GOOD TIME (dir. Safdie Brothers)

If receiving a six minute standing ovation for a film after premiering to a unpredictable Cannes crowd wasn’t enough for the Safdie brothers, their new crowd-pleasing account of one man’s calamitous crime-ridden night in Queens New York rides into US cinemas with some of the most favourable reviews of the New York based directors careers.

Reminiscent in tone of Dog Day Afternoon and Taxi Driver, the Safdie brothers new film “Good Time” may appear to be a fun and exciting presentation of crime in modern day new york city, but for it’s credit and bolstered by a bravura and towering performance by Robert Pattinson, their third and most commercial directorial effort is a edgy and nightmarish Queens set chronicle of a man desperate to protect his brother.

After bursting into his mentally disabled brothers therapy session, Constantine Nikas (Robert Pattinson) appears to have his best interests at heart, as he protects him from a line of unwanted questioning. What appears to be a well-needed father figure in his life, turns quickly into a crime as they attempt to steal 65,000 from a local bank. Whilst in the getaway car, they celebrate their recent lawlessness until the dye-bag singles them out as the asssailants. Though they make it to a local restroom to work on their complexion, Connie’s brother Nicolas is arrested after running during a routine police stop. Now in prison, he is assaulted by a fellow inmate and sent to a local hospital. Desperate to bail him out, he throws the recently acquired dirty money at a local bail bondsmen only to find he is 10,000 short of the required cash.

If their previous films “Heaven Knows What” and “Daddy Long Legs” were delicate and subtle representations of a criminal underground in New York, here’s a much more commercial and broad version of life in rural areas. Bolstered by an enigmatic and neon-drenched score by Onehotrix Point Never – which is reminiscent of Tangerine Dream and could easily fit into a Nicolas Winding Refn piece – our titular hero calamitous yet assured criminality rips from scene to scene is entertaining throughout and unpredictable in equal measure.

You’ve got to hand it to the New York based directors. Their storytelling might appear ramshackled, but it blends nicely with the tone and calamity of our titular anti-hero. But it’s all about Pattinson, it’s an assured and bravura performance from the London born actor – one which evokes a much more experienced actor not fare off from Al Pacino in Dog Day afternoon. He adorns the screen and commands your attention, even if his bleach-blonde hair and baggy clothing wouldn’t necessarily garner the respect he deserves, you root for him consistently throughout.

As is demonstrated in their previous efforts, the Safdie brothers enjoy incorporating non-actors straight of the streets of New York to bolster the realism and authenticity to the piece, as it’s much a story of New York more than anything else. Here, however, supporting roles from Jennifer Jason Leigh and Barkhad Abdi add some well needed commerciality to the film. Plaudits also must go to cinematographer Sean Price Williams, who brings a grainy and nightmarish aesthetic to the film’s mis en scene and works in tangent with the harshness and desperation of our leading man.

Though it will be remembered for Pattinson’s towering leading performance (don’t be surprised if his name pops up during award season), it’s another solidly put together film by the Safdie brothers – one which is staggeringly entertaining for such a straightforward narrative – and even though our central performers endeavors reek of selfishness and self-interest, it’s an fantastic adventure through the streets of New York.

Rating; 4/5.