Good People (2014)

One of my all time favorites.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Blistering performances.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Move starts off slow, with a couple that's hard on their luck and then something shocking happens. There is un convincing b level acting by A level actors. You would think that the performance would be a lot better considering their other movies, but I have a feeling they were just doing this movie just because it was paycheck and their schedules had some gaps so they signed on. Bad guys come looking for something they find in their house. Soon the movie becomes Home Alone, the R-Rated version. In this version of Home Alone, the bad guys don't just fall down stairs and burn their hands, the bad guys die horrible, ruthless deaths.

The creative team behind this film is definitely promising. Director Henrik Ruben Genz is the Danish film and television director, known for his film Terribly Happy (2008) and work on the series The Bridge and The Killing in the original Danish version. Kelly Masterson has signed two film scripts. Maybe I was wrong to set high expectations, because Good People is only fair, average thriller with a story seen a million of times. Tom (Franco) and Anna (Hudson) are an American couple in financial problems. They move to London to the house Tom inherited. Since their earnings are not enough for renovation so they rent a room to Ben, suspicious type. After he's gone, Tom and Anna will find the mysterious stash of more than 200,000 pounds. But as we all know big money is not without owner. And so it begins... The problem is that we have already seen that story, and Good People does not bring anything new. Even the adaptation of the novel by Marcus Sakey is kind of awkward. The dialogues are poor. Acting is not bad. Visual effects are on higher level. The pace is easy, which certainly reinforces the impression of weirdness and "suspense", although we know all too well the sequence of events. Good People is correct thriller. Watchable, but really nothing more than that.

This is a very strange film - its has a great cast: James Franco, Kate Hudson and Tom Wilkinson who I always particularly enjoy seeing on screen but is so "by the numbers" thriller I cant believe it got made. The bad guys are poor - in no way convincing that they might do anyone any harm and more suitable for TV soap villains than convincing dangerous drug dealers. The frustrations for me start at the beginning. The villains are parked in the middle of an abandoned car park waiting for their prey to arrive. Said prey is an international drug dealer with a bevy of henchmen. Henchmen and body guards look around the car park checking for assailants but somehow not a soul pays attention to the 4x4 in the middle of the car park. This is the sort of lazy film making that I find so frustrating why cant anyone make a good action/thriller in London it always seems so budget. We are later told James Franco character has inherited a house but he owes loads of money on the mortgage? If you owe loads on a mortgage that's not much of an inheritance - sell the thing. There are obvious lingering shots on nails from a nail gun c20 minutes into the film so you know someone is going to get shot with the obligatory nail gun later in the story. The whole film seems inconsistent and formulaic. The pace is decent and the cast do as good as can be expected with what their given but its just such a weak script. The premise is as old as time young couple find money that belongs to criminals and make the mistake of keeping it. My first thought was of shallow grave but the money and dead guy apart these films share nothing. If you haven't seen shallow grave yet and are considering watching this film just watch shallow grave instead - either for the first time or re-watch it to prove Britain does make good thrillers.

I generally don't like the "normal people find a lot of money" formula. I understand its value as a dramatic catalyst which invites to explore the reactions and attitudes of characters due to their unexpected richness, as well as the ethic complications that implies. And, in some cases, it also adds a danger element because of the illegal provenance of the money and the criminals who are surely looking for it. I understand the potential of the premise, and I have even liked some films which employed it (such as Shallow Grave and Millions), but in many occasions, it feels like an artificial and lazy trick. That might explain the apathy the film Good People provoked on me. Or it might be one of those mediocre movies, which aren't boring, but without any distinctive element to make it good or bad. Just... meh. James Franco, Kate Hudson and Tom Wilkinson make a credible work in their roles, despite how superficially written their characters are. Good People never reaches the level of dramatic intensity or visual virtuosity in order to capture the spectator beyond a vague curiosity to know how everything is going to end. And when we finally reach the conclusion, it's convenient and improbable. In conclusion, despite the apathy it provoked on me, I can give Good People a slight recommendation, because it managed to keep me moderately entertained.