As much as the style here is the substance, it’s nice to see how singular the vision is. The methodical pace, the really loud sounds, that long lost 80s synth soundtrack, it all brought me back to this specific movie. This was the first memory of Oscar Isaac, but I kept thinking about how sharp Nicolas Winding Refn’s choices are here, a level he was never able to achieve again. Leaning into Neo-Noir harder than any other film this decade, with eerie lighting choices and a take on being a tough guy by Albert Brooks that could’ve given him a 2nd career. Everyone here seems cut out of a stock crime template, but what happens from there broods and aches so hard.
There are a handful of standout sequences, but most of them would be a technical pain to work on, and that’s without factoring in how much of this was filmed at night. Car chases and stunts are built with pieces that take a long time to setup and rehearse, which is where fatigue would set in. There’s the elevator scene which uses some interesting lighting and the motel room fight, but I’m really drawn to Albert Brooks playing so far against type that I’d like to be there for his final scene with Bryan Cranston or the moment afterwards back inside his house.
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