Review of Good Time (2017) by Chris O — 24 Feb 2018

"Good Time" continues the trend of great movies under A24.

After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Constantine Nikas (Robert Pattinson) embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld in an increasingly desperate-and dangerous-attempt to get his brother out of jail. Over the course of one adrenalized night, Constantine finds himself on a mad descent into violence and mayhem as he races against the clock to save his brother and himself, knowing their lives hang in the balance.

"Good Time" is a story of two brothers. One struggles with a form of mental handicap, while the other does what he can to support him. After a bank heist gone wrong, he spends the night figuring out how to break his brother out of jail. I think this is not only a really good film into the introspective reality of love and desperation, but also family. It was really entertaining and was solid all around.

One thing that stood out in this film was the color and composition. Color was a big way to tell this story. Lighting and ambiances can either feel forced, or they tell the story themselves. Here, it helped tell the story. The way shots were composed and lit made this film look beautifully shot.

The performances were also the standout aspects of this film. Robert Pattinson gave one of the best performances I've seen him in. Notoriously known for his role as Edward, he certainly pushed the norm here and gave the best performance I've ever seen from him. He brought this realism and passion to his part and it showed. If you asked me to replace him, I'd say he earned the role here and made it his own. While not so present in this film, Benny Safdie absolutely killed it. He was so emotional and convincing in the short screen time he had. I hope to see more of him in the future and he certainly did not disappoint.

Everyone in this film had such an eccentric character to them. Everyone here is kind of frantic and no one is thinking straight. It's a chaotic film and it pushes that notion really hard. It's messy and crazy, but all in a good way. It's a journey that you want to see from start to finish, and a well written one at that.

In the end, "Good Time" was a solid film and certainly a good time...I can't believe I said that but I'm leaving it in. I don't care.