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Close (2019)
Close (2019)
2019 | Action, Thriller
Strong Performance From Female Lead
Close is a 2019 action/thriller movie directed by Vicky Jewson and written by Jewson and Rupert Whitaker. The movie was produced by Piccadilly Pictures, West end Films, Whitaker Media, and Jewson Film and distributed by Netflix. The film stars Noomi Rapace, Sophie Nelisse, and Indira Varma.


Close protection officer, Sam Carlson (Noomi Rapace) saves two journalists while on a routine mission in South Sudan, when their vehicle is attacked by insurgents. Troubled child, Zoe Tanner (Sophie Nelisse) discovers she's inherited all of her father's shares in his company, Hassine Mining. Her stepmother, Rima Hassine (Indira Varma) is left shocked and angered as she has taken over as CEO and it was her family which founded the company. Rima demands that Zoe accompany her to the family home in Morroco while she completes a billion dollar deal for phosphate mining in Zambia. Sam is hired by Rima for the trip as her last bodyguard was fired. Sam's job is done but Zoe demands she stay the night. Then all hell breaks loose when that night a group of armed men attack and storm the complex.


This movie was really good. It had me from the beginning but then took forever to start up again. I was excited to see Noomi Rapace as the lead in this action film and she does not disappoint. Her performance was intense and she gives her all in this film. However the direction the movie goes plot wise seemed less interesting the longer it went on. It seemed to fall more into the "cliche", run of the mill, international action thrillers or straight to redbox/on-demand films. I still liked it a lot and there were also pretty strong performances by the other leading ladies. The daughter's performance to me was more "so-so" though. Still I give this movie a 7/10.
  
Synchronic (2019)
Synchronic (2019)
2019 |
8
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Direction (1 more)
Script
Under The Influence
Getting to review Synchronic was great, because it is a movie that is right up my alley and yet it totally passed me by upon release. I still don’t know how I wasn’t aware of this sci-fi thriller with horror elements since that description encapsulates almost everything that I am into. I recently got to see it for the first time and really I’m glad that I did. I also went into this movie pretty blind having only seen a short trailer and I would suggest doing the same in order to receive the optimal experience here.

Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan star as a pair of first responder paramedics based in Louisiana and both of them do a great job in carrying the film. Without giving too many plot details away, there are points in the movie where both have to show fairly intense levels of grief and I feel that both do this very well in how they choose to portray that respectively. Jamie Dornan’s accent does slip a few times, but he is charismatic enough that he can get away with it.

The movie is directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead and this is actually the first project that I’ve seen from either of them. The direction throughout the film is brilliant and has a real cohesion with the cinematography and the script, – this is probably because the script was written by Justin Benson and shot by Aaron Moorhead.

The script is an interesting one and the distinctiveness of it means that the film probably couldn’t have been directed by anyone else other than the person who wrote it. The dialogue throughout the movie is well written and I really believed the history and friendship in Mackie’s and Dornan’s relationship. There is also some humour interjected in the dialogue and surprisingly it lands and helps to alleviate some of the perpetual dread that is intertwined in the movie’s plot.
Read the rest of my review at: https://www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com/2021/02/13/review-synchronic/