Directed by The Safdie Brothers (Benny & Josh)
Written by Ronald Bronstein & Joshua Safdie
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Taliah Webster, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Barkhad Abdi, Necro, Peter Verby, Rose Gregorio, Eric Paykert, Rachel Black, Robert Clohessy, Craig muMs Grant, George Lee Miles, Roy James Wilson
Soundtrack: Daniel Lopatin
I know I’ve expressed similar sentiments before, but when I first saw the trailer for Good Time, I didn’t really know what to make of it (mainly, I was confused as to what Robert Pattinson was doing in this mysterious, probably low budget, urban crime thriller; although it’s not the first time he’s been confounding). As time went on, however, it began to grow on me, and I became more excited.
Then I made the terrible mistake of putting on a couple of other Safdie Brothers films for research sake, and I became much less excited. I mean, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen Daddy Longlegs or Heaven Knows What, but they are definitely not what I’d call “feel-good” pieces (not to mention the glut of unlikable characters, obviously non-professional actors, the out-of-nowhere full-frontal female nudity, and general sense of discomfort while watching).
However, I do pride myself on going into every movie I review with a clean slate, and I’m especially glad I did in this case, because Good Time, while not necessarily “fun” as the title might suggest (or, rather, you might infer), is nothing less than a compelling breakthrough effort from these young directors (and their writing collaborator, Ronald Bronstein).
Love them or hate them, Benny and Josh Safdie know New York City (the real city, where real people walk and talk and live and breathe; not that Hollywood version), which is a core strength of this film. Honestly, Good Time is a neon-soaked William Friedkin-meets-Michael Mann fever dream (or is it a Tangerine Dream?), with all of the street sense of the 1970s and 80s, and all of the digital sheen of our post-9/11 age.
That said, I’m not sure exactly how much we’d have to work with if not for the presence of one Mr. Robert Pattinson. To say he “commands the screen” would be an understatement. Not to say that he’s completely alone; Benny Safdie himself turns in a striking performance as Pattinson’s brother, there’s a brief and effective appearance from Captain Phillips’ Barkhad Abdi, and even some of the non-professionals pay off, but from start-to-finish Pattinson is electrically captivating. I don’t know if he’ll get any major awards buzz, but he probably should, because this is his movie, period.
One element I must discuss is the score, which is mostly a strength but also somewhat of a weakness. The style is fine, a welcome homage to the electronic scores of days gone by (Tangerine Dream, Giorgio Moroder, etc.), but at times it’s just straight up overbearing in its usage. Not an unforgivable sin, but definitely noticeable, especially towards the beginning of the movie.
As I said before though, Good Time is a tremendous breakthrough effort for the Safdie Brothers, and it’s nice to see what these young filmmakers can do with a more of a budget (which they put to good use). The story feels real and fresh, and it spirals out of control with genuine surprises along the way.
I’m not sure how well it will play with general audiences around the country (there’s one scene in particular that is hair-raisingly uncomfortable), but, for my money, it’s one of the most earnest NYC movies I’ve seen in some time, which is worth something.
Give it a look if you can find it.
Rating: ★★★★☆
P.S.
The credits play over the end of the last scene of the movie. Not really a stinger, not necessarily worth sticking around for, but it’s there.