Directed by:
Julius AveryScreenplay:
Julius AveryCinematography:
Nigel BluckComposer:
Jed KurzelCast:
Brenton Thwaites, Ewan McGregor, Alicia Vikander, Matt Nable, Damon Herriman, Jacek Koman, Nash Edgerton, Tom Budge, Ben Weirheim, Jesse McGinn, Troy Coward (more)Plots(1)
In the criminal world, life is like a game of chess. To gain control, you have to stay a few moves ahead of your opponent. Lose that control, and you risk becoming a pawn in their very dangerous game.
During a six-month stint inside a West Australian prison, rookie criminal JR (BRENTON THWAITES) meets the smart and enigmatic Brendan Lynch (EWAN McGREGOR). In exchange for protection on the inside, JR agrees to help Brendan get outside, hooking up with the influential Sam Lennox (JACEK KOMAN) to orchestrate a daring prison escape that frees Brendan, and inmates Sterlo (MATT NABLE) and Merv (EDDIE BAROO).
JR is rewarded for his efforts, and with a taste of the high life and flirtations with Sam's beautiful girl Tasha (ALICIA VIKANDER), he gets sucked deeper into Brendan's criminal world. But whose game is he playing?
Becoming a father-like mentor to JR, Brendan convinces him to join on another high stakes job – robbing a Kalgoorlie gold mine. But with millions of dollars at stake, it's hard to tell whom JR can trust, and whose side each player is actually on. And with his feelings for Tasha increasing, and his faith in Brendan decreasing, JR must figure out his next move... before its check, mate.
(A24)
Reviews (4)
I was surprised to see an Australian director cast a Scot and a Swede for the main parts. All the while he had plenty to choose from in his home Australia and he wouldn’t have to go this far beyond seas, oceans, and seven hills. But okay… I will accept it. It is true that the actors are on the positive side of what this movie can offer. Ewan McGregor, Alicia Vikander, and Brenton Thwaites really did wonders here. But they did wonders while acting out a story that is, unfortunately, an average modern-day gangster movie. It tells a simple story in a too simple way. It doesn’t explain why a young lad who stole a Twix somewhere ended up with the worst murderers of Australia. It also doesn’t explain why the same lad was so bewitched by one goon. And the overly happy finale also didn’t really help. Considering how well the movie was shot, the story is way too easy and simple. Based on this, every other punk from a bus stop and smelling of paper-box wine and stale beer would become a robber.
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Time for chess, Ladies and Gentlemen! If I don’t have time for a game of chess, or even to play GTA, why not to just watch? Three cool action scenes, excellent McGregor in a slightly untraditional role and mainly good, honest directing work – Avery is walking in Mann’s footsteps. I would just like to know how to change golden bricks into classic bank notes. Put him in the freezer.
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A modest crime genre film, where some elements (precise appearance and portrayal of villains, work with action and weapons) are on the verge of perfection and Michael Mann had to, if not advise, at least grunt contentedly at the screening. But some passages are too long and the story is not revelatory, with lots of secondary characters we know nothing about and never will. Everything is about the three main characters and the world around them seems to be mostly non-existent. Definitely a great piece of work for Australia, but there's still a lot to tweak.
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I understand that I won't remember that movie at all after some time, but right after watching it, there are characters that are quite interesting, it's all properly gritty, and in the end, it somehow turns out quite fairytale-like, which contrasts nicely with what we had seen until then. Ewan McGregor, which surprised me, was great in this role as well.
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