Capsule reviews for July 28
Sophie Wilde stars in TALK TO ME. (Photo: A24)
The Baker
Overcooked and lacking flavor, this derivative vigilante thriller from director Jonathan Sobol (The Art of the Steal) squanders a winning performance by Ron Perlman that brings a hard crust and a soft center to the title role. Perlman plays a bakery owner who meets his mute 8-year-old granddaughter (Emma Ho) after a surprise visit by his estranged son (Joel David Moore), who promptly disappears. Some trouble ensues involving a gangster (Harvey Keitel) and some stolen drugs, forcing the Baker to revisit the tough-guy days from his past. The film occasionally sparks to life but mostly wallows in genre tropes that prevent building much meaningful suspense. (Rated R, 104 minutes).
The Beasts
Exploring dark universal themes with rich cultural specificity, this captivating Spanish thriller delves into gentrification and gender politics while building steady tension around its feuding characters. It follows a French expatriate (Denis Menochet) and his wife (Marina Fois) who recently relocated to northwestern Spain to become organic farmers. However, their arrival is quietly perceived as a threat by the locals, especially a neighbor (Luis Zahera) who seems to be taking out his pent-up hostilities on the couple. Set against an evocative backdrop of ruggedly sumptuous landscapes, the deliberately paced film effectively shifts points of view as its thorny conflicts escalate, challenging traditional notions of heroes and villains. (Not rated, 137 minutes).
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Insightful without turning heavy-handed, this sharply observed documentary about the Ugandan entertainer and politician is both thematically universal and culturally specific. It chronicles the life and career of Wine, who emerged from a troubled upbringing to become a prominent pop star, then used that fame to spur his activism against Uganda’s autocratic regime. When he runs for political office and gains a following, he validates firsthand his claims of government corruption while becoming a target for persecution. The film’s broader revelations are hardly shocking, but by keeping the spotlight on its charismatic and resilient subject, it becomes a powerful look at an inspiring grassroots movement. (Rated PG-13, 118 minutes).
Hidden Strike
As always, the charismatic Jackie Chan tries hard to sell the action sequences in this otherwise lackluster international thriller from director Scott Waugh (Need for Speed) that’s all brawn and no brains. Chan plays the leader of a Chinese rescue mission to free innocent civilians trapped at a Middle Eastern oil refinery. As he navigates a bus caravan, he faces off against masked terrorists and forms a reluctant partnership with an American ex-military contractor (John Cena) who’s gone rogue. From there, the buddy-comedy rapport of the stars can’t overcome a threadbare script that lacks any character depth or thematic complexity to bridge its frenetic set pieces. (Rated PG-13, 102 minutes).
Shrapnel
Brutally violent confrontations add some visceral intensity to this vigilante thriller from director William Kaufman (The Channel), which otherwise is overwhelmed by narrative cliches. It centers on Sean (Jason Patric), an ex-Marine living on a Texas ranch whose daughter disappears with a friend across the Mexican border. Frustrated by the ambivalence of the authorities, Sean partners with a fellow veteran (Cam Gigandet) for a showdown against the cartel responsible for the kidnapping. Cue an extended series of videogame-style chases and shootouts with heavy artillery and over-the-top kill shots. While that might satiate genre fans, the film squanders a potentially provocative backdrop in favor of boilerplate action. (Rated R, 89 minutes).
Susie Searches
A mystery that yields more questions than answers, this meandering drama boasts a strong cast but lacks the consistent tone and emotional grounding to build an edgier sense of intrigue. Susie (Kiersey Clemons) is a nerdy Ohio college student, fledgling true-crime podcaster, and intern for the local sheriff (Jim Gaffigan) who becomes an unlikely hero when she rescues a kidnapped classmate (Alex Wolff). While that brings the online popularity she was seeking, Susie’s sudden fame has its price when it triggers a downward spiral. Clemons (Dope) is endearing, although the muddled screenplay relies on progressively far-fetched twists that make it more convoluted than compelling. (Rated PG-13, 105 minutes).
Talk to Me
Ambition surpasses execution in this mildly inventive horror saga, which generates some intense scares by tweaking familiar supernatural tropes, but beneath the surface it’s more unsettling than terrifying. Satirizing the age of social-media temerity, it’s centered on a group of thrill-seeking friends who gather around an embalmed hand said to conjure spirits. However, when Mia (Sophie Wilde) recklessly flaunts the rules, it unleashes possessive spirits that turn their naivete into extreme fear. Despite a magnetic performance by Wilde (The Portable Door), this promising directorial debut for Australian siblings Danny and Michael Philippou doesn’t amount to much more than a genre exercise in gore and gimmicks. (Rated R, 94 minutes).
The Unknown Country
Layered with timely cultural relevance, this road-trip drama takes a scenic route through Middle America with a deeply felt if uneven story of family legacy and self-discovery. Those themes are explored through the eyes of Tana (Lily Gladstone), a Native American woman who embarks on a solo road trip from Minnesota to the Mexican border to handle some important family business. As Tana interacts with eccentrics and navigates an undercurrent of sociopolitical volatility, Gladstone’s portrayal resonates with compassion and authenticity. Meanwhile, the elliptical screenplay by rookie director Morrisa Maltz is quietly perceptive without turning heavy-handed — contrasting the vastness of the surroundings with rich emotional intimacy. (Not rated, 85 minutes).
War Pony
Examining a cycle of toxic masculinity and juvenile delinquency through a unique cultural lens, this evocative coming-of-age drama conveys a raw authenticity involving Native American broken families and socioeconomic hardships. Specifically, its parallel stories follow two wayward Lakota teenagers on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Bill (Jojo Bapteise Whiting) works odd jobs to support his two kids, while younger Matho (Ladainian Crazy Thunder) engages in petty theft and mischief with his friends. Neither seems to have much hope or ambition for the future. The loosely constructed plot meanders, although rookie directors Gina Gammell and Riley Keough find heartfelt humanity in the harsh setting. (Rated R, 115 minutes).