Review of Sleight (2015) by John M — 19 Sep 2017

Derivative, but it works well enough. So this is about a young street magician (Jacob Latimore). He's taking care of his little sister because their parents have passed. He gets involved in drug dealing and gang activity so as to make ends meet, but if he's not careful, he's going to get in over his head.

Now Sleight is a film that really flew in under the radar. A positive review caught my attention, so like I usually do, I checked this out as soon as I could when it hit the home market. While I do wish this was a little fresher as far as expanding the genre, I still like what this movie stands for.

Now what you may not realize about this is that this is actually something along the lines of a superhero origin story. It doesn't seem that way, and there is nothing in the plot summary that indicates that this is the case, and yet, here we are.

It's not overt about it, and it only hints about what is going on below the surface, which is something I appreciated. While I don't know if this was the intention, this movie really makes a great point in showing how white washed superhero movies are nowadays; sure there is a Black Panther movie coming up, but that took 17 films before it was his turn.

It says a lot as far about where this industry is at from a business standpoint, especially in Hollywood which is generally considered to be one of the most liberal places in the country. The acting is all well and good, and Latimore is likable as can be.

Also turning in a good performance is actor Dulé Hill. From what I have seen him in, he almost always plays a really likable protagonist, so it shows his range to play an intimidating crime lord. My only real complaints about this stem from the fact that I happen to watch so many movies.

Because I've seen so many superhero movies and films of this ilk, I know all of the beats that it is going to hit as well as all of the places that this is going to go. I have also seen this done better, namely with the movie Chronicle.

Still, this does have a cool ending and I liked the fact that this kid was facing danger from all sides, as it really helps you root for him. It still seems plausible on the heels of something like Now You See Me 2, and I still appreciate this a lot, despite my critiques.