November Criminals (2017)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Okay, I agree with many of the criticisms posted on here, the plot is thin and unimaginative. But the acting is good- Ansel Eghorn is okay, the others are good. The cinematography is good, even the music is good if somewhat forgettable. A good Saturday afternoon watch, especially if you can pick it up free at the local library.

Up front I have to admit I was turned down a bit by the low rating and the negative reviews here on imdb but I'm more than glad to give this movie a chance.To be clear for everyone who might be interested in the movie in general: It is not a crime movie at all. It is not an investigative Liam Neeson movie either. However I would not go as far as calling it a drama overall.What this movie is though could be placed in the genre of Romance but - let's be honest here - it's a lot more than that. Some reviewers here have pointed out already to how well the two lead characters make up a perfect team to which I like to add that certain sequences in this movie where "this magic" happened pulled me right in, they got me on spot, touched me with every blink of an eye of either Chloe or Ansel.Whoever of you who like to lose yourself in movies, lose yourself to the subtle, in-between-the-lines emotional movies you are right where you want to be. Those who seek out for a crime or thriller movie won't find their entertainment package with this one.From me, really enjoying this piece of almost art, I give it a 7 thumbs up and say thank you to everyone who took care of putting the sensitive note into this flick I'm glad watching :)

Director, cinematography ok. Love Chloe, the guy is pretty weak. His emotions on his face.. had nothing to do with the movie. But the worst was the story. It was so damn weak. The biggest twist was also so bad.. Gave 5 for Chloe..

This low-budget "suspense" film wrapped up shooting after a whirlwind period of a little over month, and the rushed production process is apparent in the final product. In the bonus track of the DVD of "November Criminals," the novelist Sam Munson, whose book was the basis for the film, summed up his themes of "resistance" of the two young detectives and their "uncertain quest for justice." While those noble goals were interesting, they were not fully realized in a film that lacked credibility from start to finish.First, it was not convincing why the two young detectives would try to solve the cold-blooded murder of a high school friend. The school scenes were not believable, and despite the two earnest performances, it was difficult to imagine that the two students, Addison and Phoebe, would ever be admitted to the University of Chicago and Yale, based on what we see of them in this film. There was only one scene where we saw Phoebe pretending to do some studying. The entire premise of the film seemed far-fetched.One of the gimmicks used in the screenplay was a tried and true film technique for any formula murder mystery: to make the police stupid and incompetent. In this case, it should not have been difficult for the authorities to follow the same process of investigation as Addison and Phoebe that would lead them to a killer who failed miserably in covering his tracks.The actress playing the role of Phoebe indicated in the behind-the-scenes track of the DVD that "every emotion in the human spectrum" appears in this film. But from the perspective of the audience, the emotional range was actually very narrow with a morose feeling hovering over every aspect of the film--school, home, and society.The home life of Addison and Phoebe was one-dimensional gloom and doom. Addision lives in a modest house with his dad following the death of his mom who suffered an aneurysm. Both father and son are still grief-stricken, and the house is slovenly and unkempt. By contrast, Phoebe resides in an immaculate, upscale home with all the latest amenities. Yet she and her single parent mother rarely communicate, and Phoebe is always eager to get out of the house. In both the living environments of Addison and Phoebe, the mood is lugubrious.Some subtle details in the film point to the shocking use of drugs by the best friends of Addison and Phoebe. Like the inept police, the secret world of drug addiction seemed like another plot device, as opposed to deriving from character development. The most outlandish scene is when Addison, desperate for clues about his friend's murder, agrees to make a drug delivery. It turns out that the recipient is one of his high school classmates and the dearest friend of Phoebe.The film's director, Sacha Gervasi, asserted that the film "sends a positive message" to viewers. But what actually is that positive message? The film begins with a quote from the Latin author Virgil, who wrote that "fortune sides with him who dares." But for young Addison, who believes that he somehow "has it covered" in his reckless private eye work, the more daring quest would be the formidable challenge of gaining admission to the University of Chicago.