Robert Pattinson is much derided for his role in the Twilight films but he continues to prove again and again that he really is a good actor. This was directed by the pair of brothers, Joshua and Benjamin Safdie, who seem to have some fame as independent filmmakers though I haven’t come across any of their work before this. Benjamin himself acts in this film as the mentally handicapped brother and does a great job at it too. Unfortunately while the film seems very promising at first, it doesn’t go where I thought it would and I’m mystified as to why the brothers chose to take it in that direction.
Small time criminal Connie Nikas is fiercely protective of his disabled brother Nick Nikas, believing that only he knows what’s best for him. He takes him out of therapy to rob a bank, intending to use the money to buy a farm where Nick can live in peace. Connie’s plan goes well at first but then the dye packs in the cash explode and they are forced to escape. In the confusion, Nick runs straight into plate glass, is injured and gets captured by the police. Connie tries to raise the money to bail Nick out, asking for help from his girlfriend Corey who is much older than he is. When that fails, he finds out where Nick has been hospitalized and goes there to break him out. By guile and wit, he seemingly succeeds but it turns out out to only be the beginning of a night of misadventures.
As the film opens with a scene of a therapist trying to help Nick and Connie subsequently interrupting the session, one naturally expects that this would be all about the relationship between the two brothers. However the film deliberately misleads the audience with a bait and switch technique to essentially have Nick exit partway through. This means that the whole thing is really a one-man show as Connie schemes to get himself out of the trouble that he caused for himself. In stark contrast with his brother, he is street smart and uses fast talking skills to charm others. However he epitomizes the old saying of being clever but unwise so every time he digs himself out of a tight spot he just makes his problems worse. The result is a tragicomedy of one mishap after another that is filled with tension and is highly entertaining to watch, but can only ever end badly.
The result is that this feels more than anything like a Pattinson star vehicle to allow him to show off the full range of his acting skills. He certainly impresses here and I even like the psychological portrait it paints of his character. While his brother Nick is the one who is overtly disabled, the film shows that Connie himself is far from being a well adjusted normal person. He is cunning and can turn on the charm when he needs to, but is pretty much a sociopath who is utterly uncaring for anyone other than his brother. At the same time, his absolute conviction that he is right means that he never stops trying and scheming even after making major mistakes and after his plans have gone awry. If nothing else, the high energy level makes this a mesmerizing, almost hypnotic watch in a sickly fascinating way.
Still I would have preferred a film that is more about both brothers instead of Connie alone. I feel that with only a single character in focus and no one else to play off of, there’s not much that a film can do. I’d rate this as a decent title but it won’t be one of my favorites.