Capsule reviews for Oct. 28

The Ambush

While it’s nice to get a different cinematic perspective on military conflict in the Middle East, this combat thriller from French director Pierre Morel (Taken) is more about the vivid and intense action sequences than emotional complexity or sociopolitical context. It’s based on a true story set in Yemen in 2018, when Emirati troops on aid patrol are ambushed with heavy artillery and become trapped behind enemy lines, prompting a daring rescue mission. Although the film lacks much character depth or cultural insight — too often relying on genre tropes — it does convey the universal nature of courage, camaraderie, and moral reflection along the front lines. (Rated R, 111 minutes).

Black and Blues

Louis Armstrong’s buoyant spirit shines throughout this insightful documentary about his life and career from director Sacha Jenkins (Fresh Dressed), who shines new light on his subject’s pioneering musical prowess with rhythm and flair. The film tracks Armstrong’s impoverished New Orleans upbringing and his rise to fame as an elite jazz trumpetist during the mid-20th century, when he redefined the genre and broke racial barriers with his crossover audience appeal, requiring a delicate balance regarding social causes. Weaving together a remarkable collection of archival footage, Jenkins probes Satchmo’s turbulent personal life and triumphs over adversity while enabling his legendary gravelly-voiced charisma to command the spotlight. (Rated R, 104 minutes).

Holy Spider

Navigating delicate themes without sacrificing genre intrigue, this audacious true-life crime thriller from Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi (Border) simmers with tension, and not always because of the central murder mystery. It follows female journalist Rahimi (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi), sent to the holy city of Mashhad to investigate a serial killer (Mehdi Bajestani) who claims that brutally ridding the streets of sex workers has religious merit. As the “Spider Killer” gains folk-hero status, Rahimi seeks to expose the truth. Although familiar in stretches, the stylish and provocative film examines political oppression and religious morals through a unique sociocultural lens, with a committed central performance keeping it emotionally grounded. (Not rated, 116 minutes).

Please Baby Please

Visually ambitious but otherwise pretentious, this high-camp, dreamlike examination of masculinity and gender fluidity from director Amanda Kramer (Ladyworld) certainly isn’t for all tastes. The loosely constructed story is set in the 1950s, centering on New York newlyweds Suze (Andrea Riseborough) and Arthur (Harry Melling), who become tangled up with a street gang. As Suze seeks fulfillment, one gang member (Karl Glusman) awakens hidden desires in Arthur, and a quest for acceptance. With the random musical numbers and aggressively provocative imagery — plus a Demi Moore cameo — the film’s over-the-top approach and awkward pacing prevent this defiantly bizarre concoction from resonating deeper than its surface fascination. (Not rated, 95 minutes).

Run Sweetheart Run

A subversive breakdown of horror tropes through a contemporary feminist lens, this taut if overwrought thriller from director Shana Feste (Boundaries) combines paranoia, toxic masculinity, and bloody revenge. Cherie (Ella Balinska) endures daily sexism as an administrative assistant to a powerful Los Angeles lawyer (Clark Gregg), who arranges an evening for her with an influential client (Pilou Asbaek). Unaware the man has ulterior motives, Cherie must fight for survival until sunrise. A committed performance by Balinska (Charlie’s Angels) as the resilient and tough-minded heroine brings depth to a film that’s otherwise more interested in generating cat-and-mouse chills than social commentary. On that level, it delivers. (Rated R, 103 minutes).

The System

There’s plenty of frenetic no-holds-barred prison brawling in this testosterone-fueled thriller, but hardly anything else. It follows a decorated ex-soldier (Tyrese Gibson), busted for armed robbery and recruited to go undercover into high-security privatized facility — in exchange for early parole to see his ill daughter — where a corrupt warden (Jeremy Piven) oversees an underground fighting ring. A wise cell mate (Terrence Howard) trains him. If it were more ambitious, the screenplay by director Dallas Jackson could have explored more in-depth the inequities in the justice system, struggles of reintegrating veterans, or failings of privatized jails, without sacrificing the action. But instead it prioritizes brawn over brains. (Rated R, 97 minutes).