Movie Review – Good Time

It almost always begins with a bank robbery gone bad.

A man is being questioned by a psychiatrist (Peter Verby). As the psychiatrist asks the man what his first thoughts are, regarding a series of words, the man becomes irritated as he struggles to answer the questions and notices the psychiatrist taking notes. When the man asks what is being written down, but is not given a clear answer, he begins to tear up. Suddenly, the man’s brother bursts into the room to retrieve him. There is resistance from the psychiatrist, but soon the brothers are free.

Good Timestars Robert Pattinson (Twilight films) as Connie Nikas. His brother Nick (Benny Safdie), assists Connie with robbing banks, despite the fact that Nick is cognitively impaired and does not seem to fully understand it all. During this particular robbery, Connie escapes with the stolen money, but Nick does not. Nick is captured and questioned. Connie spends the length of the film trying to free his brother from confinement.

Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Corey Ellman, who is supportive of Connie, and reluctantly attempts to lend Connie bail money for his brother, even though it seems she has problems of her own. Taliah Webster plays Crystal, a young girl who offers to help Connie at times when he needs it the most. Oscar-nominated actor Barkhad Abdi (from Captain Philips (2013)) plays Dash the park security guard, who only gets in Connie’s way.

The most notable feature of this film, besides a few engrossing action sequences, is the adrenaline-laced techno-trance electro soundtrack. Even when there are calmer moments in the film, the soundtrack still pounds the beats out. The finished product feels like equal portions Quick Change (1990), Rain Man (1988), and Run Lola Run (1998).

Good Time is a collaborative effort as both directors Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie worked on the film. This is Joshua Safdie’s sixteenth directorial effort, with a seventeenth film on the way. Ben Safdie not only shares directorial credit with Joshua Safdie on twelve, soon to be thirteen of Joshua’s films, but Ben also co-stars in Good Time.

Near the conclusion of the film, a character says, they are “where they need to be”, which is best suited to sum up the film. This film has a very real ending, and for one character, a moment to come full circle. A surreal yet catchy Iggy Pop tune plays over the closing credits. Look for the soundtrack. Look for this film.