Thumper (2017)

That was an excellent one.

Sadly Over-hyped

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

I Really enjoyed this! Im 58 and this brings back memories from when i was 16 and in that kind of life...Its been so long ago ,it seems like another lifetime..when i see this contemporary drama ,i find it shocking and SAD that things are still so much the same for kids and the drug culture after 42 yrs...That lifestyle, where kids hand out, looking to get high, the way they acted in the movie, is so true to life..the Drug dealer, done by pablo was outstanding! the volatile,quiet one moment,menacing the next,the quality and intensity he brought to the role nailed it..i have know people who acted just like that ! I actually thought from the promo poster that the lead actor was Jon Bernthal ...i was shocked to find ot was Pablo, it was the shaved head that made the resemblence..I love seeing Eliza from the 100, an awesome series!! cant wait for that to return..anyway they rocked their roles, and the supporting actors got the stereotypical drug culture yoyths down pat..again it was sad to see that todays kids were so much like the kids of 40 yrs ago,its like that lifestyle is in a time bubble and seems forever the same..i would hope that todays youth were less inclined to that way of life,or had found ways to creatively express the intense energies of that age bracket in positive ways, and i Do believe that more young people Today are finding healthy and creative outlets than in past...this movie though was a reminder that it still exists

Caught this on Netflix, I thought it started well and drew you into a story about teens, using and buying and selling drugs. Pablo Schreiber jumps off the screen, he does an excellent job and was perfectly cast, showing the corrupted raw instincts of a military veteran gone bad. The story is ultimately one that has been told many times but is a good tense gritty crime drama. Without giving away spoilers I can't go into the plot but think of a combination of 8 Mile and Breaking Bad. Every character was desperate in their own way in a tightly woven story.I hate to say it but I think the weak spot was Eliza Taylor who is not up to the challenge of carrying the film and was a bit too soft for the part. I was surprised to see Lena Headey and it took me a minute to recognize her, she did a wonderful job as Eliza's boss. The best part of the film was the middle and the end did not live up to the tension, but overall worth watching.

I thought that the movie was interesting and amusing and entertaining and it kept me in suspense as to what would happen until there became some notion that nothing bad will happen and it sort of fell flat around 6/10 or 7/10 into the film. I liked the performances by Troy and the drug dealer. Beaver was a bit of a bore and I found that he did not act much at all just sort of behaved normally as any other day and so did the girl. So it was supposed to feel real like that film 'Kids' but their two performances just made it feel pretentious. Well, the decision of the woman in the film was far from realistic, and none of this would occur at such a level. I am angry that we did not get more of the drug dealer's story and Troy's story, as they are the only two who were interesting people and felt real. The others were forgettable and fake. Especially how she is a terrible cop who in no real way did any justice to the reality of tough, mature, and wise women who engage in such life and death behavior. It seemed to me like she was too sheltered to do this role and should stick to some sitcoms like Fuller House. But yeah, the guy who plays the Drug Dealer and his cousin Troy are good characters and actors and they made this film interesting. Some of the scenes were dragging on with the relationship between the two and the stereotypes were all there for every person built into a sort of dumb script but Sheiber and Grant did their part to perform in an adverse scenario. This writer needs to make a point and stick to it and focus on the strengths and drop the dead weight.

There are several things that "Thumper" does remarkably well, and that's saying a lot—in the past decade or so, films (and, indeed, television shows) on drugs, drug use, and the war on drugs, have steadily become more staple, enough to establish their own set of tropes and pitfalls. But "Thumper" does enough to both validate and subvert expectations, by allowing organic character beats to drive the plot, and intimate human relationships to steer us into unfamiliar territory.The film's leads—Pablo Schreiber as menacing meth cook Wyatt, Eliza Taylor as shrewd undercover cop Kat—hurl themselves (occasionally, quite literally) into their complex roles with ferocious commitment. From the opening scene, Schreiber brings a furious volcanic intensity into the frame, threatening to explode in a wave of fire and ash. Taylor adeptly matches his performance with what she's given, brazenly going toe-to-toe with him—a notable feat, considering he towers an entire foot over her—and talking back when others fall silent.But it is Daniel Webber's vulnerable, downplayed Beaver—his arc mirrors Kat's in a number of ways, one of the reasons they are drawn to one another—whose agency and actions becomes crucial. And it is Beaver's relationship with Wyatt—in all its sad shades of fear, respect, anger, humiliation, and the need for validation—that changes everyone's lives, for better or worse.Other gritty performances include Grant Harvey as Wyatt's cousin, Troy, who brings to mind a mild, not-so-far-gone Sick Boy, Jazzy De Lisser's hard-boiled addict Gina, and Lena Headey's overbearing, sneering Ellen. It goes without saying that "Thumper" owes much of its praise to its cast—although there is noticeable unevenness with the writing, particularly for the female roles.Despite that unevenness, by the conclusion of the film, we are left with Kat, forced by her ordeal to take a hard look at who she is, and how what she has done has changed her. For a film that initially gives the impression of a creeping cynicism bordering on overwhelming pessimism, Kat's recognition of the drug war for the vicious, violent cycle it is, and her firm decision to break away from it, speaks volumes. Taylor's remarkable performance confirms her ability to bring to life characters with evolving moralities—I hope she continues to explore similarly challenging roles in other independent efforts, which may wisely recognize, and make the most of, her talent.The film's dedication to naturalism makes apparent director-writer Jordan Ross's roots in documentary filmmaking, with the entire film shot with a hand-held camera, setting the film's uncompromising tone. Effective films often affect emotionally and physically, and "Thumper" is one such film, evoking an undeniably visceral reaction, even on my second (and frankly, far more critical) viewing. It doesn't matter if you suspect, through the film's occasional familiar beats, or muted foreshadowing—or certainly know, as I did that second time—what comes next; how the film takes you there will leave you momentarily breathless, at times, shaken, and by the end, entirely struck.