Small Crimes (2017)

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

A criminal stays a criminal? Or can he change? Especially when he so desperately tries to reconnect with his family. Well both of his families. His parents but also his Ex and their kids. But Ghosts of the past are not so easily shaken. So this movie carries a lot of weight (or the main character in this case) and it does weigh heavy even on the viewer.Not an easy task or the most pleasant movie to watch. But one that is intriguing. Does the movie have flaws? Yes it does and some will absolutely dislike that ending. But it is what it is and even without saying too much, it gets the point across at that moment. And while some may have wished for a cut, the camera has to stay and give us the whole picture and the whole - let's call it solution ... Whatever you think, there is Drama, there is tension and it all is played by very fine actors to a degree that make this more than watchable

Nothing ever comes clean with time after a hard past. Second chances are nothing more than covering up the man inside trying to break out. A coiled snake waiting for the circumstances to fall into place and then....powerlessness.After six years contained, Joe is released back into society. His mindset is to become a father again to his two girls, but outside circumstances, old ideas, and people muddy his path to the fantasies he had six years to create in jail.The movie zig zagged from scene to scene and I was not able to predict what would happen next. That is what made this movie great and reminded me of Pulp Fiction.

The summary states this is a black comedy, but I found nothing at all funny in it. I don't think I even cracked a smile. For me, it was a tragedy about a man released from jail determined to make amends and live a better life, but no matter what he does, it all goes wrong. Everyone is determined to undermine him, including his family.The back story seeps out a tiny bit at a time, but I still found it confusing. In the end I wasn't sure what exact crime had put him in jail. I admit I found it less than engaging, so maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention.I also couldn't figure out why, after a couple of bad incidents and threats, he didn't just leave town and start a new life elsewhere. Thomas Wolfe was right ---"You can't go home again" - --especially not a former cop who spent time in jail.If you're looking for a a fun comedy, this is not it.

The story starts off promising, with a realistic looking prison scene and the protagonist being released. He goes home to a not too goofy looking white trash family, and the set up for a good story (or narrative in today's lingo) is arranged. Problem is, the story quickly becomes confusing. The acting is good, scenery not too phony, but it's just tough to figure out what is going on.We are introduced to the protagonists parents, as well as some gnarly looking people from the past. However, the blanks are never filled in. The Mom is really down on the main guys behavior, but we are not sure why. Was he a sociopath who deserved her wrath? Or is he an OK guy with a loony mother? There are also some obnoxious "bad guy" looking and acting characters, but we never really know if they are valid when they beat up the main character, or if they are just evil. This is the sort of film that looks like they had the cash to hire some good actors and directors, then ran out of money before they could hire a writer. What they end up doing is the old "FOR THE CHILDREN" routine. He is desperately trying to find his daughters, whom he has not seen since before prison, and give them all of his money.We are suppose to believe that if a man can only have that one more meeting with his daughters, that he will be complete and fulfilled, even if he is never allowed to see them again. He explains this to his father, who believes he is not even deserving of this. What? a guy is so evil he is not even allowed to give some cash to his daughters? Yea, right. Even our society doesn't believe a guy is too evil to give money. It goes with the new Hollywood mantra "women and kids can do whatever they want, men don't matter".