Capsule reviews for Jan. 17

Alarum

If you like machine guns, techno music, and renewals of old-fashioned Cold War hostilities, you can find all of that in better movies than this assembly-line thriller from director Michael Polish (The Astronaut Farmer). It’s set in wintry Poland, where two married spies (Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald) — working for a secret organization with no government jurisdiction — team up with a rogue colleague (Sylvester Stallone) in a battle against a foreign operative (Mike Colter) seeking a stolen hard drive with intelligence secrets. As loyalties shift and motives become cloudy, the film plays out as generic as it sounds, with minimal intrigue or incentive to care. (Rated R, 94 minutes).

Autumn and the Black Jaguar

Its message of conservation is certainly worthwhile, although those heartfelt intentions are undermined by eye-rolling contrivances in this earnest coming-of-age adventure. Years ago, Autumn (Lumi Pollack) bonded with the titular cat while her parents were missionaries in the Amazon jungle. Now a teenager burdened with grief, she impulsively returns to help save a native village from poachers and developers, accompanied by an absurdly neurotic teacher (Emily Bett Rickards) trying to keep her safe. Youngsters might gravitate to Autumn’s determined resilience. But while the lush tropical scenery makes the film easy on the eyes, the lack of subtlety and surprise makes it taxing on the brain. (Rated PG, 100 minutes).

Grand Theft Hamlet

It seems counterintuitive to describe anything in “Grand Theft Auto” as heartwarming, but such is the goofy experiment driving this documentary in which Shakespeare comes to Los Santos. It’s set entirely inside the video game, which became a refuge for British actors Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen during the pandemic. They come up with the idea of staging a virtual Hamlet with their avatars, complete with auditions from other players. While navigating outbursts of anarchic violence, they form a unique sense of community around the project, if their obsessions don’t derail it. The film amusingly balances the wonders of the digital realm with real-world human emotions. (Rated R, 91 minutes).

I’m Still Here

A fully committed portrayal by Fernanda Torres (Four Days in September) galvanizes this biopic from Brazilian director Walter Salles (Central Station) that’s provocative as a sociopolitical thriller and poignant as an intimate domestic drama. Torres plays Eunice Paiva, the matriarch of a Rio family torn apart by the country’s oppressive regime during the 1970s. When her husband disappears under mysterious circumstances, she eventually becomes entangled while her children are emotionally scarred. Years later, Eunice becomes a catalyst for change as a lawyer and activist seeking to expose the truth. As it ambitiously spans decades, the stylish and multilayered film resonates across geographic and chronological boundaries. (Rated PG-13, 136 minutes).

Night Call

The “nothing good happens after 2 a.m.” adage proves true for a young Belgian locksmith in this taut thriller that shrewdly plugs its plot holes with shots of adrenaline and underlying social commentary. Against a backdrop of Black Lives Matter protests in Brussels, Mady (Jonathan Feltre) answers a call from a woman (Natacha Krief) claiming to be locked out of her apartment. The simple job quickly turns violent after she disappears and a crime boss (Romain Duris) eagerly frames Mady for a conspiracy involving stolen cash. The stylish debut of director Michiel Blanchart uses an engaging protagonist and some clever twists to overcome genre cliches. (Not rated, 97 minutes).