Good Time (2017)
7.2 /10
2884 Reviews
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After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Connie Nikas embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld to get his brother Nick out of jail.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Connie Nikas
... Nick Nikas
... Ray
... Crystal
... Corey Ellman
User reviews
Never before has somebody drinking a bottle of Sprite made me wince in sympathetic pain and terror.
_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._
Release Date:
2017-08-11
Run Time:
102 min
MMPA Rating:
R
Reviews of
Good Time
Never before has somebody drinking a bottle of Sprite made me wince in sympathetic pain and terror.
_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._
I can only assume people were joking when they told me Good Time is a good time. It most certainly is not a good time! Good Time is very uncomfortable, anger inducing, and depressing and I enjoyed every minute of it. Easily the highlight is the color palate with most scenes being lit by neon lights or the glow of a TV or a distant street light. As dark as the movie went tonally, seeing Robert Pattinson's face lit up by a neon red light is beautiful. Personal preference, but I'll watch a movie just for the neon lighting and Good Time uses it as a great counter to the dirty feel of everything else. The story was my least favorite part, but the acting, cinematography and score work so well that it didn't bother me that much. I say the acting it great, but really I mean that Robert Pattinson and Benny Safdie are great, everyone else is really just a way to move the plot forward and are fine (except Barkhad Abdi who just doesn't connect). If you've only seen Pattinson in the Twilight Saga (I'll admit that's the only time I've seen him) where no one acts and just recites lines with dead eyes, this is such a departure and he really delivers a believable and authentic performance. The story isn't perfect, it's got some pacing problems and a few "Why are they doing that?" moments, but it's a very compelling story that is just so dark and grim, but still manages to carry heart. The plot sets Pattinson as the protagonist, trying to help his mentally challenged brother after they leave home but it's really complicated whether or not you want to root for him. The ending isn't what I expected or wanted, but it is a solid ending and it works for the film. Good Time is not a movie that most people will appreciate or even want to watch if they know what it's really about, but if you can respect a fully dark and bleak film that doesn't let up it is a worthwhile film that has something to say.
A gritty, anxiety-inducing heist-gone-wrong film capturing the kinetic energy and depressing vibe of those eeking out a living (legal and illegal) in the big city.
The acting is phenomenal with a powerhouse performance by Robert Pattinson and a surprisingly poignant performance by co-director Benny Safdie who plays Pattinson's brother.
A wild ride.
The sleazy, bleak, and primal low budget crime thriller “Good Time” feels like a cinematic punch in the face. The more I think about this film through my figurative black eye, the more I like it. It’s rare to find a movie so confident and wholly committed to its bleak tone, bursting onto the screen in its opening scene with a disarming, bold swagger. This one is reminiscent of Scorsese’s early works but it never once feels like a cheap rip-off of the auteur.
A nearly unrecognizable Robert Pattinson (kudos to him for taking on challenging and unglamorous roles like this) is incredible as scumbag Connie, a low level criminal who has industrious and ambitious ideas but is far from smart. After persuading his developmentally challenged brother Nick (a fabulously understated Benny Safdie) to serve as his wing man in a bank robbery, everything goes wrong and his brother is captured and arrested while Connie runs free. The next hour is spent riding shotgun with this despicable man as he tries to free Nick from police custody.
Connie traverses the city streets throughout a sleepless night and grows increasingly trapped in this nightmare. As the evening progresses, he becomes even more desperate and begins mentally or physically harming everyone who crosses his path, from an amusement park security guard (Barkhad Abdi), a teenage girl (Taliah Webster) and her immigrant grandmother, and a newly paroled drug dealer (Buddy Duress) with a soda bottle full of LSD.
Connie isn’t a nice guy. He exploits his brother as a criminal pawn, he verbally abuses his unstable girlfriend Corey (Jennifer Jason Leigh), he has harsh racist tendencies that subtly manifest in different ways, and he takes advantage of nearly everyone who crosses his path. He’s not really nice to anybody except his brother and a dog, but Pattinson is so incredibly amazing in the role that I actually became disgusted with myself as I inexplicably began rooting for this amoral, predatory man to get away from the cops. This is one of those defining moments for an actor, and Pattinson is unforgettable. Comparisons to a young Al Pacino are inevitable.
This film oozes indie spirit throughout and feels intimately personal, which isn’t a surprise because bothers Benny and Josh Safdie had a hand in just about every aspect of the movie, from writing and directing to editing, sound design, and acting. The film’s phenomenal sound is particularly effective, with a harsh, pressure cooker of an original score to the ear-splitting sound effects that serve as a mirror to the overall discomfort and discord of the script. The story is simple yet filled with so many abrupt narrative jolts that it shocked and surprised me more than a few times.
The only criticism I have for the entire film (besides its irritatingly ironic title) is the epilogue, which I won’t spoil in this review. It has a pronounced tacked-on vibe, an unnecessary piece that the directors should’ve cut but just couldn’t let it go. Yeah, I get what they’re trying to say here, but there’s no sense in beating audiences over the head with it. We’re much smarter than that.
This movie accurately echoes the desperation in last year’s bleak “Hell or High Water,” telling a similarly mesmerizing story of an American man who has nothing to lose and will therefore take anything he can. The grimy urban landscape of New York City manifests itself through intense, textural, dreamlike visuals that feel more like a nightmare. Every scene is alive with a squalid vibrancy and a pulsating tension, yet it’s beautifully done and never showy.
“Good Time” may have a morally repugnant protagonist, an unpleasant narrative, and an unsettling vibe, but it’s also one of the best movies of the year.
Cast & Crew of
Good Time
Cast
... Connie Nikas
... Nick Nikas
... Ray
... Crystal
... Corey Ellman
... Dash the Park Security Guard
... Caliph
... Peter the Psychiatrist
... Agapia Nikas
... Annie
... Loren Ellman
... Eric the Bail Bondsman
... Bail Bondsman's Assistant
... Rachel the Public Defender
... Trevor
... Donnie
... Acid Buying Complainer
... Nassau County Police Officer A
... Nassau County Police Officer B
... 7th Floor Elmhurst Police Officer
... EMT Worker #1
... EMT Worker #2
... Detective
... Prostitute
... NYPD Investigating Officer
... Denny the Access-A-Ride Driver
... Annie's Husband Albert
... Stringy Haired Man's Wife
... Stringy Haired Man
... Mexican Woman
... African Cab Driver
... Uber Driver
... Elderly Woman in Hospital
... Domino's Pizza Manager
... Domino's Pizza Employee
... NYPD Officer Jim
... NYPD Police Officer Patrick
... Elmhurst Hospital Orderly
... Male Doctor
... Bank Teller
... Lewis Dodley
... Tara Lynn Wagner
... Captain
... C.O. Jim
... C.O. Burke
... C.O. Valdez
... C.O. Moses
... Big Homie
... Biggie
... Lil Pup
... Jazz
... The Ripper
... White Inmate
... Ahn
... Arcade Guy
... Arcade Guy
... Arcade Guy
... Arcade Guy
... Arcade Guy
... Arcade Guy
... Arcade Guy
... Arcade Guy
... Arcade Guy
... Arcade Guy (as Afro)
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Epic Player
... Arresting Police Officer (uncredited)
... Undercover Cop (uncredited)
... Arcade Guy (uncredited)
... Arresting Police Officer (uncredited)
... Arcade Guy (uncredited)
... Undercover Cop (uncredited)
... Police Officer (uncredited)
... Undercover Cop (uncredited)
Crew
... Thanks
... Thanks
... VFX Artist
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Art Direction
... Director
... Director
... Original Music Composer
... Casting
... Producer
... Producer
... Producer
... Co-Executive Producer
... Editor
... Makeup Department Head
... Makeup Effects Designer
... Director of Photography
... Screenplay
... Executive Producer
... Co-Executive Producer
... Costume Design
... Screenplay
... Editor
... Makeup Artist
... Production Design
... Co-Producer
... Costume Design
... Producer
... Set Decoration
... Script Supervisor
... Casting Associate
... Digital Intermediate Producer
... Assistant Editor
... Production Assistant
... Assistant Location Manager
... Location Production Assistant
... Production Assistant
... Production Assistant
... Street Casting
... Digital Intermediate Colorist
... Camera Operator
... Second Assistant "A" Camera
... Digital Intermediate Editor
... Music Supervisor
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Special Effects Makeup Artist
... Additional Key Grip
... Foley Artist
... Sound Designer
... Unit Production Manager
... Key Grip
... Stunt Double
... Stunt Double
... Foley Editor
... Stunt Double
... Set Dresser
... Gaffer
... Grip
... First Assistant "A" Camera
... Property Master
... Camera Operator
... Foley Artist
... First Assistant Director
... Additional Gaffer
... Assistant Camera
... Foley Mixer
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Graphic Designer
... Steadicam Operator
... Second Assistant Director
... Sound Mixer
... Construction Coordinator
... Stunt Double
... Second Assistant "B" Camera
... Stunt Coordinator
... Sound Mixer
... Camera Loader
... Stunt Double
... Sound Recordist
... Casting Associate
... Set Dresser
... Costume Supervisor
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