Robert Pattinson continues his daring post-Twilight career with his best role yet in Good Time as Connie, a small-time crook who gets his mentally handicapped brother, Nick (Benny Safdie, who co-directed the film with brother Josh), imprisoned on Rikers Island.
The movie is a dark and twisted adventure as Connie tries his darndest to free his brother from prison and take him far away from society. His efforts include pulling the wrong guy (Buddy Duress) out of a hospital; Connie thought the guy was his brother, but he’s actually a messed-up dude who jumped out of a moving car while on acid. He turns out to be an unreliable accomplice as they try to recover some lost drugs, intending to sell them and post bond for Connie’s brother. Things don’t go according to plan.
The film plays as a nice homage to Martin Scorsese without feeling like a rip-off. The Safdie brothers know how to get good laughs out of bad situations, and they’ve caught lightning in a bottle with Pattinson and Duress. They also managed to get Jennifer Jason Leigh on set for some great scenes as Connie’s extremely insecure friend.
While Benny Safdie’s screen time is limited, he portrays someone truly heartbreaking in Nick. It’s the sort of performance that should get him some acting recognition—on top of his fine directorial work.
Good Time is available via online sources including iTunes and Amazon.com.