By Spencer Coile
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2017 has quietly become the post-Twilight year of Pattinson & Stewart. After Kristen Stewart dazzled in Personal Shopper, Robert Pattinson was given a leading role worthy of his talent in the Safdie Bros. film, Good Time. Taking place throughout the span of one night, Pattinson's Connie scrambles to get his brother Nick (Benny Safdie) out of jail after a fumbled bank heist.
As far as plot is concerned, that is all you need to know. The Safdie brothers then let this story unfold in such quick, confident ways that all you are left to do is sit back and grip the sides of your chair...
Good Time is frustrating, twisted, and deeply unsettling. Fortunately, it would seem all parties are in on this queasy story of redemption, and work within those confines. It isn't trying to be anything but a pulse-pounding modern-day thriller.
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Like Stewart in Personal Shopper, Pattinson works diligently to create a character that is fully realized. Connie is far from likeable, and his actions oftentimes make no sense, but they all help to make Pattinson's portrayl of this loose canon even more human. Connie condescends. He lies. He deceives. But he remains compelling. Behind his facial expressions, behind every scoul is a veneer of desperation, of wanting to achieve more than what he has. The screenplay leaves little insight into Connie as anything less than a crook, but Pattinson is sure to imbue every moment (and he is on screen for most of the film) with that quiet desperation. After all, behind his actions is the desire to spring his brother out of prison, out of harm's way.
The stakes in Good Time are what makes the plot so ingenious. The film focuses on Pattinson's overnight journey, but the Safdie brothers are quick to remind their audience that there is a pulsing world right outside each frame in the film. When another prison convict goes into lengthy detail about how he ended up in the backseat of Pattinson's car, we are taken on a new adventure altogether. This is a character we have no investment in, no connection to (at one point my friend leaned in and whispered, "Why did they include this?"), but the choice feels intentional, indicating that while Connie's plight is real and genuine, it is no less important than anyone else's story. In overhead shots of Pattinson and co. driving down the highway with multiple cars around, it is a struggle to find which one is his. This feeds into that theme even further -- that while our stories and our lives are important, there is always another story transpiring. And in a sense, Pattinson joins a system that would sooner forget his story than actually help him free his brother.
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Barkhad Abdi, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Taliah Webster all make notable appearances as characters that Connie uses, lies to, or takes advantage to ultimately save Nick from prison. Yet no performance stands out more prominently than Robert Pattinson. His unnerving portrayal of Connie is equal parts sinister and endearing, wherein his actions are completely ruthless, but oddly relatable. Ultimately, Good Time is not a simple viewing. But the Safdie Brothers have concocted an enthralling examination of desperation and hopelessness. It is visceral and heartbreaking. And if anything, another solid entry into Robert Pattinson's (already) impressive film career.
Let the year of Stewart and Pattinson continue.
Grade: B+