Dinero

In one word: "Wonderful"!

This motion picture had me engaged from start to end. The twists and turns in the plots keeps one guessing constantly as to what might come next. I often find film plots predictable and easy to figure out. Not "Money". Each action by one of the characters had me shifting where things may go next. The characters were very believable and properly cast for.

The fact that most of the film was set on one site was genius. The viewer of the film feels "captive" in the home/patio along with the two couples being terrorized by the surprise visitor.

The ending, which takes place in a much more urban setting, was totally unexpected, but welcome. A great surprise to cap the end of a very engaging film.

Looking forward to viewing this film a second time.

I really didn't expect a lot from this film, having Googled the reviews, but it caught my attention from the get go. Not familiar with Bamber's work, but will be looking for more from him. Kept my attention for the duration & loved the ending. Highly recommend this film. Ranks way up there with the Thriller genre. A previous reviewer suggested that this was perfect for Christian Bale. Agreed. The other actors could have been anyone but acceptable for this assignment. Didn't really see the connection with the father in the opening scenes, but essential for the ending I suppose. Loved the interaction with the scorned wife & the psychopath while waiting for the safe to open.

"MONEY" is a well-made, really exciting thriller that stays interesting despite the limited locations. This is one of those movies that I trilled I got to see as part of the closing night film at the Big Apple Film Festival in NY (where it ended up winning Best Film). The premise is pretty simple. Two guys (Kellan Lutz and Jesse Williams) and their significant others (Jess Weixler and Lucia Guerrero) are having dinner at their home in the Hamptons when Jamie Bamber shows up and the twists begin.

There are many smart choices in the movie, one of which is to keep the cast small. For most of the movie we only get 5 characters and that allows us to get to know them. You feel like you're inside the movie, studying everyone and trying to get the edge on them by observing their mannerisms and gauging their personality. While you're getting inside the characters' heads, a strong sense of urgency builds. I'm no criminal, but I know that with a robbery, you have to get in and get out quick. The longer the plot drags on, the worse it's going to get because you increase the chances of more things going wrong. After a while you realize there are no heroes or villains in this film. Because the characters are intelligent, they're always trying something new and it kept me guessing as to what was going to happen or be said next. It's really satisfying to see a movie where people act logically; always trying to sneak past each other's defenses (both physical and mental/emotional) and you'll constantly be surprised by the new elements introduced. "Money" is a terrific thriller that really cleverly uses its location, creates genuine thrills and exciting feelings of paranoia and claustrophobia too.

It seems to me that 'Money' is a perfect, elegant and flawless product; a very stylized classic drama. While I was watching it, movies like The Rope (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948) or Wait Until Dark (Terence Young, 1967) came to my mind. The movie is concise, pragmatic and straightforward. Its goals are clear and they know how to reach them. Its message is, on top of that, beautiful, illuminating and not indulgent. The tension is built up in a superb manner for a movie that needs to keep us in suspense. And the director's work with the actors is sublime. With perhaps the exception of Kellan Lutz, more inexpressive, they are all splendid, and that makes the text shine and the credibility of what is taking place escalate. In that sense, the actor's direction is spectacular. At times, the necessity of filming hastily is noticeable, but not so much because of the editing, which is perfect, with just some isolated glimpses that can be observed. However, it is more noticeable in the staging: it looks like there wasn't time to plan a proper communicative meaning beyond what's functional. There is not a genuine relationship between the characters and the space, not a single shot provides more information than what the characters verbally announce. It would have been a spectacular movie if they had taken more risks in that sense. It would have been even better if they had what every movie lacks of: time! But, in spite of that, everything in 'Money' is believable, accurate and intense. Concision, focusing on a single location, a right pace in the dialogues, witty replicas and great performances are but a few of its virtues. In that sense, 'Money' is a complete success.

Not that this is a bad film. But there are number of things that are somewhat annoying: too much dialog, characters and situations that aren't really believable and a story that is somewhat predictable. Settings are OK, director tries to give a visual touch but the film smells to much like a stage play. But hey, the actors are OK and the story is still strong enough to keep your attention. All by all a film that is easy to see but also easy to forget.