Capsule reviews for April 19

Blood for Dust

The snowy setting is about all that distinguishes this brooding crime thriller about deception, betrayal, murder, and dishonor among thieves. It centers on Cliff (Scoot McNairy) a mild-mannered traveling salesman in Montana and Wyoming still struggling after a tragic incident years earlier. Desperate to feed his family, he connects with a loose-cannon weapons dealer (Kit Harington) for a regional cartel boss (Josh Lucas), only to find that the initially lucrative partnership turns into a cutthroat fight for survival. Some stylish visual flourishes from director Rod Blackhurst (Here Alone) and McNairy’s sympathetic portrayal can’t rescue a film that’s more talk than action between its cliched, ultraviolent confrontations. (Rated R, 101 minutes).

Carol Doda Topless at the Condor

Both amusing and insightful, this documentary about the aspiring actress who become a stripping pioneer provides thoughtful context into her career even as it lacks detail into her personal life. Doda rose to prominence in the mid-1960s in San Francisco, where she worked as a cocktail waitress at the titular bar. Her transition to topless dancing began a trend in the city’s nightclub district that launched a movement toward sexual freedom and empowerment while drawing the ire of prudish protesters. Set against a volatile sociopolitical backdrop, the film examines Doda’s influence from a contemporary perspective, digging beyond the titillation to probe a unique slice of history. (Not rated, 100 minutes).

Dusk for a Hitman

More familiar than fresh from a narrative standpoint, this Canadian true-crime thriller gives its characters more depth and dimension than you might expect. It’s set in 1980, when Donald (Eric Bruneau) is a drug addict and enforcer for a ruthless Montreal mob boss (Benoit Gouin) who rules the city’s criminal underworld. But when his loyalties become torn between his job and his family, he seems destined to wind up either dead or in prison. But is there a way out? It’s impossible to sympathize with Donald given his brutally violent acts as the film unspools a mildly intriguing yet thematically mundane and morally ambiguous redemption story. (Rated R, 106 minutes).

Hard Miles

Like its scrappy young protagonists, this heartwarming true-life drama from director R.J. Daniel Hanna (Miss Virginia) is able to overcome obstacles its path, in this case an obligatory collection of formulaic contrivances. It chronicles a social worker (Matthew Modine) at a juvenile detention center in Colorado who assembles a cycling team from a ragtag group of inmates looking to complete an arduous and transformative ride to the Grand Canyon. But their journey is fraught with personal hurdles in addition to the harsh conditions. The performances, including Jahking Guillory (Kicks) as a recalcitrant teenager, pave the way for an powerfully uplifting redemption story that finds its gear. (Rated PG-13, 109 minutes).

Stress Positions

Obnoxious characters compete for our sympathies in this intermittently amusing satire that lacks much of a fresh perspective on pandemic neuroses or millennial angst. It’s set in Brooklyn during 2020, when Terry (John Early) is quarantining in his ex-husband’s dilapidated house while caring for his injured teenage nephew (Qaher Harhash), a Moroccan model. However, his presence also draws a steady stream of onlookers and well-wishers who don’t share John’s strict adherence to health and safety protocols, prompting an existential crisis. The screenplay by rookie director Theda Hammel, who also plays a supporting role, is too unfocused to fully capitalize on its socially relevant ambitions. (Rated R, 95 minutes).

The Three Musketeers: Milady

Fans of the first installment should be equally drawn to this latest chapter in the epic reimagining, which strays even further from the Alexandre Dumas source material yet finds an agreeable balance between action and melodrama. This slick sequel picks up where its predecessor left off, with the king’s musketeers battling to defend the French crown from insurgents within the church, with the latest threat involving the duplicitous Milady de Winter (Eva Green). Although the subplots cause the story to excessively splinter, the film maintains a lively pace filled with stylish episodes of seduction and swashbuckling. The cast includes Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris, and Francois Civil. (Not rated, 114 minutes).

We Grown Now

Embodying the thesis that “a place is its people,” this powerfully evocative coming-of-age drama pays tribute to Chicago’s since-razed Cabrini-Green public housing project through a simple yet profound chronicle of two young boys finding their place in the world. It’s set in 1992, when best friends Malik (Blake Cameron James) and Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez) find their bond tested by their own mischievous tendencies and tumultuous circumstances both at home and at school. Bolstered by committed performances from kids and adults alike, the bittersweet screenplay by director Minhal Baig (Hala) overcomes some mild manipulations and resonates with raw authenticity while finding hope amid its hardships. (Rated PG, 93 minutes).