Julius Avery's "SON OF A GUN"

Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

The story by itself isn’t that original: young con goes to prison, old con takes him under his wing, old con teaches young con his evil ways. Along the way we have Russian mobsters, prison violence, spectacular escapes, a Young Girl (Alicia Vikander of Ex Machina), and a major heist gone wrong.

Alicia Vikander

I don’t think these qualify as spoilers; we’ve seen it all before. It’s just that Son of a Gun is so well produced, acted, scripted and scored that it stands head and shoulders above its brethren.

Two things especially stand out.

Ewan McGregor shines as the old con. He inhabits his role with grace, authority, and — dare I say it — integrity.

Australia. The sun, countryside, language, and terrain are captured beautifully and place you far away from the U.S., Korean, or European settings of so many other crime movies. It’s a welcome change that both familiar and foreign.

My only complaint is that the photography and color balance of time look a bit to video-ish. But that’s minor. This is a great action film where the focus on setting and character really shine.

A lot of thought and planning went into the production and editing and it shows. Recommended.

Review copyright (c) 2015 by Dennis D. McDonald