Sometimes, all you need is an old-school crime drama with some better-than-average actors to get you through the day. Case in point: The Get Out, from director Derrick Borte (who adapted the novel STRIP by Thomas Perry, along with co-writer Daniel Forte), the filmmaker who made Unhinged, starring Russell Crowe. The actor also top-lines this release, this time as a nightclub owner who is on the verge of retiring from both the club business and a money-laundering racket for drug cartels. He has a devoted wife (Teresa Palmer) and an attractive offer from a potential buyer (Luke Evans), so his future outside of this lifestyle seems promising.
Then one evening, while Crowe’s Manco Kapak is making his nightly cash deposits at the bank (mostly with laundered money), he’s robbed at gunpoint by a masked guy named Jeff (Aaron Paul), who somehow knows not only that Manco would be there at that exact time but seems aware that he won’t go to the police because the money is dirty. It turns out that Jeff is a professor at a local college who is being forced by a crooked cop to rob Manco and hand over the money to him. But if Manco’s deposits of drug money don’t make it into the bank and back to his cartel connections, he has to make up the difference out of his own money, which is enough to motivate him to find out who exactly robbed him.
Soon after the robbery, Jeff gets involved with a woman (Nina Dobrev) who finds out about his reluctant criminal activity and wants in on the action, apparently being a closeted adrenaline junkie and reckless to boot. Within days of the first robbery, they rob Manco once again, only this time, he’s slightly more prepared and gives chase, which leads to all sorts of trouble for everyone involved. A few characters in The Get Out aren’t quite what they seem (big shocker), and by the end, Manco isn’t quite sure who he can trust.
It’s difficult to watch this movie and not be reminded of better offerings in the genre, especially ones based on novels by Elmore Leonard. I really enjoy the interplay and overall relationship shared by Crowe and Palmer. For a time, we think she might turn on him, but her loyalty and unconditional support is weirdly inspirational. Everyone in this elevates the average dialogue and plotting, and the result is a story whose conclusion is both unpredictable and something I was far more invested in than it had any right to expect me to be. There are the requisite car chases, shootouts, verbal abuse, and a inconsequential deaths, but if you’re someone who values performances, even in your run-of-the-mill caper film, The Get Out is a solid, if somewhat forgettable, work.
The film is currently in theaters and available digitally and On Demand on June 30.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider supporting Third Coast Review’s arts and culture coverage by making a donation. Choose the amount that works best for you, and know it goes directly to support our writers and contributors.
