Son of a Gun

McGregor is a treasure. Seriously, the man is just captivating and likely a terribly underrated actor to most people. Seeing him as this scoundrel dirtbag was really fun and so different than what I'm used to. Vikander is in a similar situation, playing a scuzzy character feels so out of the norm for her but she does a great job. Performances are solid here but honestly the rest of the movie is less exciting. I enjoy the performances and relationships but I needed more to really latch onto it. Worth watching for fan of the cast but beyond that I can't say there's anything magnetic about the film.

This film tell the story of a young man who is good at chess, getting accepted by a criminal gang inside the prison. They go out to do more jobs after breaking out of prison.

"Son of a Gun" has a big actor in it, and that's why I watched it. I found the plot meandering all the time, and the goals of the actors are poorly explained. I had no idea what the characters want to achieve when they do something, and I only find out after the effect has happened. That's poor story telling and poor engagement. I just didn't care for any of the characters. I found it disappointing and confusing. Fortunately the ending scenes were quite good, saving the film from being a complete disaster.

This is a 'heist' movie with a fairly standard story and the usual range of characters and events.

One little difference is that it is set in Australia.

But one large difference is the pacing of the movie. It never gets bogged down and it never goes OTT - so we don't see people flying through the air, in slow motion, shooting two guns at once.

The acting is of a level where it well represents the sort of randomness found in such characters as well as offering up a hero for the audience to follow.

If you want a fun action movie with enough of a story to follow and which moves along and keeps the interest up - this one is for you, my son.

A decent crime movie. Ewan McGregor makes a charismatic heavy-duty criminal with an inevitable intellectual side expressed through chess. The film gives him a chance to show his strengths as an actor. Slightly ropey plot (the chess again) and some A-Team style action scenes with plenty of bullets being sprayed around without apparent casualties. The central romance is pretty unbelievable- where does this attraction come from? - but it was an enjoyable bit of Aussie escapism, and the nasty Australian prison where the action starts came across as more believable than the US counterparts that usually form the backdrop for films like this. One to watch when you want some crime stuff, and enjoy.

For a crime or heist movie, Son of a Gun benefits from polished editing, good direction and commendable performance by Ewan McCGregor. However, the plot is not that engaging, the simplistic development could also be found in TV series or action games. To its credit, the film delivers plenty of content, even though some of them are stereotypical prodigy-versus-mentor or damsel-in-distress premise.

JR (Brenton Thwaites) is a new inmate in a prison, where he meets Brendan Lynch (Ewan McGregor), a veteran conman who offers him protection. Soon JR find himself as Brendan's henchman, unsatisfied of only doing his bidding, the two eventually clash. Thwaites performs well, he's decent as the young lead, but his acting range is a bit limited on some scenes. McGregor is the star here, stealing any scenes with flair and occasionally blurted rage.

Their relationship is a strange one, JR subtly seeks a father or teacher figure which he finds in Brandon, although ultimately he realizes that their interest might not align. It works in short term, but the material doesn't provide much back and forth exchange, what twists it has in store are pretty foreseeable. JR also encounters Tasha (Alicia Vikander), a beautiful girl in despair. There's little surprise this romantic subplot, Tasha's back story and also the tiny bit where she might just be a honey trap are not fully developed.

Its plot isn't ambitious nor does it possess high level of intricacy on its heist. A lot of other similar movies, or even TV series, have delivered the same concept. The use of Australia as setting helps, but it boils down to the familiar prison break or robbery stints. Luckily, the pacing is sharp, it pushes forward with conviction and the action parts are decent as well.

Son of a Gun feels like a fast version of crime miniseries of television show, it may not be groundbreaking but it is still a decent watch for action fans.