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You Were Never Really Here (2017)
You Were Never Really Here (2017)
I was a little apprehensive about seeing this movie. It appeared like it would be either really good or just really bad. I have enjoyed most of Joaquin Phoenix’s work, so I thought I would give You Were Never Really Here a shot.
The film is about a hit man who gets in over his head when he is hired to rescue a young girl from a sex slave ring, and make the people involved suffer for what they have done to her.
The movie was directed by Lynne Ramsay and the noteworthy cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, Judith Roberts, John Doman, Alex Manette, Ekaterina Samsonov, and Alessandro Nivola.
You Were Never Really Here is unflinching and unplugged. The film does not pull any punches. The subject matter is as dark as it gets. This movie is certainly not for everyone. The movie was unique. The way that it was filmed raised the level of intensity. The soundtrack and natural background noise in the movie really set the gritty tone. It was rough at times, but it was very necessary to tell the story.
Phoenix is ruthless and almost robotic. It is a cold, hard, Oscar-worthy performance. He throws everything into his character and continues to reveal to us his wide range of talent and ability as a versatile actor.
I have heard comparisons of You Were Never Really Here to Taxi Driver (1976), and I have to say that I liked You Were Never Really Here better. I can see the comparison in only the mean streets and loud, tough city. The atmosphere was reminiscent of Taxi Driver in the way that it was filmed. However, I feel like Taxi Driver tried too hard and often fell short. There was a lot more unnecessary shock value in Taxi Driver. I felt like there was more depth and purpose to You Were Never Really Here (2017).
This movie was in limited release and therefore I had to go way out of my way in order to see it. Because it was such a dark film, I can understand that it was only in limited release. Not everybody can handle this type of movie. However, I am glad that movies like this one are still able to get made.
You Were Never Really Here will leave you thinking about it long after it is over. That is often how you can tell that a movie was worth seeing, when it sticks with you. If you are a fan of Joaquin Phoenix and you like grittier films, then you will most likely enjoy You Were Never Really Here.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
If you liked this film then you might also enjoy:
Bad Samaritan (2018)
John Wick (2014)
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
Collateral (2004)
Street Kings (2008)
Training Day (2001)
Crank (2006)
Crank: High Voltage (2009)
Gladiator (2000)
Her (2013)
Triple 9 (2016)
Running Scared (2006)
Run All Night (2015)
Harsh Times (2005)
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Dark humor in an edgy looking story jammed packed with character actors galore. Why wouldn’t I want to see this film?
The movie is about a broken woman whose daughter had been raped and murdered less than a year earlier and the crime is still unsolved. She decides to purchase advertisements on three billboards outside of Ebbing, Missouri, essentially publically calling the police out for not doing their jobs. This gets the attention of the police station and stirs things up around town.
The film was written and directed by Martin McDonagh and the noteworthy cast includes Frances Mcdormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Peter Dinklage, Caleb Landry Jones, Abbie Cornish, Lucas Hedges, Zeljko Ivanek, Christopher Berry, John Hawkes, Clarke Peters, and Darrell Brit-Gibson.
The casting is superb. The characters are excellent. Rockwell and Harrelson are likable jerks (as they often are). They play their parts well. Mcdormand steals the show with her best performance in years.
The multiple characters stories join together well in a web of darkness. The movie allows its cast to take their time to develop their characters in an overly dysfunctional drama. They really did not disappoint.
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri is a blunt force. It has the right amount of dark humor carefully thrown into the mix to break up the brutal honesty of the film.
This film is a miserably twisted tale that goes to some dark places. You can really feel the pain and anguish on screen. However, it leaves those places leaving you feeling better about the whole thing afterwards.
There is more cussing in this film than I have heard in a newer film for a while. The dialogue and writing are top notch. I enjoyed how the film did not really edit itself. It may not be much for the politically correct crowd. If you cannot handle harsh language, this movie is not for you. Given some of the horrible situations in this film, I feel that the language was justified and also more realistic. It served as another tool to get the point across.
The movie pushes the boundaries on what you expect. Lots of surprises keep you guessing throughout. It’s witty and charming, but in a dysfunctional, hellish way.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
If you liked this film then you might also enjoy:
Fargo (1996)
North Country (2005)
Mr. Right (2015)
Choke (2008)
Matchstick Men (2003)
Triple 9 (2016)
The Best Movies of 2016
The Best Movies of 2016
Below is my list of the best movies that I have seen that were released in 2016 (even if some were made in 2015). I have included trailers for each movie. I would love to eventually write a review of each of these films and talk about why I enjoyed them so much. But for now, just know that all of these movies were awesome in their own way. I will continue to add to this list if I see any more movies from 2016 that are worthy of this list.
The Accountant (2016)
The Nice Guys (2016)
Deadpool (2016)
Hacksaw Ridge (2006)
The Free State of Jones (2016)
Bleed for This (2016)
13 Hours (2016)
Passengers (2016)
Triple 9 (2016)
Demolition (2015)
Hardcore Henry (2015)
Arrival (2016)
Deepwater Horizon (2016)
Sully (2016)
Mr. Right (2015)
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