Crime

A Good Woman is Hard to Find: Shows Us The Harsh Realities Of Life

Published

3 years ago

June 28, 2020

Just let sleeping dogs lie.

The moment you see Sarah (Sarah “The Lazarus Effect” Bolger) turning the house upside down while looking for batteries for her non-working vibrator and hear her say “Thank you Jesus” a little later with visible relief, it seems as if she’s a completely different character than the woman who came into the picture at the beginning of the film. Admittedly, a woman who still mourns her recently deceased husband. But then without blood splashes in her face and on her body. After seeing “Becky” only recently, “A good woman is hard to find” is yet another revenge film in which a desperate woman takes a thorough revenge on those who made her life a living hell. Not that she suffered physical injuries. But the murder of her husband and the way in which she is treated by society makes sure that it’s best your not going to stand in Sarah’s way. Those who do will experience the painful consequences.

Only a few unrealistic aspects.

The only thing I found a bit unrealistic was the constant apathy and misogyny displayed here. Never thought there were so many rude, insensitive and tactless people in the UK. A shop assistant who treats Sarah like a utensil and makes use of a fairly sexist language. A psychologist who shows a lack of tact. But especially the way the police treated her was totally implausible to me. Even if the activities of the deceased husband were not too kosher, that doesn’t mean that this widow should be treated in such a low-minded, condescending way. And while the drug gang is notorious in this district who don’t treat annoying individuals in a gentle way, it seems as if they are unknown to the local police.

“American psycho” in the UK.

In any case, “A good woman is hard to find” has a more realistic character than, say, a film like “Becky”. The bleak and hopeless situation Sarah finds herself in. The gray slums in Belfast, Ireland, where drug trafficking is rampant. Lawlessness seems to be a standard in this social neighborhood. And the revenge actions can also be called quite brutal. And at the same time more plausible than in other films. When Sarah goes to the local hardware store and starts purchasing a whole arsenal of working tools, you can expect nauseating scenes. Not that it’s explicitly portrayed. But the background noise and slow-motion images leave nothing to the imagination. Immediately I was thinking about “American Psycho”.

Harsh and realistic flick.

Although “A good woman is hard to find” is a fairly conventional thriller that doesn’t deviate from the standard rules of the genre, there are still some elements that make the film rise above average. There’s the admirable acting of Sarah Bolger. A woman who has to deal with the loss of her husband on the one hand and then realizes that he actually lived a different life. The impetus for the rising violence can be traced back to petty thief Tito (Andrew Simpson). Stealing a load of drugs, belonging to the local drug lord Leo Miller (Edward Hogg), and using Sarah’s house as an alternative storage place, he forces Sarah to defend herself as a determined lioness. Also, those two roles (Tito and Leo) are played properly. And finally there’s the film technical aspect. Solid image quality. “A good woman is hard to find” is in all respects a dark and depressing film that shows the harsh reality of life in a hard and realistic way. An intense trip, as it were

My rating 7/10
Links: IMDB

FILM RATING

Related Topics:A Good Woman is Hard to Find Crime REVIEWS Thriller

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Crime

Netflix’s Bodies Review: Stephen Graham’s Mind-Twisting Series Related To Dark?

Published

1 month ago

October 20, 2023

Nikita Pahwa

If you are a fan of time travel, crime, and mind-bending suspense then Netflix’s Bodies is perfect to binge-watch this weekend. Directed by Haolu Wang and Marco Kreuzpaintner, Bodies is based on DC’s graphic novel by Si Spencer – who has been tributed in the first episode. The story follows four detectives in four different timelines and they discover a naked man’s body with one eye gouged out, surprisingly it’s the body of the same person in different timelines!

Shira Haas and Stephen Graham in Netflix’s ‘Bodies’

The 8-episode series parallelly shows four detectives – DS Hasan (Amaka Okafor) in 2023, DS Whiteman (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) in 1941, DI Hillinghead (Kyle Soller) in 1890, and DC Maplewood (Shira Haas) in 2053 twisted in the same case discovering facts that are beyond their understanding. DS Hasan from the year 2023 discovers that the case she has been working on has happened before, not once but twice decades ago. Much to her suspicion, the evidence aligns with her own case which leads her confused more than ever.

Stephen Graham is not limited to one timeline, his intense performance deepens the storyline, leaving viewers jumpy. Amaka Okafor, Shira Haas, Kyle Soller, and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd’s distinctive acting and effective dialogue delivery are appreciated but Fortune-Lloyd deserves a standing ovation for his shining performance. Graham and Soller’s costumes and makeup are on point in the show.

Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as DS Whiteman in Bodies

With each episode comes mind-blowing twists that keep you on edge all the time. Each detective’s personal story and connection to people close to them adds more depth to their character and the choices they make. Even till the end of the last episode, the series holds your attention profoundly. Different timelines connected to one another may cause confusion at first but it only adds more fun to the story that leaves us in shock.

Now, if it reminds you of Netflix’s other popular German series Dark, directed by Baran bo Odar, then we can’t blame you. Bodies and Dark are not related to each other but they draw strong parallels to one another and it’s mainly due to different timelines, time travel, and hard-to-understand relations between the two characters. Although characters in Bodies are not connected to each other deep and twisted like in Dark but you need to keep a close eye to understand their connection. Dark, starring German actors Louis Hofmann and Lisa Vicari, is Netflix’s one of the most popular supernatural twists series and it is safe to assume that Bodies is no less than the 3-season German series.

Time Portal in ‘Dark’ vs ‘Bodies’

Stephen Graham’s Bodies is a mind-bending, thriller series full of brilliant performances. Its captivating narrative and depth keep the viewers engaged and entertained.

Bodies is available to stream on Netflix.

FILM RATING

Crime

Killers Of The Flower Moon: Scorsese Expertly Crafts A True American Tragedy

Published

2 months ago

October 18, 2023

Kevin Verma

Martin Scorsese directing a Western crime drama starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Robert De Niro, a combination like that would immediately make this project the most highly anticipated movie of the year for most movie lovers. I have been looking forward to this project ever since it was announced to be happening in 2017, and 6 years later it is finally here.

Killers of the Flower Moon is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by David Grann and is adapted by Eric Roth. It also stars Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, and John Lithgow alongside De Niro and DiCaprio. Martin Scorsese has been delivering top-quality cinema for almost six decades now and although I didn’t love his last feature The Irishman, expectations were still high from this project, which also happens to be his first western.

Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” coming soon to Apple TV+.

Killers of the Flower Moon is set in the 1920s in the oil-rich lands of the Osage in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), a World War 1 veteran with no prospects arrives in town to live with his uncle Bill ‘King’ Hale (Robert De Niro), who claims to be a friend to the Osage people. Ernest falls in love with an Osage woman Mollie (Lily Gladstone), who sees through his greed, but a genuine romance eventually blossoms between the two.

The plot thickens when Mollie’s family starts dying under suspicious circumstances and they struggle to find justice through the local authorities. Gladstone’s performance is elegant and powerful and she shows her ability to act through her eyes for most of her screen time. She is subtle and often silent, but she makes sure to convey the exact emotions that her character is going through. Robert De Niro as Uncle Bill does what he does best. Scorsese always seems to manage to bring out the best of him. He is calculative, cunning and sharp and shines as the scheming businessman. DiCaprio also gives one of his career-best performances as the charming underling of King Hale.

Though the story is about the murderers, it keeps the romance between Mollie and Ernest at its center and for the first two acts, their relationship is the primary driving force of the narrative. The third act focuses more on the investigation and the consequences of the killings. The direction is masterful throughout and it follows similar themes from Scorsese’s previous works like greed, betrayal, and murder. The cinematography is also one of the finest of the year, with the sheer scale of the canvas a sight for sore eyes. The production design and costumes are also stellar.

Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” coming soon to Apple TV+.

A lot has been said about the runtime of the movie, which goes over the 200-minute mark, but it never feels too long. There are stretches that feel slow and could have been edited to make it crisper, but the run-time was not a major issue for me. I did feel that the screenplay did not provide enough perspective to the viewer, especially about some of the characters’ motivations. Some of the depth feels unexplored. Jesse Plemons was massively underused, while Brendan Fraser and John Lithgow feel wasted. I also felt that there was scope for blood and violence and the script also holds back on language.

Killers Of The Flower Moon is A True American Tragedy that further cements Martin Scorsese as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He shows off his craftsmanship and delivers a riveting Western epic that is self-reflective, thought-provoking and thoroughly captivating. AppleTV and Paramount have a masterpiece on their hands with knockout performances and masterful storytelling.

Killers of the Flower Moon releases in cinemas on October 20.

FILM RATING

Crime

The Kingpin of Gotham Has Arrived | The Penguin – Teaser

The Penguin is an upcoming American television miniseries created by Lauren LeFranc for the streaming service Max. Based on the DC Comics character Penguin, it is a spin-off from the film The Batman that explores the Penguin’s rise to power in Gotham City’s criminal underworld.