Good Time - A Vibrant Meal with Little Flavour

The Safdie Brothers' latest release GOOD TIME delivers an exciting crime-drama that is not scared of hitting the high notes but ultimately falls flat.

The film follows Robert Pattinson's character Connie who, through a series of events, ends up having to bail out his mentally-handicapped brother Nick. Robert Pattinson truly comes into his own as Connie, a character that embodies the term 'street-smart', who will go to extremes to execute whatever wacky idea he has in mind. This feeds straight into the creative direction of the Safdie Brothers with GOOD TIME as they are not afraid of going to extremes in their cinematography or composition. With the camera more than frequently using intense hand-held extreme close ups, the entire cinematic experience becomes rather nauseating to the point where one recognises the artistic decision but does not agree with it. Everything is in excess which naturally creates a plot that does not seem coherent nor loyal to the characters. It is established early on that Connie does have a genuine connection to his brother, despite putting him in situations that require all sorts of wrong-doings yet this sentimental value fades away much like Nick's presence in the film. This would appear just fine with the suggestive narrative of greed overshadowing compassion in this fast-paced world had the Safdie brothers not decided to conclude the film with this bizarre scene that attempts to make you feel for Nick. This value being placed on Nick's character all of a sudden appears so incredibly cheap that it completely detracts from the brutality the film is trying to imply about the world. Ending on Connie being taken away would have held more weight than attempting to draw the film full circle in its unexpected inclusion of Nick.

If there is one thing that I absolutely adored though about the film, it was Daniel Lopatin's score. It is incredibly reminiscent of Cliff Martinez's electro-sounds, accompanied by the grandeur, over-the-top composition of Vangelis' Blade Runner soundtrack. It does not fail to stir you from your seat towards the screen in anticipation that something big and bad is coming. What I love about it is that it is not clean; the sounds hold this dirt that really resembles the aggressive tone of the world the film is wanting to portray. Lopatin through his score is demonstrating that the characters do not fear getting their hands dirty and that this criminal landscape does not wince at eating you up and spitting you out - you truly feel the sheer force of the score.

Overall, it is a film full of colour yet does not need a sophisticated palette to enjoy. Rather than the Safdie Brothers creating a smart film that depicts the downfall of Connie, it seems to be caught in two minds where the plot unravelling feels as though the filmmakers had gone off on a tangent when sewing the narrative together, making a flavourless film that does not deliver anything more than a good time.

1/2/0

3/13

~Iman