Matt!’s review published on Letterboxd:
“So I was thinkin’, what if we just walk away?”
“Well, now you’re starting to talk some—“
“But then I was like, nahhhh.”
I know that was one of the lines in the trailer, but hot DAMN that shit is badass, and Aaron Pierre mutters it (growls it?) like a seasoned pro.
Jeremy Saulnier’s latest violently cynical action/thriller romp may essentially just be non-lethal Rambo meets small-town Serpico, but that’s fine and dandy with me cause this thing steadily oozes tension like a brand new bottomless tube of toothpaste. Something reeks in Nowheresville, USA, and by golly, our plays-by-the-rules one-man wrecking crew is gonna figure out what dirty secrets are hidden inside those rural government establishments.
The (unsurprisingly) wicked smart script occasionally gets a little too big for its britches in the second act once we dive headfirst into the deep end of overly convoluted legal speak, but the initial setup and final payoff are just peachy. There’s still plenty of violence, but because we’re talking about a Saulnier movie here, it sort of ends up feeling a bit underwhelming in comparison to something like Green Room—almost as if the dude saw “no murder this time” as a personal challenge. It also probably doesn’t help that we get a “bad guy” police force here who aren’t actually all just some clear-cut evil united front, meaning don’t go in expecting a bombastic Wild Bunch-esque final shootout. Still all kicks ass though, with Pierre absolutely owning the physicality of the role and eviscerating everyone he meets with his adorably pretty eyes. I’m not entirely sure Don Johnson’s agent understands that more roles exist than just “smarmy, prejudiced, & corrupt Southern figure of authority”, but hey, he keeps knocking em outta the park, so I guess if it ain’t broke…
But yeah, regardless, this shit is great. Saulnier’s such a no-fail stud when it comes to keeping you on the edge of your seat with minimal exposition, brooding atmosphere, and downtrodden Everyman characters—even the rotten stench of a Netflix Original couldn’t keep homeboy down.
P.S. High key can we get the petition going right now for Pierre as the next Bond??
P.P.S. AnnaSophia Robb (who has glown the hell up, btw) has a daughter in this one and I literally got distraught and whispered to myself “noooooo you’re still a baby, though!” My childhood is gone, guys.
