Crisp Criticism - "Free State of Jones", "The Infiltrator", "Blood Father", "Don't Breathe"

by

Julien Faddoul

Free State of Jones *

A white Southerner falls for a slave and consequently rebels against the Confederacy.

Despite some effectively tense sequences, this falls into biographical tedium fairly quickly; content to provide almost all its thematic power through endless onscreen speeches.

wd – Gary Ross

ph – Benoit Delhomme

pd – Philip Messina

m – Nicholas Britell

ed – Pamela Martin, Juliette Welfling

cos – Louise Frogley

p – Jon Kilik, Gary Ross, Scott Stuber

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali, Keri Russell, Jacob Lofland, Sean Bridgers, Brad Carter

The Infiltrator *

A U.S Customs official uncovers a massive money laundering scheme involving Pablo Escobar.

Slick double-crossing crime drama based on fact. It presents itself in the dry tradition and loses its nerve well before the end.

d – Bard Furman

w – Ellen Brown Furman   (Based on the Book by Robert Mazur)

ph – Joshua Reis

pd – Crispian Sallis

m – Chris Hajian

ed – Luis Carballar, Jeff McEvoy, David Rosenbloom

cos – Dinah Collin

p – Miriam Segal, Don Sikorski

Cast: Bryan Cranston, Diane Kruger, Elena Anaya, Benjamin Bratt, Daniel Mays, Amy Ryan, John Leguizamo, Joseph Gilgun

Blood Father *

An ex-con reunites with his estranged wayward 16-year old daughter to protect her from drug dealers who are trying to kill her.

Gripping, but heavy-handed and implausible thriller with dumb revelations.

d – Jean-François Richet

w – Peter Craig, Andrea Berloff   (Based on the Novel by Peter Craig)

ph – Robert Gantz

pd – Robb Wilson King

m – Sven Faulconer

ed – Steven Rosenblum

cos – Terry Anderson

p – Chris Briggs, Pascal Caucheteux, Peter Craig, Sebastien Lemercier

Cast: Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty, William H. Macy, Elisabeth Röhm, Michael Parks, Thomas Mann, Diego Luna, Dale Dickey, Richard Cabral, Raoul Trujillo, Tait Fletcher, Luce Rains

Don’t Breathe *

A group of teens break into a blind man's home thinking they'll get away with the perfect crime. They're wrong.

To be seen as a fun exercise only: As a frightener, it contains some excellent frissons, but not enough to uphold cinematic gravity.

d – Fede Alvarez

w – Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues

ph – Pedro Luque

pd – Naaman Marshall

m – Roque Banos

ed – Eric L. Beason, Louise Ford, Gardner Gould

cos – Carlos Rosario

p – Fede Alvarez, Sam Raimi, Robert G. Tapert

Cast: Dylan Minnette, Jane Levy, Daniel Zovatto, Sergej Onopko, Stephen Lang, Emma Bercovici, Christian Zagia, Franciska Töröcsik, Katia Bokor, Olivia Gillies