Marla is guided by the principle of “the strongest wins”. The woman has established a thriving business: using the right people, bribery and tricks in the law, she gets custody of defenseless old people, places the poor man in nursing homes and sells their property. Her new victim, elderly Jennifer Peterson, seems like a tidbit - she has no relatives, but has decent savings, a house and the initial signs of dementia. Marla turns with a new “ward” worked-out scheme, but the old woman is not at all as simple as it seemed at first glance.
': There are no good people. Play by the rules - ' nonsense ' invented by the rich! People are divided into wolves and sheep!' - speculates about her ' business' swindler Marla Grayson, and calls herself - ' The Damn Lioness'. Best ' companion friend' Fran helps not only in business, but also in bed.
At the beginning of the film, there is a landmark episode that epitomizes the meaning and essence of what is happening: the son wants to take his mother from a nursing home (who, in his opinion, is illegally there & #39; was imprisoned & #39);), and deals with the court with Marla. ': Guardianship is my job! This is protection from loneliness and from your own children!', says Marla, who has a board with patients in her office. The death of a guest forces you to find a new victim, a rich, independent elderly woman, Jennifer Peterson. But her family disagrees with ' politics' Marly - ' Russian mafia' ready to do anything, and more.
“Swindler” is a crime comedy directed and written by J. Blakeson. Not surprisingly, the plot of the film came out of real life: “It all began when I saw a story on the news about a social worker who used loopholes in the law for his own selfish purposes.” In front of us ' satire ' about the reverse (possibly real) side of voluntary aid, charities and everything else. The blind trust of older people to unknown people is truly amazing, as is the cynical methods of shelters like this. Before us is an acting film with different characters-images & #39; modern society. Rosamund Pike (The Disappeared) as ' the outspoken bitch' - beautiful and expressive, Asa Gonzalez also complements the pair, but most importantly in this film - the filigree work of Peter Dinklage creates ' a new image' the crime boss. The film shows ' struggle' some scammers against other scammers with a rather unexpected ending, bringing ' the theme of charity' to a complete absurdity. Guardianship and assistance can make sense - perhaps when it happens outside of economic interests.
' Swindler' begins extremely promising, we are introduced to the main character with the help of her voiceover monologue, in which Marla makes it clear that she is an antihero. I don’t know about you, but I like movies with bright antiheroes, and they do not come out so often, so the introduction gave confidence that the film will be successful. The subsequent scene in court only strengthened my confidence in the quality of the picture. Rosumund Pike from the first scene was able to show the confidence, professionalism and unscrupulousness of the main character, to her acting - zero questions, only praise.
That was the first third or even half of the movie. The plot twists interestingly, each action is clear without unnecessary words, scenes are verified, zero unnecessary information. However, what happened next is difficult to describe without spoilers, but I will try to generalize. Incredibly, Marl turns from a calculating businessman into a painful self-confident and selflessly greedy person in one scene. All that was shown before - her prudence and caution (without these traits in her complex business you can not survive) suddenly disappeared.
And then it went downhill. The logic of the film evaporated, the plot began to turn into some kind of fan fiction on the theme of a strong and fearless woman-businessman, who, no matter what she did, despite all the stupidity of the choice, comes out of the situation as a winner. It's not scripted, eat what you give.
The last dialogue with Peter Dinklage’s character was the final chord of idiocy, in which I almost broke my forehead with a facepalm. But, it is worth admitting that the final scene competently used the Chekhov gun, this cannot be taken away.
There are no claims to the acting of Peter Dinklage, he is as always magnificent, and his character is written relatively well, except for the final dialogue and another scene.
What does this film say, what conclusion does it lead to and why is it made at all? Hard to say. Apart from the popular agenda in Hollywood today 'Eat the rich' I really didn't see anything. And so I wanted to see something really interesting, with such and such actors in the lead roles and a promising start.
4 out of 10
Journey to the 'Island of Idiots' or nonsense in lean oil
In fact, you don’t expect much from such films – it’s like a cheeseburger in McDonald’s, well, a cheeseburger and a cheeseburger, sometimes I can eat. But fast food should also have a quality standard. However, watching the “Swindler” somewhere from 30 minutes of the narrative, you begin to catch yourself thinking that the movie is clearly with a touch of “crazy pens”, what is the template stencil grayness coupled with an illogical plot? And really mentally, you begin to grumble like an old grandfather, which “before that was filmed...”, but they did. The same film replenished the treasury of thoughts that in today’s Hollywood screenwriters weighing in gold, from that, and reshoot Lara Croft, and it seems and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, want to spoil.
Initially a good idea, by the middle of the story begins to sink into the stream of absurd game, the Russian mafia “underground”, look like clinical idiots. The main character, who loves money, is important, because there is no plot-shaped concept in the film, so you just have to take your word for it, it turns out, she worked as a serious nurse and Rimbaud part-time, although since when the love of money and sitting in pants in warm offices makes you 007, it is not clear at all. Marla, it's a pity that not Singer, with maniacal persistence fights for his "ideals", at the same time apparently thinking that she is GTA, now for a rocket launcher drive and all.
Well, her phrase that “they say, why did you bring me here ... you have to beat me in court” made me just choke on tea, what?? Does poor Marla have dementia at age 40, or does she live in a world of pink ponies in the meadows of American pseudo-democracy? Just like that, and recalls the old "Camedi" - "Come out, you fucking monster, we will fight!" You and I are not tea saucers. Baby is the mafia, what are you talking about? Although what a mafia, such behavior is obvious. "Come on, puppy, aside!" Get out of here!
As usual, everyone started for health, finished for rest. Ala is a small action with prepared ingredients in the spirit of the times, such as a mafiosi-sister, lesbians, or a terrible vape in the form of a phallic symbol for the main character, which you really miss, for the “good old” Mel Gibsons, Helen Bonham Carters and Bradham Pitham. When people believably dragged out Marlborough and, by the way, could portray a relationship, which is the work of actors to portray, but neither Pike nor Gonzalez could do. But homosexual relations, if anyone did not know, are actually relationships, not politically correct cardboard. In the film, everything looks like a pure sham and a tribute to “fashion”, from that the degree of deliberate falsity reaches the limit. Well, you can not play believable, well, do not play at all, especially since this “masterpiece” would clearly not have been damaged, without this dull Amur Tujour.
In general, I do not remember a film where I would like the main characters to knock, and here I really wanted to, but there are plenty of films where the protagonist is still a “good person”, but it is interesting to watch him, so it is not at all in the role of Pike, but in an absolutely clumsy and lifeless narrative. It’s like — yes, someone has killed this annoying mosquito!!
As a result, I had to witness outright nonsense, a strange sketch on my knee with a vulgar didactic taste. Although in theory it was necessary to play this absurdity to the end and finish the audience with meditation and vegan roles of the hero Dinklage in the final credits. From the series began to bend, so get on the bridge. We were shown some kind of clumsy “swallow”, or a fallen “birch”.
Hard stuffing under soft meringue from cynical humor
I’ve been looking forward to “Swindler” for a long time. The trailer was caught completely by accident on YouTube and hooked. At first glance, it’s like an ordinary comedy, a bit of cynical humor, a little Russian mafia – everything is like Hollywood. But after watching it, it becomes clear that “I do care a lot,” which our translators somehow dubbed “Swindler,” which does not even carry half the meaning of the picture, turned out to be a little more serious than I could expect after the trailer. And so from viewing there was a very pleasant feeling that I got much more than I expected.
I can’t say that “Swindler” is shot in a single genre. There are several of them in the film and the beauty is that the actors and the director are so skillfully playing on the emotions of the viewer that it is not always noticeable where the comedy ends and the brutal thriller begins. Just because of this balance, there is no feeling that this is another Hollywood comedy for once or too heavy for an evening thriller. In the film, just enough to hold the dynamics to the very credits, so that the viewer does not even have the question “when is the end there?”. Because the end comes unexpectedly, and it will be, I guarantee, not what you expect it to be. It is as unpredictable as it is obvious.
The cast is perfectly selected. And Rosamund Pike, and Peter Dinklage, and other slightly more or less famous actors – all tried to create live, voluminous characters. And most importantly, none of them can be hated. There is no one perfectly good or perfectly bad in the film, but everyone has their own motives and can be understood. In all the timekeeping, I haven’t met a single character who was annoying, or a hero who I thought was bad, I hope he gets what he deserves at the end. Everyone in the film works for their own unique reasons, and everyone can be sympathetic. In other words, I could say for every character: Yes, I understand him, I understand why he does this. And that's great. That cinema moves away from canon exceptionally good or exceptionally bad characters. Because we are all human and we all sometimes do things that are not positive. That’s why the film feels so vivid and vivid – mostly because it’s lifelike. And if you close your eyes to some on-screen action, you get a pretty real story of real people who have to survive in the real world, and that is why it is interesting to watch them until the very last minute.
But against the background of all the above, despite the declared genre of comedy, which, of course, is not quite so and on the screens we get the filling more and tastier than stated in the menu, the film actually raises very serious questions that may not immediately noticeable to the eye, but they are there. Take, for example, nursing homes. Old people left without custody of relatives and relatives, so lonely that the state is forced to give custody to a person from the outside, which skillfully uses Marla - the heroine of Rosamund Pike. Not the noblest basis for making money, but as Marla said at the beginning, she was poor and she didn't like it. And some cynical part of each of us, maybe even greedy, not alien to anyone, understands it perfectly. Someone's conscience would not allow to profit from old people, and someone - quite. But maybe this is the secret meaning of the painting? To show the viewer the helplessness and defenselessness of the elderly, left without children, without grandchildren, for the most part on themselves. To show old people who can only be taken care of by the state, which probably does not always want to delve into and understand the details, and this is why Marla's business flourishes? In short, there is something to think about at leisure. And breathe out that our parents and grandparents have us, and probably someday someone will be with us, so as not to be under the patronage of someone else appointed by a corrupt court.
The story of the insidious Marla, who put on stream the receipt of guardianship over the elderly by falsifying documents. While the old man is being processed in a nursing home, Marla's hapouga sells their property within the law, taking all the proceeds. Once she comes across a wealthy lady with huge savings and a chic house and, having turned a proven scheme, the swindler, without knowing it, crossed the road to very influential and cruel people. . .
The story is a fascinating game about underground crime, disguised in business negotiations and legal maneuvers. A film where absolutely all the main characters are negative characters, but sympathetic, and the viewer will have to choose which side to stand, choosing the lesser evil.
The tape shows the underside of dirty and mean business, and its callous approach can cause a whole range of emotions: from anger to thirst for revenge against the actors. It seems that in the “Swindler” you can observe a real parade of inhumans and beasts, ready to give up moral norms for profit. This is an irony for modern business in many areas.
Of course, the tape did not do without feminist notes (where without this). The image of the fearless independent lioness Rosamund Pike undoubtedly goes very well, but at some points it looks like a kitsch of a yard girl.
Moral: so that in old age you do not revolve around all sorts of crooks, waste all the good you have earned before retirement.
In the end, a cynical film about human greed and the desire for more. The tape, whether you like it or not, will definitely cause a whole range of different emotions.
You're becoming an old stump. Sit in retirement, decide Sudoku. And there's a knock on the door. A smiling woman presents you with a court order stating that you are going to a medical facility because you are already incapacitated. Decided it for you. You have no right to escape.
That’s how Marla (Rosamund Pike) works, the main character of the film 'Swindler'. She is the legal guardian of rich old men and therefore the owner of their treasures. She's a greedy predator and won't miss a single customer. But then she meets an old woman who is not at all as simple as it seems at first glance.
Before us is a beautiful example of a satirical picture, skillfully playing a thriller, where all the characters are charming scoundrels and swindlers. To each of them we penetrate, and somehow empathize, but deep down we still wish that they did not succeed.
The film makes fun of an entire social service institute in the United States. Moreover, the idea was born from a newspaper article about a man like Marla with the smile of a savior and a virtue who took advantage of helpless people.
' Scammer' is a beautifully shot and wonderfully played thriller by Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage, in which everything is simple and clear. But this film is very smart and high-quality.
How to make modern cinema in modern film trends? We mix lesbian love in one plate (it is not clear what affects and why it is necessary, but that it was), black judge (because only black judges are the most empathetic to family problems), Latino-Mexican character (so that they do not worry too much about the construction of the Mexican wall) of the second plan, bitchy and charismatic main character, pour it with the sauce of acute social problems and season the resulting mixture with a pinch of situational humor and charming Peter Ding, and Velage! The film seems to be doomed to success. Whatever you say about the movie, I’m absolutely thrilled with Rosamund Pike. As with any of her roles. She’s probably one of the few actresses today (well, maybe Eva Greene) who can literally make you languish to get on the other side of the screen and strangle her with her own hands right in the middle of the movie. Very colorful, charismatic and truthful, she plays femme fatale with a trait from the pool in her head. Just remember the brilliant picture 'Gone '.
And as for the film itself - a lot of script blunders and inconsistencies, strange logic, but in general, the plot of the film is integral and the morality, in general, is quite clear - a kind of boomerang of life or & #39; as it backfires, and will respond' And again, the amazing game of Rosamund once again directly makes you at some point to show at least some positive emotions to her character, although she does everything according to the script exactly so that you have the notorious desire to jump behind the screen and strangle right now. And that's cool, actually. The film raises quite serious questions, though unfortunately common for modern society - the imperfection of law and jurisprudence, the ability of self-serving people to use these loopholes in their interests. At the same time, it is in this picture that this is embodied in the form of a kind of creme comedy with an admixture of phantasmagoria, and of course, not without the character of Dinklage it was possible to do it. I wouldn’t say it’s a comedy like the poster does, but there’s definitely some humor in the movie. And despite the fact that the film still leaves technically a lot of questions after viewing, purely for the correct ending, clear idea and morality, absolutely brilliant game Rosamund I will remove from the final assessment only a point. Or two for the Movie Search. The movie is good.
One who believes in God can say that physics, chemistry, mathematics are the laws of God, these are the rules established on earth by our creator. That is, everything that surrounds us and what happens to us is subject and works according to established laws. It's a deal.
Now to the movie. The film is a sura that does not take place on Earth.
The main heroine (hereinafter: GG), a clear representative of the ultra-right position. It divides people by material status and gender, thereby distinguishing people from the Inhumans & #39; the latter include men and the elderly. So, according to GG, people have the right to suppress and use in every possible way the Inhumans & #39. And the respected director and screenwriter strongly support this initiative. They allow GG to be invulnerable and lucky, like hell. If only we were watching thrash-action, so no, we have to look at the sour face of GG and her fight / girlfriend in serious attempts to change this rotten ' male world' Every action has its own opposition, and every character in the film gets everything for their actions, except GG and her fight/girlfriend.
How you want to see a strong female character, how she herself, despite the obstacles, despite the pain, reborn and wins, thanks to her own skills, her own mind and ingenuity. But, we are shown the same story - to defeat the dragon, you need to become a dragon. And in the end: beautiful, tall and smart blonde behaves like the average man from a bad movie. But even in a bad movie about average men, the main antipodes are cool, rich, powerful, real villains with motivation. And here we see the awkward, disorganized and frankly stupid fools, unable to cope with two arrogant & #39; lioness & #39; What a hero, though, is the anti-hero.
The eye couldn't catch on to anything. No acting, no camera work. Nothing was good. There is only a bitter aftertaste of terrible injustice. Gray morality is walking in the art.
For a long time, graceful thrillers have not appeared on the screens. “Swindler” is built around fraud, plausible enough to make you think: but something similar, without plot exaggerations, of course, could well happen in reality. The protagonist, spectacular in her ruthlessness, Macchiavellian “heroine of our time” leads this parade of moral freaks, whose authors make only one unforgivable mistake: the creators try to humanize the characters. While the first half of “Swindler” is built on the atrocities of quite difficult people and is a real social thriller, the final act ends with unbridled criminal notes: still the style had to be maintained to the end.
“There are no good people,” Marla Grayson chuckles during the opening credits as she talks about her credo. Much of her speech is devoted to the revelations of this ice queen; she is said to be a lioness in the world of lambs. It is obvious that this is a product of reinvention of herself: further on the plot, Marla will several times drop random phrases about his barefoot youth. One way or another, the main character is unhealthy, so it is not surprising that she has illegal activities: the so-called “professional guardian” is appointed by the court to “care” for the poor and unhappy old people. Naturally, Marla and her mistress Fran, with the help of an unclean doctor Amos, find sick and lonely elderly people, then send them to a nursing home, and then Marla gets the opportunity to control aspects of the lives of their wards, primarily financial. In this field, the lioness faced a new client – Jennifer Peterson, who, being a “candy”, lives well, but lonely. Soon it turns out that the old woman has difficult connections.
The script is developing quite slowly. The complication of the situation in the form of a subplot about diamonds worth millions of dollars is about eighth to ninth place in the list of events that occur in the second act. At least the criminal component allows you to expand the list of characters in this story. While Marla and Fran struggle with the realization that, perhaps, they have gone too far and the tough nut in the face of Jennifer Peterson they do not understand, the other characters continue to live on their own and influence the main plot.
Marla's personality is an ominous construct embodied by Rosamund Pike, showing far more acting talent here than in "The Gone Girl," although the roles are similar in a way. Marla, with her “understanding” smile and ruthless inner logic, can be seen as both a heroine and a villain. It is only by the end that this person is forced to cast his shield and turn to his own emotions. In general, the script at first even makes you feel sympathy for the victim of the lioness Jennifer Peterson, so the question “whose side are we on?” is played as the plot develops more than once. Thanks to the behavior of Marla, and the actions of her opponents, the central idea of “Swindler” becomes visible: it is a parable of power; faith in yourself is the driving force of the plot.
Infrequently, design is one way to tell a story. From the point of view of film production, the film is calm, aesthetic, painted in calm colors, despite some scenes filled with neon. The nursing home generally resembles the film adaptation of Kafka: with the help of scenery, in which the characters conduct calm dialogues and find out relations with each other, they try to strengthen the suspense.
Earlier, J. Blakeson made a couple of unsuccessful films ("The Disappearance of Alice Creed" and "The 5th Wave"), but here he found his creative foothold. While a lot could have been done differently, it was in this format, at the intersection of black comedy and nervous thriller, that Blakeson groped for a certain logic. There are witty phrases in the dialogues, and when the action reaches a climax, you can see that the director savored every scene and took his time. As a result, there are enough plot twists and, although they do not always pay off in the aggregate, at least the script correctly presents antiheroes: this blows away the moral idiocy that at times, it seems, the authors are powerlessly trying to promote, which leads to the final scene – predictable and at the same time incredibly sad.
In the modern world of capitalist relations, the foundations of the animal world have developed, in which you can be either a predator or a prey. However, if you want to be a predator, then in this status you must remain alert, because someone else will definitely appear who will lay an eye on your prey or even try to prey yourself. This eternal theme of life has been repeatedly played out in the cinema. One of the latest brightest films in this regard was the criminal comedy “Swindler”.
Marlo Grayson has set up a brilliant business built on a scam that no one can ever prove. Using loopholes in the law, for several years Marlo through the court seeks custody of the elderly, and placing them in nursing homes, sells their property, appropriating most of the income to himself. When her next victim becomes Jennifer Peterson, a harmless old lady with no children or relatives, but at the same time disposing of a colossal fortune, Marlo realizes that this is a chance of life, which immediately must be seized. However, an innocent old woman is not as innocent as it might seem at first glance, and Marlo is herself involved in a dangerous game that can cost her not only her career, but also her life.
First of all, the film is distinguished by the powerful acting of such famous stars as Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Diane Uist and others. But it is worth noting Rosamund Pike for a very interesting image of the classic antiheroine, who does obviously terrible things, but to which we penetrate with sympathy. Marlo Grayson performed by Pike is a woman with a strong-willed character who is not used to giving up under any circumstances, but is ready to achieve what she wants or outplay the enemy, using cunning, ingenuity and enviable cynicism. I also liked the short but strong performance of Diane Wiest as Jennifer Peterson, who, at first glance, might seem like a typical American pensioner, but who herself turns out to be a cunning witch who knows what Marlo could not have imagined.
Although director J. Blakeson has a relatively modest track record, it is “The Scam” that can give him a lot of light to work on other worthy projects. The film catches the unusual plot that he created in the film. As noted above, we are aware that the actions and actions committed by the main characters do not deserve even a modicum of forgiveness. So you're particularly interested in seeing them face things that are more terrifying than what they've done before. At the same time, the steadfastness and steadfastness of the main character cannot but cause sympathy, and therefore you are constantly on the side of this character, hoping that she will still be able to get out of the tangle into which she herself fell and dragged a loved one with her.
Director J. Blakeson also turned out to be the screenwriter of the film, and, it is worth noting, very worthy. Before us unfolds the story of the genius Marlo Grayson. She is elegant, always reverent about her appearance, has a persistent character, sharp language, and she is also a scammer. Using loopholes in the laws, she actually worked for the US government, set up a whole business to siphon money from the elderly. First, through the court, she seeks the recognition of a person incapable, then becomes his guardian, and stuffing the victim into a nursing home, sells their property, appropriating the income from sales to herself.
Marlo thought the same scheme would work well with her next victim, innocent pensioner Jennifer Peterson. Everything goes smoothly at first, but suddenly a lawyer appears claiming to work for Ms. Peterson and offers a relatively large sum of money on the condition that Marlo refuses Jennifer. However, Marlo is a “baba with eggs” and, despite obvious threats, refuses, demanding instead of the proposed 150 thousand 5 million dollars. From this moment, a dangerous game is launched, which should bring down the arrogance with Marlo, but the heroine seems ready for such a scenario. She does not even get scared when she is kidnapped and tried to kill, but instead develops a new scam to get what she wants. But it won’t be that simple either.
The result of the film catches a number of moments. First of all, it’s an incredibly interesting story that you can’t break away from because you expect to see one thing, but you end up with something completely different. Of course, you can not ignore the excellent play of Rosamund Pike as Marlowe, or rather that devilish image of an unshakable predator. The only thing that got a little upset was the ending of the movie. It is not clear whose interests the author of the film so sought to satisfy, everything is too chaotic. In any case, it is recommended to view.
Or isn't it? The familiar image of an embittered girl in fact only remotely resembles the heroine of the movie Gone. Pike plays a cold-blooded and calculating lesbian who is ready to do anything for her own profit. They, along with their partner (Aysa Gonzalez), have one business for two - to raise the elderly and single, keeping them in nursing homes and disposing of their property in their favor. But once the ladies come across a very not simple pensioner, because of which they begin to have serious trouble.
And although at the beginning of the film it may seem that this is just another unsuccessful comedy, I recommend you to be patient and wait until truly strange, if not terrible, things begin to happen.
The heroine Pike from the very beginning makes a repulsive impression. Everything in it goes against the generally accepted norms of behavior of the average person. This makes it even more interesting to watch her character. She is beautiful and elegantly dressed, always neatly combed, it seems that she always has everything captured.
As the storyline unwinds, you can inadvertently begin to sympathize with the main character. Nothing can break her. She comes out of any situation beautifully, even if sometimes it looks like something from a number of fiction. But this is also a feature film, where there is always a place for fiction, and let seriousness and common sense remain the lot of documentary.
From an aesthetic point of view, the film is very pleasant. An abundance of beautiful frames, interesting work with light, harmonious color scheme. Combined with a great musical range, everything looks great together.
Another fat plus in favor of the creators is the beautiful and organically played relationship between the two heroines. There are no screaming and far-fetched scenes of lesbian sex, which are usually filmmakers go out if the plot sags. Pike-Gonzalez looks absolutely natural.
Thunder in the seemingly clear sky on the viewer falls the ending. Long live the almighty effect of surprise! In the final credits, you can perhaps cry or, conversely, rejoice in the triumph of justice - everyone has his own morality.
Can you be rich and compassionate at the same time?
Truly limitless human talents in the sophistication of obtaining easy money. There is hardly any other area of life where we are as cunning and inventive in getting what we want. And often our tricks diverge on different shores with law and ethics.
“Do you think you are good people? No, not good. Trust me, there are no good people. I used to think, like you, that honest work, playing by the rules, could lead to happiness and success. You can't. Playing by the rules is nonsense the rich invented to keep us poor. I was poor, it doesn't suit me. Because all people are divided into two types: some take, others take. Predators and prey. Wolves and sheep.
Older people are easy profits for scammers of any color. But you may not have encountered such a category of scammers yet. Under the mask of their kindness hides greedy cynical cruelty.
“My name is Marla Grayson. And I'm not a poor sheep. I'm a fucking lioness.
Marla Grayson is a legal guardian who assumes all the responsibility and troubles of the elderly, whose health does not allow them to lead a normal independent life. Marla is so kind that she cares not only about their physical condition, but also about their financial condition. She, as a professional manager, skillfully conducts the money of the wards, seeking funds to pay for their comfortable stay in nursing homes. At the same time, she does not forget about herself. After all, on her shoulders lies such a heavy burden of responsibility and, of course, this work should have a decent reward.
Another ward of Marla Grayson becomes an elderly, lonely and quite rich Jennifer Peterson. Recently, her condition deteriorated dramatically and the court appointed her guardian in the role of kind-hearted Marla. But the caring caregiver does not suspect what will turn out for her guardianship of the “golden chicken”.
“Any fortune earned begins with one decisive act. But before you make this leap into the unknown, think carefully first. Take care of yourself. Ask yourself the question: I want to do or observe, I am a lamb or a wolf, I am a predator or prey, I know money or people, what I am willing to sacrifice to achieve my goal, what line I am not ready to cross. Always be yourself.
“Swindler” is a mix of criminal comedy and thriller, in which the cynicism of the actions of the main character is presented as a banal fraud that can cause sympathy. According to director Jay Blakeson, he got the idea from a report about a social worker who used loopholes in the law for his own selfish purposes.
Rosamund Pike fits perfectly into the role of an immoral and cold woman, ready to go to the end. I think after her role in Gone Girl, she’s perfect for those characters. Her opponent in this game was Peter Dinklage, known as Tyrion Lannister. Acting as a false antagonist, he tries with varying success to portray a violent mafia with amusing predilections.
“Swindler” has an original idea, a fairly good script that does not allow you to distract from the screen, and a good main cast. What was lacking was some zest or more study of the plot and characters. In general, I liked the film and deserved a positive assessment.
You have to know yourself and make the most of it.
So, the announcement temptingly promises us an interesting duel between the grandmother – a guest of a nursing home and a clever con artist, from which the winner should come out first (oh!). I was wondering how an older woman could get out of a very difficult situation.
In fact, it was much easier: they took the wrong grandmother. And she has powerful friends who want their possessions back. And it is with them that the heroine has to fight. That's all, nothing interesting. Next, we watch for two hours how both sides behave illogically.
Everything would be fine, but the director clearly sympathizes with the main character. The role of the offender of the elderly is taken not by anyone, but by Rosamund Pike ("The Disappeared"). The actress, clearly not agreeing to a negative character, is not going to give up and brilliantly plays a strong woman from the bottom, who has achieved everything with her cynicism and perseverance.
Her on-screen love and partner Asa Gonzalez can not boast of anything but a pretty face here. Whether the talent was lacking, or Pike pulled the blanket over herself. In the film a lot of close-ups Pike, and her partner remains in the shadows even in joint love scenes. By the way, remove female tenderness so that you want to spit - this requires a special talent.
The heroine Dianne Uist in the film is very little, of any duel speech, of course, can not go.
Most importantly, you sit for two hours and think: Am I going crazy? Whose side is the director on? If your grandmother’s wealth is not legal, can you hurt her? Can I break into her house, and as soon as the landlady's door slams shut, take out her things? The robbery? Everything is built in such a way that we do not feel sympathy for the victim.
The director brought together his dislike of lawyers, the judiciary and Russians. He drew this line perfectly, only slightly shaded the shining image of Pike. By the way, the film, of course, ended “correctly”, but everything else is not canceled.
I cannot wish you a pleasant viewing.
The film is more delicious than you would expect from this genre.
“Swindler” is not an accurate translation of the original title “I care a lot.” Russian translators, as always, screwed up and badly crumpled the deep meaning of the film’s title, without delivering “Swindler” and half of what was originally conceived. Perhaps that’s why I got a little more material and food for thought out of the film than I originally expected when I thought I was going to the movies for another comedy.
The movie isn't exactly a comedy. It is rather in the right balance filled with cynical humor and with a good dose of irony plays not so funny life situations, so that in general there is no heavy sediment after watching, but there is something to think about, as they say. So anyone who's planning on going out and laughing at the next streaming comedy -- yes, you're going to get your fair share of jokes, but it's also a really exciting story that Jay Blakeson has worked hard on. If you’ve seen Game of Thrones, you probably remember the phrase “you don’t know anything, Jon Snow” and actor Keith Harington. So the series “Powder”, in which he played the main role, just came out of the hands of Jay Blakeson.
And by the way, Game of Thrones. Peter Dinklage, so beloved by everyone, is one of the leading actors of “Swindler”, who perfectly coped with his role as the head of the Russian mafia by Roman Lunev. The best part is that in this film the image of the Russian mafia has gone quite far from the classical and generally recognized in American cinema. It seems that there are some general moods, but the characters turned out to be alive and three-dimensional – you understand them, feel them, someone even wants to empathize. No flat heroes with guns in their hands, shouting something in broken Russian in the original voiceover. Nice to meet you.
In addition to the star Dinklage, there is no less stellar Rosamund Pike, known to many for the thriller “Gone” with Ben Affleck, and despite the undeserved wave of hat after this film, in my eyes she deserves great attention and no less great respect for her truly outstanding acting talent. Because it’s not easy to play a non-positive character that the audience would like. And Marla, the heroine of Rosamund, is more of an antihero. She does not commit the most conscientious and not the most legitimate actions, but she does not want to hate, she does not cause irritation. On the contrary: you understand her, you sympathize with her at some stages of the film. All her actions are well motivated by a clear desire to be financially independent and become someone in this life. Yes, throughout the film, you often wonder if Marla is waiting at the end for the payback for all those who she had to be a guardian, and you catch yourself thinking that you do not want a bad ending, because a brave, purposeful woman, for me personally, is the role model that you want to admire. And let its means to achieve this goal not the most honest, but impressive, original and thoughtful for many steps forward. The film with such a powerful main character turned out to be quite feminist, but in moderation, without loud slogans and impeccably written slogans in every dialogue. Feministic just enough to show that a woman is able to achieve incredible heights and success, using not her femininity, but a sharp mind, courage, fearlessness.
As a result, we get not so much a comedy as a meaningful film with a well-worked plot, topical problems, which are skillfully packaged by Jay Blakeson in moderation, somewhere rude, but very true humor about life as it really is. And most importantly, the ending is the last thing you’ll expect from this movie, and it’ll leave you confused and thrilled because Blakeson made sure you never guess what the ending is.
The plot of the “swindler” is based on how the character Rosamund Pike, finding a loophole in the law, assigns himself the rights of guardianship over pensioners who cannot take care of themselves, and then successfully robs old people. More than an interesting idea, which can show the imperfection of the modern judicial system, which is supposed to provide assistance to the elderly, but in fact often makes it worse. Interested people at this time can take advantage of the gap in the law for their interests. Did the director take full advantage of the potential of the idea?
Rosamund Pike is a great fit for the role. A similar image she already had in “disappeared”, for which she, by the way, was nominated for an Oscar. A kind of calculating cynic, ready to go to any head in order to achieve his goal. Here, however, her hero was added the abilities of John Wick. She is so cool that she can easily deal with the Russian mafia alone. Get out of a drowned car or put all the security down? No problem. She has no equal in the legal field. Also, Marla with a serene face is ready to engage in polemics with anyone and in any stressful situation, of course, always comes out the winner. As a result, we get a literally non-killable, ideal character in a sense, which is simply not interesting to follow. Given everything that Marla got away with in the course of the narrative, even a tolerable ending looks out of place and can not change much.
And Marla is confronted by an unrealistically dangerous bandit Roman Lunev, played by Peter Dinklage, with his horde of thugs and a lot of money behind his bosom. Dangerous so much that the word can not oppose Marla. His subordinates can not deal with the security in the nursing home, can not eliminate two girls, can not get rid of a person who, therefore, is unconscious. If all killers were like that, the world would definitely be cleaner. The apogee of absurdity is the denouement of the relationship between Lunev and Marla. Well, if you do not know what to do with the plot, you can always start to build absolutely modern trends. How can a film about a strong lesbian who tricks helpless men around the finger get bad marks?
The film has an interesting idea, good actors, a cheerful pace of storytelling, but all these merits are crossed out by a disgustingly constructed script. If it were less serious, it would be a thrash comedy. At the same time, the authors tried to claim something significant that clearly did not work.
I care a lot: checklist, how to open a bar with blackjack in retirement.
I love finding the character I want to be in movies. In “Swindler” captured the image of the grandmother “God’s dandelion”, from which I am delighted, like the other character of the film: “rich, independent, literate – this grandmother is just my heroine”, and in general, “I want to live like this”! But let's be clear.
The film “Swindler” was directed by J. Blakeson, who stuffed his hand in thrillers, shot a curious historical series with Keith Harington in the title role, and now has entered the “main arena of Hollywood”. In the new film - a proven caste actor "Game of Thrones" - Peter Dinklage, aka Bes, aka Tyrion Lannister. In this film, he is the antagonist of the main character in the person of Rosamund Pike. If you first of all when mentioning the name of the actress comes to mind her image in the thriller “Gone Girl”, then you can already roughly imagine what awaits you in the new film with the participation of this bright blonde.
As I mentioned, the director of “Swindler” has extensive experience in shooting action. In Blakeson’s new film, this experience is revealed in all its glory. Although there are no endless explosions, mass fights and pogroms, but there is something to see for sure - the Russian mafia acts professionally and is finally shown by Hollywood not in a comic, mocking light, but quite dangerous and authoritative.
If you, like me, have long grown out of the maximalist concept of the mandatory division of the characters of the film into bad and good and want to see more real people with their angels and demons on the screen, then “Swindler” will definitely please you. Of course, there are no characters that can be called more good than bad people, but in my opinion, such a movie is only more interesting to watch. This is what the main character says at the beginning of the film: there are no good people. Because even that dandelion grandmother at a certain point shows that if she is a flower, then at least with her sharp spikes.
In general, the picture looks stylish and verified visually: quite understandable and certain images of the characters, accents in appearance are traced, placed depending on the dynamics of events. Like Pike's hairstyle. It changes from the ideal punishment of a confident woman to the absolute chaos of disheveled wet hair at the moment when this woman almost completely loses control over what is happening.
A separate part of the film’s style is its musical accompaniment. It falls exactly under one or another mood in the film and enhances its effect. At some point, it’s like you’re under hypnosis. And this, my friends, is a complete thrill!
Summarizing. If you want to finally get out of the protracted period of home movie screenings and agonizing anticipation of a tasty and bright premiere, then I advise you to enjoy the causticity and cynicism of “Swindler” – you will like it.