jmovies
Let's Call It A Bromance
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:22 pm Posts: 12333
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Son of a Gun
Son of a GunQuote: Son of a Gun is a 2014 Australian crime thriller film written and directed by Julius Avery. The film stars Brenton Thwaites, Ewan McGregor and, in supporting roles, Alicia Vikander and Jacek Koman.
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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Re: Son of a Gun
At the start of a six-month prison sentence for a minor crime, eager youth J. R. (Brenton Thwaites) catches the eye of notorious veteran thief Brendan (Ewan McGregor). Upon J. R.'s release, he becomes Brendan's right-hand man and presence on the outside. He is introduced to a dangerous, intricate criminal underworld and must rapidly toughen and evolve to stay a step ahead. Son of a Gun is a solid, straightforward, and largely satisfying crime drama out of Australia, playing as a streamlined and more audience-friendly relative to such masterful tales of violence Down Under as Animal Kingdom and The Snowtown Murders. Nothing in his arsenal is revolutionary in regard to either form or content, but first-time feature director Julius Avery stages the various chases and confrontations with a pleasing muscularity and verve, and he delivers a rewarding character role to McGregor. The Scot, always welcome and interesting, plays Brendan as two-thirds charismatic, one-third ferocious and mercurial. Alas, there are a few bumps and misplayed notes along the way, mostly in the form of strained writing. There is, for instance, a burdensome metaphor involving chess. The point is clear: the life of a criminal is a type of game, consisting of moves, counter moves, and strategic sacrifices. But consciously literary chess-as-life philosophizing never rings true among these hard-bodied, sweating, tattooed, profane thugs.
B
_________________1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67039
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Son of a Gun
Really good. Kurzel does a great job with the score to make it more than your standard action film. Ewan McGregor gives a commanding and aggressive performance. I didn't really buy the romance between JR and Tasha. Nor the counter-cross. But it was still an enjoyable Aussie shot at a heist thriller. It's all tattoos, armed robberies, in desolate, industrial Australia. And Vikander is smoking.
B+
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