Julius Avery’s crime thriller, Son of a Gun, crackles with energy and tension. A new director, he has made a tightly-wound film turning on the theme of honor among thieves, if there is such a thing.
Scheduled to start its run in Toronto on Dec. 19, it opens as Jesse (Brenton Thwaites), a young man sporting a fuzzy mustache, is transported to a high-security prison in western Australia. It will be his first time behind bars. We’re never told what crime he’s committed, but it’s evidently a minor one, since he’s supposed to walk free in six months.
Nonetheless, Jesse is sullen, nervous and watchful. He has every reason to be tense. The prison is a hard and heartless place, full of violent misfits and malcontents. Avery captures its explosive atmosphere in a few bold strokes.
One of the inmates, a tough guy named Brendan (Ewan McGregor), is serving 20 years for armed robbery. What distinguishes him from the rabble is his talent for chess, a game that requires him to out-think and out-maneuver his opponents. Jesse, a chess aficionado himself, picks up on that immediately. Brendan, in turn, decides to protect Jesse from the prison’s preying sexual monsters. In exchange for Brendan’s protection, Jesse agrees to help him escape and participate in a daring heist. It’s an arrangement grounded in convenience and, perhaps, mutual trust.
Having been released from prison, Jesse hijacks a helicopter that whisks Brendan and his mates to freedom, a frenetic scene crackling with gunfire and falling bodies. He also takes part in deliberations at a Russian gangster’s palatial home where the planned robbery of a gold mine is mapped out to the last detail.
At the house, Jesse meets Tasha (Alicia Vikander), a slim, dark-eyed beauty who’s already been spoken for by one of the mobsters. Nonetheless, they are gradually drawn to each other.
Jesse plays an integral role in the robbery of the gold bars. Of course, it doesn’t pan out to perfection and people on both sides are killed. Avery directs these scenes of mayhem, car chases and bloodshed with considerable skill.
Not surprisingly, Brendan discovers that some of his underworld associates have betrayed him. But as a consummate chess player, he tries to outfox them. The results are not pretty.
McGregor, speaking in a thick Scottish accent and comporting himself menacingly, is excellent as a petty thief who’s always trying to checkmate his adversaries. Thwaites, a newcomer, is convincing as an up-and-coming criminal. Vikander exudes an air of exoticism and mystery. The actors who portray the violent lowlifes in prison are outstanding.
Son of a Gun, while hardly a classic of the genre, is fast-paced and satisfying. Clearly, Avery is a promising talent.