I have always had a thing for small town crime movies, specially if it has comedy involve since it makes the plot feel encapsulated like people see each other every day and start pointing fingers on their head, what a perfect moment to watch a movie I had on my bucket list during a power outage thanks to my good amount of battery power at home, while I wait, decided to pull my tablet and gave it a try. While Greedy People won’t be running for any Oscars it was a surprisingly decent watch that kept me entertained, although I did feel like it was a straight to streaming and not for the big screen. The movie develops on Providence, a sleepy island town where crime is close to none, and that fact sparks intrigue when crime does happen and caught everyone by surprise. This is a dark comedy crime thriller that sometimes works and sometimes almost doesn't but what really kept me watching was how the movie will keep you guessing what the hell is going to happen next, even when the story becomes a little predictable.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20201748/
- Platform: AppleTV+
Rottentomatoes Rating
The production is not exactly top notch and I personally felt it like a B type of movie, but director Potsy Ponciroli still steers the boat course that doesn't felt bad at all, its that kind of cable movie that is a great watch and you don't mind watching it twice when it comes again on cable. The movie has this interesting way of dividing its story into chapters, each one dedicated to different characters, but it also helps keep the story fresh, you never get lost and its like connecting dots.
It’s the simple start and then it spirals into this web of lies, greed and bad decisions that really kept me interested and I saw this coming right away the moment I saw the trailer months ago. It's like watching a bunch of dominoes fall, except instead of each domino falling after each other this time they all fall together and each bad choice causes an even worse situation, but no one seems to be able to make a smart decision to save their lives. I guess that is the hook of this movie, makes you feel entertained and frustrated with the choices the characters make.
There is a new cop in town, Will Shelley is partnered with Terry Brogan and things go south faster than they might think. On his first day Will accidentally kills a local businessman's wife, finds a million dollars and gets caught up in a cover up plan with his new partner. Right from the start the movie is very very predictable but there is the fun part, that dark humor that you laugh on how dumb they can be and get caught so easy after each of their bad choices, it sometimes feels like they trying too hard to be clever but just don't work out.
Himesh Patel plays the rookie cop Will, who can't catch a break and does a fine job of playing an increasingly desperate man trying to protect his growing family and digging himself deeper in trouble. While it’s strange to see Joseph Gordon Levitt in a movie that feels like a low budget movie than what we’re used to, he adds a great energy to his role as the corrupt cop who is basically a walking disaster waiting for things to go from bad to worst, the chemistry between the two is just great and its a bit contradictory because in the movie they are not best friends at all.
It's in the middle section of the movie where it starts to lose some momentum and pace, feeling as it is just too busy juggling too many plot threads that it doesn't know how to get everything together. Some characters come and go so fast you don’t even have a chance to realize they matter and others stick around longer than they should, its the case of Captain Murphy played by Uzo Abuda, the chief of police in Providence who I think could have a more important role trying to keep an eye on both Will and Terry. There are times where it feels like the movie is having a hard time to decide if it wants to be an actual comedy or more of a serious crime thriller.
Greedy People try to avoid a typical Hollywood wrap up where someone gets away with everything in the end, or there's some kind of redemption story to it, instead opting for something more realistic, it might sound a bit extreme. It's kinda of satisfying in a way because everyone is pretty much getting what they deserve, even the supposedly smart characters get in trouble for what they do and Terry's corruption catches up with him, while Will's attempts to protect his family backfire in spectacular fashion.
The ending works because it brings everything together, all the hit men, the stolen money and the cover up threads converge in an inevitable and surprisingly satisfying way. There is no last minute redemption, no clever escape plan that works out, it's the natural consequences of a bunch of greedy people making bad decisions one after another.
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