Son of a Gun (2014)

A different way of telling a story

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

In this extremely watchable film, Ewan McGregor stars as a sly convict who plots a daring escape from prison, then masterminds a heist of a gold production factory! If this plot summary seems far-fetched, it may actually be an understatement of the extraordinary situations and relationships depicted in this potboiler.The strength of the film is McGregor's performance of the charming hardened criminal. In prison, his character Brendon takes under his wing, a young convict named Jesse (Brenton Thwaites). After Jesse helps Brendon to make his prison break, he then becomes enmeshed in the complex criminal world of Brendon, leading him to fall in love with a young woman named Tasha (Alicia Vikander), who is the mistress of the gangster named Sam.Just as she has in slew of other films, Vikander steals this one right out from under the good efforts of McGregor and Thwaites. There is a luminous presence to Tasha and a melancholy that makes her character unique among a group of thugs.In the final analysis, there is nothing deep or profound about this film. But "Son of a Gun" cooks up an interesting variation on a standard crime film with the unforgettable performance of Vikander.

A highly enjoyable thriller. Yes it's a heist film, but it's also much more then that. It's almost a Greek tragedy with the first (brutal) act taking place in prison, the second being the heist and the third act the aftermath. This all through the eyes of a young and seemingly innocent protagonist.I loved the pacing, the locations, the characters, Ewan McGregor was absolutely spot on but I also really enjoyed his quiet best mate "Sterlo" played by Matt Nable, a highly believable strongman, and, even though we've seen them many times, I always like the Eastern European gangsters. They do bring extra ruthlessness to these type of stories.It's back to oldschool 70's crime movies and that ain't no bad thing, and the tightly knit crew of charming tough guys even reminded me a little of "Heat". Don't get me wrong, it doesn't compare to that masterpiece, but "Heat" also definitely found it's inspiration in the 70's classics.A feature film debut for this director, I will most certainly eagerly be awaiting his next.. 8/10

For a crime or heist movie, Son of a Gun benefits from polished editing, good direction and commendable performance by Ewan McCGregor. However, the plot is not that engaging, the simplistic development could also be found in TV series or action games. To its credit, the film delivers plenty of content, even though some of them are stereotypical prodigy-versus-mentor or damsel-in-distress premise.JR (Brenton Thwaites) is a new inmate in a prison, where he meets Brendan Lynch (Ewan McGregor), a veteran conman who offers him protection. Soon JR find himself as Brendan's henchman, unsatisfied of only doing his bidding, the two eventually clash. Thwaites performs well, he's decent as the young lead, but his acting range is a bit limited on some scenes. McGregor is the star here, stealing any scenes with flair and occasionally blurted rage.Their relationship is a strange one, JR subtly seeks a father or teacher figure which he finds in Brandon, although ultimately he realizes that their interest might not align. It works in short term, but the material doesn't provide much back and forth exchange, what twists it has in store are pretty foreseeable. JR also encounters Tasha (Alicia Vikander), a beautiful girl in despair. There's little surprise this romantic subplot, Tasha's back story and also the tiny bit where she might just be a honey trap are not fully developed.Its plot isn't ambitious nor does it possess high level of intricacy on its heist. A lot of other similar movies, or even TV series, have delivered the same concept. The use of Australia as setting helps, but it boils down to the familiar prison break or robbery stints. Luckily, the pacing is sharp, it pushes forward with conviction and the action parts are decent as well.Son of a Gun feels like a fast version of crime miniseries of television show, it may not be groundbreaking but it is still a decent watch for action fans.

I watched just because of Ewan McGregor. And it was well worth the 1:49 minutes of my time. If you want to you can probably work out what is going to happen next throughout the whole movie. But, the performances are good and the story is interesting and I just sat back and watched for the sheer movie satisfaction. And, on that score, this movie does not disappoint. The violence is in keeping with the roles portrayed and, dammit, I just loved the way it ended. I will definitely recommend this movie to my wife as there is more than enough to keep her watching - besides the aforementioned McGregor. In this cynical world, it's nice, once in a while, to have trust vindicated.