Trespass Against Us

First time feature-film director Adam Smith establishes much in the opening minutes of the movie.

Our first image has the camera on the heels of a bullet-fast hare being chased and running for it's life through an endless meadow. Chasing, it seems, is a way of life for the backwoods thieving Cutler clan who we're about to meet.

The local British constabulary is usually doing the pursuing.

Chad Cutler (Michael Fassbender) squirms under the thumb of Colby, his domineering father, whose never-ending lifestyle of thievery sees no happy end. With a brother already trapped in prison, Chad looks at his young impressionable son and wonders whether he can offer him a different future.

To create a different path he must reassess Colby as a role model, and contemplate the unimaginable… to trespass against his father's wishes and put his own young family's well-being above the clan's. Ensuring an education – something his father denied him – seems to be the only escape route for his children's otherwise ill-fated future.

Colby, played by the indomitable Brendan Gleeson, is an uneducated patriarch whose limited worldview is a creeping cause for concern. His knack for planning successful robberies is now questionable, and he senses growing desperation and worry since it's become apparent his schemes are outdated and flawed. But knowing no other way of life, he hangs on, using whatever resources he can to keep his son, Chad, with him.

Michael Fassbender is an extremely talented actor and makes a powerful presence on the screen. Through him we witness Chad's struggle to be a dutiful son, loving husband and responsible father. With no formal schooling, no ability to read or write, his strongest skill is seen behind the wheel of a car in hot pursuit, he wrestles to make a choice on what kind of future he can offer his young family.

My rating: 76 /100

20 /25 – Overall

11 /15 – Directing

12 /15 – Acting

13 /15 – Cinematography (colour, angle, camera position)

06 /10 – Editing (rhythm, pace)

08 /10 – Script (dialogue, storyline)

06 /10 – Music/score (sound foley, costume, make-up casting)

Trepass against us, presented at the Toronto Film Festival in 2016, would like to tell so much, without however having the time and the tools to do so. It is unclear what theme the film is about to focus on. The spectator is confronted with the difficulties of nomadic life, father-son relationship, education and redemption, without however finding the time to immerse himself completely in any of them. The film, and often the spectator, feels the weight of two figures, such as Fassbender and Gleeson, who cover the roles of Chad and Colby. It would be understandable if one doubted that the two of were involved in the project to give him a boost (perhaps it needed it) rather than believing that their characters were so articulated that they needed the two actors' talent. Director Adam Smith, at his debut, is capable of talking about chases, sequences of action, and some hint of gangster comedy. It gives the movie adrenaline and the elements to be watchable, but not more than that. Often you are wondering why what you see is so as it is, as you are thinking that some characters have nothing to do with the world they live in. For example Chad. This is due to the rush of the director to arrive at the clue of the story, related to the characterization of the characters, which if is not flat, is mainstream and even trivial. This does not mean that the film is not touching, but it is less reflective than it should, and perhaps it would want to be.

Irresponsible parents. A main character has awful father and tries to be a good father for his own kids, but instead he does his best to be the same crap as his own father.

"Here's the truth, you pass it down from father to son. From father, son, grandson." Chad Cutler (Fassbender) has been involved in his dad Colby's (Gleeson) for his entire life. Chad's son is starting to understand what is going on and Chad makes a decision to get out of the family business. Things aren't always as easy as they seem though. This is a movie I had pretty high expectations for. Both of the main actors are great and this is really my style of movie. That being said I can't remember the last time I was this disappointed in one. I really really struggled to get into this movie and there never really seemed to be a plot or something to keep the story moving forward. The acting is great, but that can only take a movie so far. I'm sure many people will enjoy this one, but as for me I got bored early on and never really got to a point where I cared about what was going on. Overall, great acting but so slow an almost uninspired. One of the biggest disappointments I have seen in a long time. I sadly give this a C.

Michael Fassbender and Brendan Gleeson team up as a father and son criminal team with Gleeson being the brains, while Fassbender doing all the leg work. Gleeson as Colby is so deep in the game that he knows nothing else and refuses anything else, an attitude he expects from his son Chad, played by Fassbender but Chad has enough of a foot outside the game to know that he desperately does not want his young son Tyson to follow down this bloodline, even if Colby sees nothing wrong with the hand Jesus gave him (Colby is a God loving crook).

The film is about Chad being stuck in his outlaw life style. He wants it to be over but he has no options as he can't read or write, which blows my mind that a man in this day and age has no grasp at all of the language he's speaking, but it happens, and he's doing everything he can to make sure his son is educated.

One really cool thing I should mention about the film is the fact that it has some really awesome car chases in it. Not the main purpose of the film but Fassbender does play a getaway driver and his getaway driving was great.

It's a great performance piece coming from all the actors with Fassbender and Gleeson leading the charge. It really has that going for it as it's very small and really sweet and met to hit a nerve with those who know what it's like to be stuck and want better but just seem incapable of doing it.

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