You Were Never Really Here

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov, Vinicius Damasceno, Judith Roberts, Alex Manette, Alessandro Nivola
Directed by: Lynne Ramsay
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) tracks down missing girls for pay. His latest job spirals out of control when powerful forces become determined to stop him.

Review:

Tim: There's been a number of these "one man on a rampage" movies over the last decade or so. There are different degrees of quality- Man on Fire was great, but quite a few have been lackluster. You Were Never Really Here is a good movie and it does enough to differentiate itself from those others. It might not be the most enjoyable viewing experience, but it's a memorable movie.

The film does a good job of presenting its story in a mature, dark way. Our protagonist Joe exists in the seedy underworld of society that most of us ignore, wish or pretend didn't exist. We get a fairly unflinching look at this world. Illegal sex, murder, human trafficking- we see those evil aspects of humanity on display here. For that reason, the movie is sometimes hard to watch. There's not a lot of light and almost no levity in the film. As much as I didn't enjoy my time in this world, I appreciated the stark portrayal of it. The movie certainly takes a view of this world that feels far away from Hollywood- this feels like a small, independent movie that subverts our expectations.

Joaquin Phoenix is quite good in the lead role. He really embraces the world weary qualities of Joe. He's obviously traumatized by his past. Much of that is kept from us, even at the end of the film. He's not a well man and that trauma emerges in interesting way. It's a fascinating portrayal of a man living on the edge, trying to do some good and unafraid to get his hands very, very dirty in the pursuit of that goal. Phoenix is the chief reason to see the movie. It's a physical performance and Phoenix has certainly transformed his body for the role. The scars, the tattoos, that insane beard- it all transforms Phoenix into this nearly silent, memorable character. That was by far the best part of the movie and it's worth tracking this down for Phoenix's performance alone.

The story is solid. It's fairly familiar to us. There might be a few unexpected twists and is ultimately a bit more taxing and grueling than we might have anticipated, but there won't be too many surprises. I felt a little let down by the story. It was fine, it was entertaining, but it felt like it's been done before. The stoic, hard protagonist helped, but the plot itself felt a bit too predictable. The psychological bent to the film helped, but I wanted more of it.

You Were Never Really Here is a good movie, I want to stress that. It's atmospheric and challenging and stripped down to the essential pieces only. I can't say I loved watching it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I probably liked the movie a bit less than many critics, but I certainly liked the film and would recommend it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Man on Fire, Taken, Oldboy