Movie Review: ‘The Greedy Man’ | Moviephone
Himesh Patel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ‘Greedy People’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Opening in theaters on August 23, ‘Greedy Man’ looks like a Coen brothers movie that has never actually seen the siblings’ work, only heard it narrated by someone who remembers the wrong thing.
Although Joseph Gordon-Levitt leads a capable cast, the film around them just doesn’t find the right gear and isn’t as funny or impactful as it’s believed to be.
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Does the ‘greedy man’ hurt the rich?
Darkly comic crime thrillers are a difficult genre to get right. And yes, when we keep bringing up the Coen brothers, it’s because they’ve mastered it so effectively with the likes of ‘Fargo’ and ‘The Big Lebowski’ among others.
Which isn’t to say other directors haven’t made it work, but when you have a film that clearly wants to stand alongside some classics, you have to make sure it really works. It is very sad that ‘greedy people’ do not do this. It is far from invisible but scuppered by some serious problems.
‘The Greedy Man’: Script and Direction
(L to R) Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Himesh Patel in ‘Greedy People’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Writer Mike Vukadinovich is probably better known for TV than movies –– he’s worked on shows like ‘Kidding’ and Marvel’s ‘Runaways’. Yet his big screen script work has been eclectic, including contributing to one of the many development drafts of ‘Remembrance’ and the upcoming ‘Beetlejuice’.
Here, though, he brings a familiar concept –– cash is found in a small town with all sorts of hustlers, grifters and struggling family types willing to go to any lengths to get their hands on it –– and, well, the latest generic version of the story pumped up. out. Weird characters abound, but many of them seem like humble copies of earlier, better examples And tonally, the movie is all over the place, seemingly unable to decide whether it wants to be wry, unsettling, or unflinchingly insightful about human greed.
Director Patsy Ponsiroli, sadly, could never overcome the problems with the script she was given. He gets a handful of solid performances from a game cast, spending a lot of time with nothing that really adds value. And one moment in particular –– which features the death of an animal played for laughs –– is unfortunate enough to be a bitter reaction to even the story’s most interesting character.
‘Greedy Man’: Acting
The one person who really seems to be having fun here is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who perfectly takes on the role of corrupt cop Terry. Around him, everyone else (except maybe Tim Blake Nelson and, in a brief appearance, Traci Lords) looks like they’re in another movie.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ‘Greedy People’. Photo: Lionsgate.
A wacky whirlwind of a performance, Terry the Cop lets Gordon-Levitt really let loose in a way he’s rarely allowed. And he brings the committed, foul-mouthed, morality-free law enforcement officer to life delightfully. Yet, as mentioned earlier, he feels different from everyone else, as if he has wandered from another set.
Himesh Patel
Effectively taking our audience into the strange world of the Nantucket Island setting, Patel mostly opts for sincerity, which sort of works when Gordon-Levitt plays a firecracker of a character, but fits more honestly with Lily James (a ‘yesterday’). reconciliation) as his wife.
He’s not bad by any means, but he’s also something of a wet sponge compared to his co-stars.
Tim Blake Nelson
Nelson –– a Coen intrepid –– certainly knows what he’s doing in this kind of movie, upping the fog and committing to being a scheming weirdo. Yet his role is still relatively small and what happens to him is fairly predictable.
Supporting cast
Around the main characters, there is the usual ensemble of townspeople and friends/family. All the cast do what they can, including some underwritten roles. Lily James does what she can with the part of Will’s pregnant wife, playing her with a welcome mix of realism, soul and vulnerability. Traci Lords has a glorious cameo as the housewife (and angry other half for Nelson’s character), whose 911 call sets the film’s plot in motion.
Other notable people worthy of praise? Jim Gaffigan is great in a small role (and a big wig) as local assassin-for-hire The Irishman. His delivery and mannerisms really suit this type of movie, and he makes the character believably weird. Ditto Uzo Aduba as the police captain, whose cheerful professionalism masks real sadness.
‘Greedy Man’: Final Thoughts
‘Greedy man’ is perhaps best described as a qualified failure. It certainly has some watchable performances, decent lines and a handful of funny scenes, but overall, it just can’t keep up its pace or figure out exactly what it wants to be.
As the body count mounts, the tone becomes increasingly tiresome, and while Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines in his role, even Terry becomes jarring. If you’re a small-town noir completist, maybe check it out, but otherwise it never works as well as it could.
‘Greedy Man’ has 5.5 out of 10 stars.
What is the story of ‘greedy man’?
Rookie cop Will (Himesh Patel) and his rogue partner Terry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) overlook their small island town when they accidentally discover a million dollars (of their own making) at a crime scene.
After the two unwisely decide to steal the money, the community’s eccentric residents are drawn into a frenzied push for cash — from an expectant mother (Lily James) to a massage therapist (Simon Rex) to a shrimp company owner (Tim Blake Nelson) — and All have learned how far they are willing to go for the almighty dollar.
Who else is acting in the film ‘Lovi Manso’?
The cast also includes Uzo Aduba, Nina Arianda, Jim Gaffigan, Jose Maria Yazpik and Joey Lauren Adams.
(L to R) Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Himesh Patel in ‘Greedy People’. Photo: Lionsgate.
