Writer: Kevin Hart, Harry Ratchford, Joey Wells, Matthew Kellard, Nicholas Stroller, John Hamburg (Screenplay)

Starring: Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Rob Riggle, Romany Malco, Taran Killam, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Al Madrigal, Mary Lynn Rajskub

Plot: A group of high school dropouts are forced to attend night school in hope that they’ll pass the GED exam to finish high school.

Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Just a Stand-Up Comedy Film

Story: Night School starts when high school dropout Teddy (Hart) sees his future go up in smoke right after proposing to his beautiful successful girlfriend Lisa (Echikunwoke) seeing his job vanish and his future employment needing a GED, this forces Teddy to return to high school for a night school.

The former class enemy is now the principal Stewart (Killam) and doesn’t want Teddy in the class, he must prove to the teacher Carrie (Haddish) that he wants to study, while keeping his struggles a secret from Lisa, which sees him becoming friends with the rest of the class to pass.

Thoughts on Night School

Characters – Teddy has been working in sales working off each pay check to look like he has been living a better life, he has a successful beautiful girlfriend, his life changes when he career goes up in smoke and his failure to complete high school is holding him back in searching for a new job. He tries night school, which sees him needing to challenge himself instead of trying to get through quickly. Carrie is a teacher of the night school, she doesn’t take anything from any student, though she is committed to helping people learn. Even if her methods might finally get through to Teddy. Mackenzie and Jaylen are two of the members of the class that are trying to get their education too, with their own stories.

Performances – Kevin Hart does fall back into his normal routine where he tries to throw more of his comedy into a role, rather than showing us a real character, with real problems that should be taken a lot more seriously. Tiffany Haddish continues to show she is great at the fast-taking jokes, but this doesn’t work for the character. The supporting performance are all mostly comedians trying to get their jokes out too.

Story – The story follows a high school dropout that needs to get his GED so he can find a new job to continue living his life of luxury and keep his girlfriend, only this becomes more difficult than he could ever imagine. This is a poorly used story which could address a much bigger issue in education, where the students can suffer with learning disabilities and not get the help needed, it seems to focus on making a joke out of trying to better yourself instead of using the real issues that are meant to be giving these people more of a chance in the future. Even though it might not use this in the final part of the film, it also tries to paint the idea that you could only have a beautiful partner if you are successful. By showing education being a joke for Teddy it doesn’t help anybody that has ever struggled with education before and in the end this does just feel like a stand up routine instead of an actual story.

Comedy – If you want to see fast flowing jokes which feels more like a stand-up routine so if you like that you will get on with this film.

Settings – The film does use the high school settings to show where the learning was coming from and the low paying job that Teddy must take just to make ends meet.


Scene of the Movie – Graduation.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The comedy.

Final Thoughts – This is a comedy that just misses on the fact the story should be taken a lot more seriously, sadly this could have elevated this film to a new level.

Overall: Unfunny comedy.

Rating

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Movie Review

The Bromley Boys (2018)

Director: Steve Kelly

Writer: Warren Dudley (Screenplay)

Starring: Brenock O’Connor, Jamie Foreman, Alan Davies, Martine McCutcheon, Savannah Baker, TJ Herbert, Mark Dymond

Plot: A boy, a girl, and the worst football team in Britain. You can’t choose who you’re going to fall in love with.


Tagline – It only takes 90 minutes to fall in love

Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Warm Fuzzy Feeling Film

Story: The Bromley Boys starts in 1969 three years after England won the World Cup, David Roberts (O’Connor) had wanted to support the popular teams of either West Ham or Tottenham, but his father Donald (Davies) has banned football in the house, leading to his mother Gertrude (McCutcheon) sneaking him a scarf of his local team Bromley.

This season is going to be David’s biggest as he learns about the corruption from the chairman Charlie McQueen (Foreman) and the potential sale of the club’s best player. David also meets Ruby (Baker) the daughter of the chairman that is the only girl that talks to him as he experiences love for the first time.

Thoughts on The Bromley Boys

Characters – David Roberts is a teenage boy that got dreams of being a footballer after seeing England win the World Cup in 1966, he is forced to support his local team, a small team with a tiny fanbase, he becomes a loyal fan and during the 1969 season he must figure out prove the chairman is out to ruin the club as they constantly struggle on the pitch. Ruby McQueen is the daughter of the chairman that starts dating David, she wants a normal relationship but often has to play second fiddle to his love of football. Charlie McQueen is the greedy chairman of Bromley, the fans and manager believe he is trying to put them out of business, which reflects on how David tries to expose his truth. Gertrude and Donald are David’s parents that are trying to give him the best future even if they don’t like him enjoy football.

Performances – Brenock O’Connor is delightful in the leading role showing us just how obsessed teenager can become when it comes to sports. Savannah Baker is great as the love interest who is looking for a future. Jamie Foreman looks all the part of a corrupt chairman through the film, with Alan Davies and Martine McCutcheon showing they have the star power from the English side.

Story – The story here follows a teenage football fan of his local team that starts to see things putting his beloved club in trouble after overhearing a conversation, he tries to fix things during the season just to make sure his team will be their next season. As a football fan this is one of the easiest films to relate to, seeing the ups, well downs more than often in this film, we can see how footballs can see their lives taken over by the season, it is even worse in modern day too, we do also have the important message about trying to support your local team instead of one of the more established teams that friends support. This is based on a trouble story which apart from the romantic angle does feel like it could have been real, but also the tales told from the tiny crowds to get buzz around their club. This is a story that is going to be one that the English market will enjoy the most.

Comedy – You will get plenty of laughs in this film, a lot comes from the love of football and seeing just how much it can change a life.

Settings – The film is set in and around the small town of Bromley, we spend plenty of time at the club, which helps us understand what this meant to David.


Scene of the Movie – The last game of the season.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The teachers seem very harsh.

Final Thoughts – This is an enjoyable British comedy, one that the English will enjoy most and one we can understand the passion behind supporting the team.

Overall: Truly fun and feel good film.

Rating

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Movie Review

The Clovehitch Killer (2018)

Director: Duncan Skiles

Writer: Christopher Ford (Screenplay)

Starring: Dylan McDermott, Charlie Plummer, Samantha Mathis, Madisen Beaty, Brenna Sherman, Lance Chantiles-Wertz, Emma Jones

 

Plot: A picture-perfect family is shattered when the work of a serial killer hits too close to home. Dylan McDermott stars in this chilling portrait of all-American evil.


Tagline – Every family, every man, has a secret.

Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Nice Spin on the Serial Killer Movie

 

Story: The Clovehitch Killer starts as we head to a small town that has been living in the shadow of a serial killer branded Clovehitch because of his style of knot. We meet the picture-perfect family with Don (McDermott), Tyler (Plummer), Susie (Sherman) and Cindy (Mathis) who go to church every week.

When Tyler discovers a photo in his father’s car, he starts to think the killer could be closer to home than he first thought, he turns to the local Kassi (Beaty) who has been studying the killer for years to see if his father could be the town’s serial killer.

 

Thoughts on The Clovehitch Killer

 

Characters – Don is the father of the family, he has always helped his son with his boy scout assignments including knot tying, he helps around the neighbourhood too with his time in the church. He is hiding a secret that his son starts to figure out and does what he can to keep this from the rest of the world, Don is created in the same light as what we saw The Trinity Killer in Dexter. Tyler is the son that starts to think his father is the serial killer that scared the town, he tries to investigate which only makes things more difficult to one believe the truth and two keep a secret from his father. Cindy is the wife of Don, she is involved in the church believing they are living a happy life. Kassi is the estranged teenager in the town, she is considered an outsider because if her search for the Clovehitch killer, she is the one that Tyler turns to for help.

Performances – Dylan McDermott does give us a very disturbing performance which shows us just how easily a serial killer could operate in this world. Charlie Plummer gives us a strong performance as 2018 year was a fantastic year for him. Samantha Mathis is here and doesn’t get that much to do in the film, while Madisen Beaty brings the investigation figure to life well through the film.

Story – The story here follows a teenager that starts to believe his father is the town’s serial killer and starts investigating whether this is true or not. This is an interesting spin on the serial killer film, we do go down the line that Dexter had with the character which is all good because we see how one operates and manages to keep things secret from their family. The idea that the son is trying to learn the truth keeps us on edge, but seeing the action unfolding we get an intense story that manages to keep nearly everything calm through the events of the film.

Horror/Mystery – The horror follows the idea of a serial killer being in the family, it gets to show us how they can seem like they are everyday people which only makes the serial killer coming off worse. The mystery of the film follows whether he is the killer or not, well it is meant to, only for it to give away everything way to early.

Settings – The film uses the small town settings to make us believe just how the town has been in fear since the serial killer, it shows how one could operate without being looked at differently.

Special Effects – The effects in the film are very simple, we get to see just how he does the kills, only we don’t need to see anything graphic.


Scene of the Movie – The newest victim.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It could have been slightly more mysterious or just given us that he is a killer early on, it just doesn’t commit either side.

Final Thoughts – This is a horror film that does take things in new direction which keeps us on edge even if it does miss a chance to commit to one side of the film.

 

Overall: Serial killer film with a twist.

Rating

 

 

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Movie Review

Prospect (2018)

Director: Christopher Caldwell, Zeek Earl

Writer: Christopher Caldwell, Zeek Earl (Screenplay)

Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Jay Duplass, Pedro Pascal, Luke Pitzrick, Arthur Deranleau, Andre Royo, Alex McCauley

 

Plot: A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote alien moon, aiming to strike it rich. They’ve secured a contract to harvest a large deposit of the elusive gems hidden in the depths of the moon’s toxic forest. But there are others roving the wilderness and the job quickly devolves into a fight to survive. Forced to contend not only with the forest’s other ruthless inhabitants, but with her own father’s greed-addled judgment, the girl finds she must carve her own path to escape.


Tagline – No One Survives Alone

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Slow Paced

 

Story: Prospect starts when a father Damon (Duplass) and his daughter Cee (Thatcher) are travelling through space, looking to make a big discovery, thrown off path they land on an alien moon, setting out to explore the area.

When the pair run into Ezra (Pascal) another prospector on the moon, things turn to deals with the tension amped up to see who will leave the moon with the treasure on the moon, or whether leaving is a better option and soon they will learn of the other dangers on the moon.

 

Thoughts on Prospect

 

Characters – Cee is the teenager girl that has been travelling through space with her father, she does want to make a place her home, always wondering if she can get home, she must work with her father and a stranger to survive her time on this latest moon, proving she is ready to step up to do the more difficult tasks in life. Damon is Cee’s father, he has been searching space for valuable treasures so he can get out of this desperate lifestyle, his greed is his biggest weakness. Ezra is a stranger that the two run into, he is after the same thing and must earn their trust to survive and trust them to get survive the threats the moon has to offer.

Performances – Sophie Thatcher as the teenager does everything she can in her role, she doesn’t get to shine on the levels she could, but this falls back into the writing, Jay Duplass really doesn’t get the time to make an impact in this film, while Pedro Pascal is the highlight of the acting, because he must carry large parts of the dialogue in the film.

Story – The story follows a father and daughter prospector pairing that land on a new moon in search for their own richest only to find themselves in a battle to survive against rivals and the moon itself. This story is easily borrowing the idea of the early days of prospectors around the world, people that travelled great distances in hope of becoming rich, we get to see what is more important, riches or family, all in a position which has threats around every corner. The weakness of this story comes from the idea that moon is dangerous, though we only get environmental issues, with all the other problems being human, it would also have been nice to understand just how big the travelling is in this universe, we just casually follow on ship, is this one of the absolute poorest, is Earth uninhabitable now, there are so many questions about the universe we are entering that feel unanswered.

Sci-Fi – The sci-fi side of the film does just seem to be the characters wearing helmets, we barely get anything that makes this as ambitious as it could be.

Settings – The settings are beautiful though, the opening spaces, the closed woodland, yes it could easily be anywhere on Earth, but the visuals make this look like an alien moon in every shot.

Special Effects – The effects are used to add environment to the moon, but outside of this for a space based movie, we get very little to work with.


Scene of the Movie – First exploring of the moon.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is very slow.

Final Thoughts – This is one of the films that could have been a lot more interesting that we get, the pacing of the film does hold everything up and the fact we don’t learn more about the universe doesn’t help us understand just what is going on.

 

Overall: Keep searching for the treasure.

Rating

 

 

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Crime – # – 22 Chaser (2018)

Director: Rafal Sokolowski

Writer: Jeremy Boxen (Screenplay)

Starring: Brian J Smith, Kaniehtiio Horn, Raoul Max Trujillo, Aaron Ashmore

 

Plot: One of the city’s last decent tow truck drivers risks everything on a desperate quest to become king of the road and provide for his struggling family.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Slow Burner

 

Story: 22 Chaser starts as we meet Ben (Smith) a tow truck driver who has been struggling to keep everything together with his family and with friendly rivalries in the field with the like of Wayne (Trujillo) and Sean (Ashmore) who offer him the advice he needs.

When his company gets a big break he must make the decision to continue to work for the company even if it means he must pay upfront it should bring more money back at the end, while his wife Avery (Horn) trying to get into cookery school. We are left to see just how far he will go.

 

Thoughts on 22 Chaser

 

Characters – Ben is an honest hard-working tow truck driver, he does the right thing for the injured people on accident sites which often loses him the tows. He is struggling with money back home which is putting a strain on his marriage and on this one night he will go for broke to make his son’s birthday special. Avery is Ben’s wife who is being strong around their son, trying to push Ben into a better life for them both. The rest of the characters we meet a different people in the tow truck business, we see how they operate both sides of the law.

Performances – Brian J Smith in the leading role shows how desperate side to his character, we feel how much he needs his break from this world and life. When we dive into the rest of the cast each performer is good without taking the spotlight off Brian.

Story – The story here focuses on a tow truck driver that needs to learn the reality of the game he is in, while trying to support his family, it is strange that we can compare this to ‘Nightcrawler’ when talking about the story because it shows us one man that gets deeper into a field that has darker sides about it becoming everything he doesn’t want to be to make sure his wife and child are supported. It does show how hard working people are often over looked until they show a meaner side. This isn’t the deepest and stories and does have a slow pace about it for the most part which can bring it down at times.

Crime – The crime side of the film shows us how Ben can fall into the wrong side of the law when it comes to making the right decisions about what is happening with accidents, he doesn’t cause them and the competition can become fierce.

Settings – The film keeps us in a big city, this gives us enough reason for traffic accidents to happen and shows us who the people cleaning them up are.


Scene of the Movie – The race to the accident.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The pacing is very slow early on.

Final Thoughts – This is a solid enough movie that does get to put us in the world of tow trucks, showing the competition between drivers for jobs and how good guys might not always be first on call.

 

Overall: Slow but interesting crime drama.

Rating