Review of Good People (2014) by Quincy T — 11 Feb 2015

With high caliber leads of James Franco and Kate Hudson, a thriller movie, even though it has familiar premise, should have had more success in presenting its story. Instead, it squanders the cast by cumbersomely slapping silly plot device or inconceivable plan. Jodie Foster and young Kristen Stewart in Panic Room were better on creating thrill than Good People, this is clearly not the intended result from a movie with award winning cast.

The Wrights couple has been through a lot, they are currently a bit financially challenged. After relocating to London, they rent their basement to a strange man, only to find out that said man is actually stashing good amount of riches. As more suspicious people come for the money, they are involved in some shady affair with corrupt cop, thugs and thieves. It's not complicated in nature until the movie deems it to be and resorts in Home Alone-esque plot twist.

The best in the series of awful production is predictably the acting, especially at first act. Both leads perform well to create a couple with actual real life problem. It might not draw the audience right away, but the foundation is certainly there. Unfortunately, the movie progresses into over-the-top conspiracy with cops and drug dealers. The pacing is inconsistent as well, with most of the time spent on establish the Wrights, but a few scenes later on details are glossed over for convenience's sake.

Cinematography looks okay, although a bit too much bleakness as if London is clouded whenever possible and the indoors are terribly lit. Some of the plans to resolve the situation are not exactly plausible, that's putting it mildly, I'd say they are downright dumb. The plot relies on characters performing unrealistic behavior which is contradictory since it originally tries to convince audience that these are just normal people in bad situation.

Poorly crafted, falls apart at the end, Good People seems like it's titled for the purpose of creating puns, since almost nothing else good comes out of it.