No Sudden Move – Movie Reviews by Ry!

No Sudden Move – Hostage, Files and Detroit: A 1950’s Story

Within the makers of chance, a moment can feel real.  Choices amount to the unexpected, but it is the journey that brings irony to the obvious.  It is a realization that a raw story bears the truth of what it was always meant to be.  In this review, I look at a HBOMax original film that predicates itself upon the idea of choices.  Placed within a mixture of familiar genres, this story weaves a character piece within unexpected moments.  With a strong ensemble cast and simple threads of choice and revenge, No Sudden Move showcases the journey of consequential means. 

Set in the 1950s, a group of criminals are hired to handle a simple hostage situation.  When the truth of the job is revealed, they must figure a way out before their lives are lost.  This film’s foundation is rooted in simple contexts of familiarity.  The story begins within the typical heist formula.  The generalization is rooted in common contexture, but it lays the groundwork through subtlety and conversational exposition.  The criminals, Curt Goynes (Don Cheadle) and Ronald Russo (Benicio Del Toro), are hired to take a family hostage so that they can retrieve a file for their client.  A simple ‘In and Out’ job turns, creating moments where unwanted choices lead down an unexpected path.  They realize that things go beyond the hostage situation, leading to a target on their lives by those in the shadows.  The generalization of the heist aspect shifts to a darker dramatic tone.  This brings in additional characters, adding levels of detail that reflect upon Detroit’s criminal underground in the 1950s.  The introduction to characters like Matt Wertz (David Harbour), Joe Finney (Jon Hamm) and Doug Jones (Brenden Frazier) happens with the ‘drop in’ method, allowing the world to live within accessible means.  This leads to raw conversations, unexpected encounters and strong real-world elements tied the file (MacGuffin). 

As the journey moves along, it becomes more involved with the criminal and period elements.  What allows for this strong evolution is approaching it through the character’s perspective.  At the heart of the film is the underlining moments that happen between individuals.  The generalization (in the beginning) can create a monotone pathway, but the genuine traits (of the second act) allow for a simple evolution of the characters within their own unique fervor.  The story moves beyond a typical ‘good vs evil’ situation, creating a a chess board of individuals trying to find their own way out.  This allows for the manners in which things happen to be stronger than expected.  As you reach the final act, it brings everything together through convenient but seamless fashion, leading to a climax of unexpected results.  No Sudden Move weaves an ensemble cast to create a genuine but familiar journey.  If you are a fan of heist films, dark or criminal dramas, this is one for you.  It is available on HBOMax, but it would be a fun time to see at the theaters. 

Full Score – 3.5 out of 5 (Matinee)