Beckett

What a nauseating beginning to what turns out to be a perfectly mediocre action movie. After going on for some 10 minutes, much more of the eponymous Beckett and his girlfriend's lovey-dovey, cutesy-wootsy foreplay, and I would've been ready to run their car off the road. These American vacationers (well, I guess Alicia Vikander is Swedish, but whatever) in Greece display some of the most irritating intimacy ever filmed, I swear--talking nonsense to each other, fondling each other while driving, drawing a heart on him--grown adults acting like horny teenagers.

Otherwise, and despite what the extra-T "Beckett" might conjure regarding more thoughtful fare involving a Thomas or a Samuel Becket, this "Beckett" is a good alternative for anyone who enjoyed watching John David Washington running around in "Tenet" (2020), but would rather not engage with a complicated narrative, or those who liked the conspiratorial intrigue of him in "BlacKkKlansman" (2018), but wished the politics of it were vague to the point of irrelevance. Communists and fascists, oh my. An old-fashioned American-savior narrative, but without the white guilt, an unwitting wrong-man mystery solved during panting breaks in between fighting and chasing. The scenery is nice, though, and, granted, a movie that begins by prophesizing the hero at the ruins of the Oracle of Delphi can't be all bad, although grand, Ancient Greek tragedy this isn't. Watch the "John Wick" shoot-'em-ups for that, seriously.

There's also the debatable appeal of Washington's hero not being without personal guilt and being mostly realistically human--limited by injuries, fatigue, panic attacks, an' all. Yet, he still ends up doing a Batman in a parking garage. If Washington keeps this up, Marvel or DC is going to cast him in one of their superhero burgers.

As a thriller, Beckett is a dull primer on the genre, employing every trope, gimmick, and theme ever, all in one action plot so predictable as to be risible. In addition, it is so indebted to moving the plot favorably for the titular protagonist (John David Washington) that its coincidences exceed logic.

Beckett and April (Alicia Vikander-underused) are blissfully vacationing in Greece ("I think I'm having a love attack," he says-yikes for the dialogue) when their auto plows at dark into a home that just happens to be the hideout for conservatives who have kidnapped a little boy, the son of a prominent politically left candidate. Such an improbability kickstarts the plot that has the thugs tracking Beckett and nothing else.

At several points that Beckett escapes, we can be assured that he will survive because of his extraordinary good luck in doing so. Each set piece of his escapes also seems disjointed enough from the main plot that it could exist outside of this film, albeit some are well executed if not fabulous.

Because of his ability to get out of each tough spot, I have forgotten most of them; all I know is that Beckett cannot be stopped, despite multiple wounds. The people along the way who help him are not as lucky.

Washington is durable if not a bland, a stoic face that accompanied him when he was chased in Tenet as well. Vikander remains one of the best actresses of her time even if she's gone early from Beckett when she is unfortunately delivered by her lover's sleepy driving. Lena (Vicky Krieps) is a rebel who helps him along the way to seeking refuge from his pursuers in the American embassy, another wasted talent.

As for who represents what in the political part of the film, I haven't a clue except that the candidate at the rally seems to be more liberal than the organization pursuing Beckett. Netflix is the home of this disappointing thriller-even during pandemic time, I can't recommend it.

This movie was not for John David Washington, they should have cast someone else. The acting was generally really bad, I felt nothing for the characters and I also didn't connect with the story. The Characters who are seemingly "in-love" had no chemistry between them. The camera work and editing were the biggest let down, some of the shots were out of focus....not artistically out of focus, like incompetent DP out of focus. Editing department should have cut those out. Some scenes were shot like it was a low budget student film. This movie was hard to watch because the overall quality was really poor.

Remember this is a movie. For that there are things that are heightened. I for one thought it is interesting having some villain shadow ... whatever operate in Greece. Also our main character here is no superhero. He won't Bourne his way out of things ... he has to rely on luck (and some shoody writing on the bad guys part too of course).

Having said all that, bonus points for shooting in Greece (evident on many occasions and just a small little detail like the plastic water bottle being used during a car drive almost at the beginning is one testament of that) ... and having many talk in Greek. Which our main character does not understand at all.

You could argue that he puts a lot of lives in danger of the folk who are so willing and eager to help. But there is not time to think about small things like that ... the movie has a pace that seems relentless and never stopping.

Works out pretty fine at the first half of the movie, gets a bit dragging towards the beginning of the second part. And as stated above the villains seem especially ... well light minded? Is that politically correct way of putting it? Whatever the case, this is a rock solid thriller, which is not an indicator how your next vacation (in Greece or elsewhere in Europe) will go down.

What i liked was the old fashioned way its filmed. Reminds me of classic greek cinema. Also as a Greek watching many beautiful locations or streets that i walked thousand times cetrainly keep my interest. Greek actors were fine, their acting felt natural. Im not a camera expert but the way its filmed feels like you re not watching a movie but events unfolding in front of you, like a documentary.

And here is where my biggest complain is. In order to make up for that normal like 'anti-cinematic' way of filming you need to balance it with something very captivating in order to keep audience involved, in other words some spicy flavour. Its like filming myself running from Metsovo to Athens. It may be a movie, but not an art, not something more than a few people would care to watch. And if someone makes a movie without some sort of a greater philosophical meaning at least he owns the viewer some kind of entertainment.

Do you remember some american shows where you have the real person tell a life surviving story and in the meantime they make a short cheap movie to alternate so you dont watch a person talking on a chair for 50 mins? Make those 50 mins 105 and you have Beckett, only the story is about politics, a subject few can relate to.

I wont even discuss about Johns performance as he wasnt given a fair chance.

Summary: it captured some greek elements and it felt real and natural but it was missing taste and artistic touch to make it appealing for a larger audience. Dont feel like trashing this movie since im from Greece so i cannont give it any less than 6/10, propably more of what is worth for.