You Were Never Really Here 🔨 & Good Time 🥤
Happy Friday! Since I’ve been roaming the streets of NYC late at night lately today’s rec is for two gritty NYC-set crime thrillers (and previous recs) that complement any debaucherous summer night.
In movie news: The Gotham Awards will adopt gender-neutral acting categories this year: Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance. Each category will have ten nominees — and one winner for now. What do you think of this change?
Have a great (and safe) weekend!
You Were Never Really Here 🔨
Joe (Joaquin Phoenix), an army veteran, is a hired gun who tracks down kidnapped children. His handler John McCleary (John Doman) delivers him a new job to track down the kidnapped daughter (Ekaterina Samsonov) of a New York State Senator. However, the job quickly spirals out of control. Here's the trailer.
Why you should watch it: A third of the way through the breezy 90-minute running time, Joe lays down next to a hitman he has just shot. As “I’ve Never Been To Me” plays in the background, the two men lay side by side. The hitman extends his hand to Joe and they lay on the floor singing along.
It’s an odd moment of humanity in a movie filled with inhuman behavior and something you’d never see in another crime thriller. Ramsay isn’t interested in the violence of the story, though there is plenty of it. Instead, she focuses on the characters and specifically Joe’s internalized struggle with his past. It’s essentially an arthouse version of Taken and it’s all the better for it. 90 mins.
Good Time 🥤
Robert Pattinson plays Connie Nikas, a career criminal with a Queens accent, and a mentally disabled brother, Nick (Ben Safdie, who also co-directs, co-writes, and co-edits). After a job goes south, Connie spends most of his night conning and grifting his way through the city to make things right. It doesn’t go well.
Why you should watch it: Connie Nikas may be one of the best anti-heroes in film history. Armed with a seductive charm offensive, alarming compulsion to lie (about everything), and sheer force of will, Connie is equal parts terrifying and irresistible. Giving a career-best performance, Pattinson understands that sociopathy bubbles just underneath the surface and only comes out when it’s too late.
The Safdie Brothers build the story as a series of unfortunate events that build momentum and tension until it all breaks in a spectacular fashion. And while its grittiness and pure thrills sometimes make it an uncomfortable sit, it’s well worth it. 99 mins.
📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.