Good Time

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Buddy Duress, Taliah Webster, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Barkhad Abdi, Necro
Directed by: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: R
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After a botched bank robbery gets his brother (Benny Safdie) arrested, a small time criminal (Robert Pattinson) goes to extraordinary lengths to try and break him out.

Review:

Tim: I'd actually missed this movie during 2017. Every year, I see somewhere between 100-120ish movies typically and with most years releasing 600+, I'm always going to miss films. I read something about how good this movie was, though, and so two years later I checked it out. I'm really glad I did because the Safdie Brothers crafted an intense, relentless, unique movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. Good Time is in fact, a hell of a good time and one of the more interesting films I've seen in recent years.

The story starts out simply enough, although it soon becomes anything but. Two brothers attempt to rob a bank and during the escape, one of them is captured. The other brother then attempts to break his sibling out of jail. That seems very straightforward, but this insane plot gives that story so much complexity that it becomes something else entirely. The captured brother has an intellectual disability, which immediately creates unexpected dynamics between the two of them, and also factors into any plans for the jailbreak. It was fascinating to consider what it would be like trying to rob a bank with someone who had a disability that never allowed you to fully trust them. Would they come through when you needed them to? There's a reason why more bank robbers don't include people with intellectual disabilities, as is on display here. That immediately gives this movie a unique spin on an old idea.

The rest of the film unrolls with the same kind of unexpected qualities. Nothing actually happens as you would expect it to. The Safdie brothers subvert our expectations constantly and throw some curve balls that you never see coming. This movie continually surprises you, which is rare these days. This film isn't just a series of surprises, though. It's also an intense, relentless thriller that never really lets up. I was amazed at how the Safdies were able to keep the level of intensity up for the whole 1 hour, 41 minute run time. The film absolutely flies by, as you have to continually remind yourself to breathe. It was impossible not to get sucked into this story. The music was superb, the plot was relentless with so much movement- I don't think there was a wasted scene or anything that dragged on. The movie just pummels forward and it's an incredibly enjoyable ride.

Robert Pattinson deserves a ton of credit for this role, which might be his best performance to date. I know he started off with a bit of a challenge, having Edward from Twilight hanging over his head. I admit he was pigeonholed for me. His small supporting role in The Lost City of Z really impressed me, though- and I realized that he was actually so much more than his vampire character. I just saw his performance in High Life and while it was uneven (and the movie ultimately not that effective), he showed real flashes of his talent. Fortunately, it's fully on display here. His role is stripped down, dirty, the exact opposite of a glimmering vampire and he delivers it so well. He fully immerses himself into this role. You never really like his character, but you can never fully dismiss him, either. He takes a role that was exceptionally difficult and makes it look effortless. I was so impressed with him and it made me rethink my beliefs about him. Pattinson is so good in this and I'm really excited to see where he goes with his career next.

I also give Benny Safdie a ton of credit for his role. Playing someone with intellectual disability can't be easy. It just feels like it would be so easy to stray into exploitative or campy territory. He never does that, delivering a pitch perfect performance that resonates not for the individual's disability, but his heart, the emotions he experiences throughout the film. I loved his performance. It was also fun seeing Jennifer Jason Leigh in a small supporting role. Her performance was unexpected, but it certainly added to the film. Talia Webster adds a good performance as well. It was fun seeing Barkhad Abdi here, too. The cast as a whole really wasn't A list, but the Safdie brothers got strong performances out of most of them. They felt authentic as a whole.

Good Time was a very pleasant surprise. It was a good reminder to me that I need to be vigilant to find those effective movies that fly under the radar. This was a heck of a fun ride. It made me rethink Robert Pattinson, and it ensured that I'll be keeping a close eye on what the Safdie brothers do next.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Lost City of Z, High Life, Heaven Knows What