Review of Good Time (2017) by Chandler H — 15 Jan 2018

****.

Unconventional, vivid and riveting from start to finish, 'Good Time' is the definition of a thriller. What sets it apart from other entries in this genre however is the way in which none of the characters - with the exception of Pattinson's brother (played by co-director Benny Safdie) - are at all likeable. In fact, the majority are extremely unlikable. Yet the film doesn't judge them. It sits back, and lets us, the audience, make our own decisions about their morality. Not only is this extremely smart filmmaking from the Safdie Brothers, but it also makes for one hell of a riveting experience; as we follow the mishaps, the misdemeanours and the missteps of our characters. The performances are all brilliant, but Robert Pattinson is by far the stand out in a role like nothing you've ever seen from him before. The pacing occasionally suffers, particularly in a sequence involving Jennifer Jason Leigh, but from that point on this movie was a beautiful, yet ugly look at the life of an unhinged criminal.