Son of a Gun

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.

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.

This film gave me shivers and not just because of the intense first act which sees us locked in a prison with some pretty ruthless men but because I regained hope for a flailing Australian film industry. I feel obliged to support my industry so often I go to the cinema reluctantly and am thoroughly disappointed by the lack of respect for the audience the filmmakers have, they believe first and foremost they must get their unworthy stories on screen and then I'm left out of pocket and dissatisfied. This time was a different story, Son of a Gun has given us a MOVIE!!! Finally, an actual movie which I could disengage and go on a ride with the characters. This isn't trying to be a groundbreaking heist film and yet it is groundbreaking for Australia, it is so well made, performances are stellar and the score is epic. We have space for our kitchen sink dramas but we also should make way for these type of films and also judge it as an Australian film. That's why I gave it 10 out of 10 because this film should be judged like all other Australian films are judged and not judged harshly because it has a big star and feels like a bigger story. I highly recommend this film.

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.

Films depicting prison environments and heists tend to consist of recurrent topics and scenes, and the quality depends on how the viewers perceive them - as clichés or as characteristics. Luckily, Son of a Gun does with the latter, and skillful direction, several twists and versatile ending make this an okay film, where one can not always guess how the things go or what happens next, and all this is carried out without ridiculous shifts.

The cast is international, from a Scot till a Swede, plus locals, of course, and this provides the film with additional value (although the events take place in Australia only). Ewan McGregor as Brendan Lynch is certainly the best of them, outperforming the other main character - JR (performed by a local heartthrob Brenton Thwaites whose apparent intention was showing his torso as much as possible :)); the latter's relationship with Tasha (nicely performed by Alice Vikander) is a perfunctory link at times - although the pre-ending rounds it up again...

But anyway, if you like intense heist films with witty solutions, Son of a Gun is definitely for you.