Movies…with a little bit of obscure culture and sports mixed in
“Following a tragic car accident in Greece, an American tourist finds himself at the center of a dangerous political conspiracy and on the run for his life.” Director: Ferdinando Cito […]
“Following a tragic car accident in Greece, an American tourist finds himself at the center of a dangerous political conspiracy and on the run for his life.”
Director: Ferdinando Cito Filomarino
Writers: Kevin A. Rice, Ferdinando Cito Filomarino
Staring: John David Washington, Boyd Holbrook, Vicky Krieps, Alicia Vikander
Release Date: August 13, 2021
Streaming: Netflix
Beckett is the equivalent to a disappointing roller coaster ride. You are locked in and ready to go and your car gets moving. You see the potential ahead of you and the anticipation is building. You get locked in and amped when your car catches onto the propulsion tracks and now you are waiting for the excitement. They roller coaster operator pushes ignition and you are lurched forward with your arms flying and your adrenaline running. The giant hill is in your view and you feel you bodyweight shift as you are carried upwards toward the pinnacle of feeling. Just as your anticipation may start to wane with the momentum of propulsion slowing down, you see the mountain crest. The roller coaster gets over the ledge…and just flatlines. There is simply no payoff to the anticipation. The roller coaster experience falls flat and you are left yearning for what could have been.
Okay, maybe that is a little over the top, but Beckett is truly a what could have been story.
Beckett (John David Washington) and his girlfriend April (Alicia Vikander) are on vacation in Greece when tragedy strikes. Following a car accident on a deserted backroad, the titular character finds himself in a desperate quest to stay alive. Beckett is shot at, hunted down and doubted while falling into a world of conspiracy and deception.
The ending of Beckett is where the movie falls off the tracks. When talking with Barstool’s Kenjac, he had the perfect description for what happens to Beckett himself in the final 30 minutes of the movie: “He turns into Superman.” Beckett can survive numerous gunshot wounds, a knife fight with a mercenary, a battle with an U.S. Embassy Agent (Boyd Holbrook) and a three-story jump onto a moving car. Beckett basically becomes John Wick.
While Beckett struggles to keep its simple nature throughout, John David Washington does not have any problems remaining one of the best actors going in Hollywood. David Washington as Beckett is surprisingly human, especially in the first half of the story. The ability to pull out real acting (I am being facetious, okay…) during Beckett’s phone call with April’s parents is some impressive stuff. Or even when Beckett is finally trying to decompress next a a wrecked car in the movies final scene. Beckett is not a movie that demands such performance, but David Washington can make it happen.
Beckett is shot well by director Ferdinando Cito Filomarino and his ability shines through even while the screenplay becomes wrinkled. The action is easy to follow when it does take place and the Greece scenery (both rural and urban) is wonderful to look at. It makes you want to vacation there.
Beckett is worth the viewing experience. It had the chance to transpire the adequate but still hits the entertainment bullseye.
STANKO RATING: B- (3.5/5 Stars)
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