Medias Res

Noir can be a tricky genre to get "right." Too much style and you lose out on all the wonderful storytelling the genre can give, and too much verbosity can drain the life out of it. Media Res walks this balance excellently. The movie looks awesome for its budget, and the actors bring it in classic noir fashion. Also refreshing? This isn't another alcoholic hard boiled private eye noir story, It's a grounded tale about a flawed man in way over his head who's just trying to do the right thing, although maybe not in the right way. It's a story that feels very current and real, with just enough flavor and theatricality to push it squarely in the film noir pantheon. it's funny, sharp, honest and, like any good story, it ends in tears. Seek out and support independent cinema. Artists like the ones who made Media Res deserve to keep telling their stories.

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can change the rest of your life. This film takes you on this type of dark journey. A crime-drama/thriller on the surface and a subtle comedy beneath the surface, this nicely paced film continues to surprise all the way until it's unpredictable conclusion. The two leads have terrific chemistry and their entertaining performances kept me glued till the very end. Well done to every one involved.

Media Res takes you on a journey with a couple of unlikely friends when they end up in the wrong place at the wrong time while just trying to survive their daily lives. This is a low budget film that manages to feel like it isn't low budget and that's not something that's easy to accomplish. The characters are interesting and the story is interwoven with subtle comedic elements, which helps lift some of the tension created by what the characters in the film are experiencing. And all of this is done expertly. The film takes a much darker turn that what I was expecting in the last act, but that's what makes this thriller so intriguing. Medias Res features a fresh storyline that you haven't seen before and it is executed skillfully to make this a true modern noir. I can't wait to see what these filmmakers do next.

A refreshing take on the good guys trying to just make it in a life of crime-type of film, full of quite an interesting tone and performances that really stand out. Dying to see what the director does next and I'd highly recommend this one.

-Jerry Smith

Medias Res is the kind of breezy, 90s/2000s indie crime caper that filmmakers just do not make nowadays. The world of Medias Res is that of a world with car thieves, drugs, television stars and hapless people trying to make their way. Star Mike Delaney cuts a sympathetic cloth as the put upon Dave and Sarah Coykendall is magnanimous as Summer. The film hypnotizes and adjusts you to its rhythm rather than vice versa. Highly recommended.