Absolute Magic: "Good Time" Review

"A bank robber finds himself unable to evade his pursuers."

Directed by: Benny Safdie

                      Josh Safdie
Written by:  Ronald Bronstein 

                      Josh Safdie

Starring: Robert Pattinson

                 Benny Safdie

                 Taliah Webster 

                 Jennifer Jason Leigh

                 Barkhad Abdi

                 Necro

                 Peter Verby

Some films can give us joy because they're just that, joyful. Superhero films or the latest Star Wars entry make us feel childlike wonder the way few things can. Rom-Coms, when done right, can make us grin ear to ear for simply the charm they exude. So that's why it was a little jarring to find myself midway through the Safdie Brothers mini crime epic, Good Time, slack jawed with a stupid grin on my face. It's a rare thing for a film to just be so exhilarating and well made that you can't help but feel rejuvenated walking out of the theater. 2017 has been a pretty good year for film in my estimation and certainly better than last year. I've had joyous experiences with the latest Marvel flicks. Aubrey Plaza has made me laugh out loud twice in theaters this year. Diana, Princess of Themyscira, fought her way across No Man's Land with the grace and exuberance few other heroes possess. Hell, my number one film of the year thus far is Bong Joon-Ho's vegan PSA by way of fairy tale, Okja. That's about a little girl's undying bond with a giant pig. It's charm city. Cinema is my religion and the theater is my place of worship and nothing felt as close to a religious experience as seeing Good Time on the big screen did.

Good Time opens on an extreme closeup of Nick Nikas (Benny Safide, also co-writer and director). You're immediately struck by his face. He looks like he's been through one hell of a life. A wide, disproportionate nose, deep eyes and a thousand yard stare position him as a brutal thug but that's quickly betrayed by his meek responses to questions coming from a disembodied voice. That voice is revealed to be that of his therapist (a gripping performance from first timer Peter Verby). Nick is mentally disabled and deaf and his therapist is struggling to get him to open up.  His brother Connie (Robert Pattison) bursts in and angrily pulls Nick out. We smash cut to the two brother preparing for a robbery over the opening credits. The robbery goes well until the money, rigged with a dye bomb, goes off in a back of a cab. The two make their escape and are stopped by the cops. As the cops ask them to lower their hoods, Nick takes off and eventually gets caught. He's sent to jail where he's beaten so badly that he's sent to a hospital. Connie is left on the run, searching through the city for his brother. GOOD TIME appears on the screen and we're off. It's a hell of a way to open a film and it only gets better from here. To speak more on the plot would spoil a narrative that's wound so tightly and precisely and I don't want to do that. This demands to be seen on the big screen.

The narrative is so simple but it's effective. As Connie falls down the rabbit hole of perverse people and asphalt jungles, he becomes worse and worse. Playing like a surrealist take on Martin Scorsese's underrated After Hours, this is a neon-dripping odyssey that you can't rip your eyes off of. Connie is a bad guy but the love for his brother is driving him and you have to admire that. What would you do in this situation? He makes increasingly terrible decisions but you can never really root against him. Most of this has to do with Pattinson's magnetic performance. He's always been a compelling actor and his choices post-Twilight have been eclectic to say the least. This is a career-maker though. The worse Connie becomes, the more you like him. Watching Pattinson sink himself further and further into depravity is a delight. He looks almost unrecognizable at a certain point. Under his scuzzy beard, bleached hair and laser-focused eyes, Pattinson burns up the screen. 

The only performance that might be better is Benny Safdie. He plays Nick with a fragility that you can't help but empathize with. Playing mentally disabled is a gamble and I rarely think it pays off. Here, however, Safdie knows exactly when to pull it in and it's the quiet moments where he's at his best. Vacant stares and saddened eyes, Safdie is incredible while doing so little. He's the tragic figure, dragged in way over his head by his brother and forced to endure pain he doesn't deserve. 

The rest of the cast is really something special. The Safdie Brothers have been indie darlings for quite awhile and by jumping on board with A24 (home of last year's Best Picture winner Moonlight) they've taken a small step toward the mainstream. This is by far their biggest effort yet which says a lot because it's tiny compared to what we usually see. They more than make use of their budget. Pattison is the biggest star of the film and from there, the only other real names in the film are recent Oscar nominees Jennifer Jason Leigh and Barkhad Abdi in minor roles, but both are used effectively. Using mostly unknown or first time actors allows the Safdies to litter their film with odd and interesting looking people. These aren't generic movie stars that would get lost in a sea of pretty people. You notice the side characters as they pop in and out of the frame. They're portrayed almost like an R. Crumb sketch. Wide necks, bulging eyes, long noses and bad teeth. This is one of the most interesting looking casts you'll see all year. It's a thrill to watch Pattinson cross paths with weirdo after weirdo as he descends into this urban nightmare.

Working in tandem with their brilliant cast, the Safdie's have one of the surest, most original voices in film making I've seen in quite some time. The direction here is astounding with not one frame wasted. Cinematographer Sean Price Williams works wonders with his camera. He uses closeups to pull us in and tilts ever so slightly to give us that unnerving sensation. His strongest feat is his decision to shoot driving scenes from a bird's eye view. We look directly below us as Connie races through the night, zigging and zagging all over the place. The only way I can describe this is that it's hypnotic. The film takes every conventional aspect of storytelling and bucks it. I've seen a lot of movies this summer and not a single one of them does what this one does. You're entranced by the visual narrative. It's pure magic.

I'd be remiss to wrap this up without talking about the beautiful original score from Oneohtrix Point Never. The electronic group dazzles with pumping, synthy music that we don't get much of anymore. This kind of score was a staple in the 80s and it only adds to the cinematic feast we're served here. In a perfect world, this would be nominated for Best Original Score at the Oscars. I'd like to think it has a chance after Mica Levi's wonderfully bizarre Jackie score nabbed a nomination last year but I won't hold my breath. 

Writing about this has made me want to go see it again and again and again. I waited almost 8 months for A24 to wow me the way they have for the last two years and with this and A Ghost Story, and I'd say it was well worth it. This is film magic distilled into its purest essence and it feels like a drug.  A tightly wound narrative with absolutely no fat and a searing performance by Robert Pattinson make this a must see. If it's playing anywhere near you, make the trip. You won't have this much fun in a theater all year. The Safdies are bucking conventional wisdom while giving us one of the strongest films of the year. 

VERDICT

Fast, emotional and hypnotic, The Safdies give you one of the strongest cinematic pleasures in years. Not an ounce of film or script is wasted in this gorgeous thriller. An incredible performance from Pattinson and a heartbreaking one from Benny Safdie ground this otherwise bonkers joyride. It's pure pleasure that'll leave you both gasping for air and smiling ear to ear. Go see it, you'll have a Good Time.

10/10