Review: ‘No Sudden Move’ Takes You for a Ride

Before the main caper in No Sudden Move even begins, we’re given narrative elements that imply a crime film of truly epic proportions: two rival gangs, a desperate gangster looking for a way out, a shady job from a mysterious benefactor, and a codebook full of secrets that threatens to bring the criminal underworld of Detroit crumbling down. The movie’s pace matches these expectations as Curt Goynes (Don Cheadle) and Ronald Russo (Benicio del Toro) race against the clock, unraveling a conspiracy while trying to net an even bigger score. By the film’s end,however, once all is revealed, their score is cast in a different, less renegaded light, forcing these criminals—as well as the audience—to reevaluate their expectations.

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Review: The Safdie Brothers Master the Nonstop Thriller with ‘Uncut Gems’

Before going to see this film, I revisited Josh and Benny Safdie’s previous directorial effort, Good Time, and it reminded me why I was so excited to see Uncut Gems. From that film alone, it’s easy to see all the potential for the Safdie brothers both as writers and directors. Uncut Gems is the embodiment of that potential; they have found a type of narrative that they can tell extraordinarily well and a style that perfectly coincides with that narrative.

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