Movies…with a little bit of obscure culture and sports mixed in
“A group of criminals are brought together under mysterious circumstances and have to work together to uncover what’s really going on when their simple job goes completely sideways.” Director: Steven […]
“A group of criminals are brought together under mysterious circumstances and have to work together to uncover what’s really going on when their simple job goes completely sideways.”
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Ed Solomon
Staring: Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, David Harbour, Jon Hamm, Brendan Fraser, Julia Fox, Matt Damon
Release Date: July 1, 2021
IMDB
Steven Soderbergh is like the perfect leadoff hitter. He allows his teammates to see a lot of pitches and sets the tone for a grind it out type of game. He takes some big swings when he feels the need, but he constantly knocks singles through the three-four hole and then steals second base and allows RBI opportunities for the heavy hitters.
No Sudden Move (2021) is a quick moving crime drama with a twinge of comedy that centers around professional criminals who have found themselves wrapped in an automotive monopoly conspiracy. Sounds absurd, but because of Soderbergh’s delicate directing touch, it all works exactly for what it is.
Curt Goynes (Don Cheadle) and Ronald Russo (Benecio Del Toro) are the two major criminals who are making all the moves. They are thrown into the fire when they are set up by a backstabbing fellow criminal, and the tone is set for the entire story. No Sudden Move‘s tagline is “Trust Is A Setup”, and trust is something nobody in this world can afford to have. Every character in No Sudden Move has some sense of alternative motivations. Whether it be money, love, lust or selfishness. Nobody can be trusted. It is like a criminal Cold War.
Benicio Del Toro is the fucking man. He is the best part of No Sudden Move, and it does not necessarily have anything to do with what he says. Del Toro has looks, glares, and body language down to a science. His voice is wholly unique. You hear it and you know it is him and in No Sudden Move you can tell who he plays just by the shadow his character casts.
The part of Ronald Russo is connected at the hip to Vanessa Capelli (Julia Fox). You remember the breakout star from Uncut Gems (2019)? She is back. Not sure if the filming this movie was before or after the Kayne West dating time, but Fox is back in the hands of a competent director and it shows. Fox is totally unique. She has a unique beauty that is carried a lot by her immense amount of confidence.
Oh hey, Matt Damon is in No Sudden Move too. He makes his appearance in the final act of the movie and it is a fantastic heat check. He is one to not be trusted either, but he speaks about. His somewhat asshole demeanor is really impossible hate.
Damon, who goes uncredited in the movie, plays Mike Lowen; the fixer for the automotive industries. He explains in a great monologue that he used to be with the cars, but he elevated himself above it. He was in the melting pot, but now he is the one stirring it. He has the money and all the money he spends, he eventually gets back. In the case of No Sudden Move, that is literally the (brief)case.
Del Toro, Fox and Damon are joined by a great diverse cast. Cheadle does his thing as the questioning lead. Brendan Fraser (who is overweight as prep for The Whale (2022)) is a criminal middle-man. Succession star Kieran Culkin is a dick, right one cue. David Harbour continues his movies career and Jon Hamm gets to play a cop with a too-white smile. You need some old school flair? How about Ray Liotta playing a mob leader and being married to Fox’s character? Or Bill Duke (PREDATOR (1987) represent) getting to just throw heat in the final 10 minutes?
The speed that which No Sudden Move‘s story and characters unfold makes it easier for you to move on mentally when you can’t remember all the important names. I will admit that all the names getting tossed around got a bit confusing, but the faces are all magnetic and easy to remember. And come the end of the movie, Soderbergh wraps up all the threads in a nice neat loose bow. It is something that Soderbergh is good at.
No Sudden Move moves at the pace it feels like it was made at. Soderbergh is throwing all the fantastic acting, writing and vibe ingredients into a Veggie Bullet and BAM 30 seconds later you have something tasty to gobble up. The movie visually is not going to knock your socks off, but in terms of enjoyment its the perfect weekend afternoon movie.
And I’ll end this post with this question.
What would your dream random case be for a crime vibe comedy caper like No Sudden Move? None of the actors in this movie are A-Listers except for Matt Damon, but they all still mesh together.
Think about it. I think you need two main lead roles, three random secondary characters, one surprise uncredited A-lister.then a few C-listers to be background characters. What do you got?
STANKO RATING: B- (3.0/5 STARS)
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