| 77; 4 stars; A- | dir. Joshua Safdie, Ben Safdie | English | 99 min | M18 |
Two brothers, one mentally handicapped, rob a bank in New York City. The latter is caught and imprisoned, while the elder rushes to free him.
‘Good Time’, starring Robert Pattinson as Connie, the elder brother to Ben Safdie’s Nick, takes place in the span of one unrelenting night. Everything that can go wrong does. Connie is on the run from the police and in pursuit of cash to bail his brother out; Nick, however, altercates with an inmate over the television and sees himself hospitalised. Connie seeks out Corey (Jennifer Jason Leigh), his girlfriend, for cash, but her mother – the one with the credit cards – distrusts him.
Directed by the Safdie brothers, the crime thriller premiered in competition at Cannes, earning universal acclaim for its distinctive emphasis on its characters. Morality constantly rears its ugly head; do Connie’s noble intentions to rescue an innocent man justify his means of doing so? A bottle of pure LSD solution is forced down a character’s throat, and a teenage girl – complete stranger – is made witness to Connie’s selfish ways.
Robert Pattinson delivers a fine and quietly stunning performance, a far cry from his stint at ‘Twilight’. His character sprints, jumps, and worms his way around, latching onto any morsel of human compassion. Desperation washes over him, as every turn sees a new, unfamiliar face, an obstacle to be overcome, an innocence to be exploited.
The world in ‘Good Time’, a shadowy and gritty place, is brought to life by Sean Price Williams’ excellent and cold cinematography, its brilliant neon flashing by – a good comparison can be made to Martin Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver’. Oneohtrix Point Never, who scores the film, offers a searing kaleidoscope of notes, hums, and rhythms, culminating in a viciously moving song featuring Iggy Pop. It’s an exceptional genre film that deserves wider recognition.