Son Of A Gun

Synopsis: 19 year old JR (Brenton Thwaites) arrives in jail for a relatively short stay of six months. Here he meets lifer, Brendan Lynch (Ewan McGregor) who offers him protection from some of the more predatory inmates in return for a favour once JR gets out. The favour turns out to be a job acting as middleman for Brendan’s brazen prison break, during which he meets crime boss Sam (Jacek Komen) and his attractive protégé, Tasha (Alicia Vikander) who might be attracted to him or might just be following orders. Once they’ve sprung Brendan, JR finds himself part of the crew preparing for a big gold heist. But when the job goes pear-shaped  he is landed in the middle of a deadly double cross in which knowing who to trust could mean the difference between life and death.

At the AACTA preview for Son Of A Gun, writer/director Julius Avery told the crowd that he’d unashamedly set out to make a popcorn heist movie. And that’s exactly what he’s done. And he’s done a pretty good job of it. Avery’s tight, pacey screenplay has plenty of tense action underscored by another great Jed Kurzel soundtrack; an enjoyable if not overly complex, noirish plot; and the obligatory roll call of quirky-but-scary henchmen (most notable of which is a paranoid gem of a cameo from Damon Herriman). All this is helped out by three strong performances from McGregor, whose boyish grin and hard-man stare are reminiscent of early Michael Caine; Vikander, who provides just the right amount of femme fatale; and Thwaites whose naivety and innocence are the glue that holds the plot together.

As is often the case in this kind of movie, it’s a pretty blokey affair. Without any help from characters who are credited as ‘Swimsuit Girl’, ‘Girl In A Bikini’ and ‘Airport Clerk’, it’s left to Vikander to offset the testosterone. Last seen in the 2012 costume dramas, Anna Karenina and A Royal Affair she finds qualities in Tasha that elevate her beyond what could, in a lesser film, have been little more than ‘the chick’ role. In fact, it’s Tasha’s romance with JR that gives the film its surprising good heart. In moments where we see JR playing with a water pistol, or the longing gaze they respectively give to kids at play; either in the playground or on bikes riding through the streets, we’re reminded that they’re both just kids trying to hide their vulnerability. If they don’t turn out to be double crossing each other, they might just be each other’s salvation from a dark and corrupted life.

Of course, there’s also more than one occasion when we’re asked to suspend our disbelief almost to breaking point but, for the most part, if we go with its creator’s intention and scoff down the popcorn, then we’re likely to enjoy the ride.  

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