Son of a Gun

For a crime or heist movie, Son of a Gun benefits from polished editing, good direction and commendable performance by Ewan McCGregor. However, the plot is not that engaging, the simplistic development could also be found in TV series or action games. To its credit, the film delivers plenty of content, even though some of them are stereotypical prodigy-versus-mentor or damsel-in-distress premise.

JR (Brenton Thwaites) is a new inmate in a prison, where he meets Brendan Lynch (Ewan McGregor), a veteran conman who offers him protection. Soon JR find himself as Brendan's henchman, unsatisfied of only doing his bidding, the two eventually clash. Thwaites performs well, he's decent as the young lead, but his acting range is a bit limited on some scenes. McGregor is the star here, stealing any scenes with flair and occasionally blurted rage.

Their relationship is a strange one, JR subtly seeks a father or teacher figure which he finds in Brandon, although ultimately he realizes that their interest might not align. It works in short term, but the material doesn't provide much back and forth exchange, what twists it has in store are pretty foreseeable. JR also encounters Tasha (Alicia Vikander), a beautiful girl in despair. There's little surprise this romantic subplot, Tasha's back story and also the tiny bit where she might just be a honey trap are not fully developed.

Its plot isn't ambitious nor does it possess high level of intricacy on its heist. A lot of other similar movies, or even TV series, have delivered the same concept. The use of Australia as setting helps, but it boils down to the familiar prison break or robbery stints. Luckily, the pacing is sharp, it pushes forward with conviction and the action parts are decent as well.

Son of a Gun feels like a fast version of crime miniseries of television show, it may not be groundbreaking but it is still a decent watch for action fans.

This film tell the story of a young man who is good at chess, getting accepted by a criminal gang inside the prison. They go out to do more jobs after breaking out of prison.

"Son of a Gun" has a big actor in it, and that's why I watched it. I found the plot meandering all the time, and the goals of the actors are poorly explained. I had no idea what the characters want to achieve when they do something, and I only find out after the effect has happened. That's poor story telling and poor engagement. I just didn't care for any of the characters. I found it disappointing and confusing. Fortunately the ending scenes were quite good, saving the film from being a complete disaster.

Movie packed with a little scent of action-drama of the 1970s. This Australian movie gets better as it is unfolded.

Good acting, good photography and a brief dose of humanity and thriving. Even if the script is nothing out of the normal, the film itself shows us a fast-driven story of convicted criminals trying to live under a small "mafia" organization - Love, lust, betrayal, death and commiseration will be the ingredients to cook up this story.

PS-> Don't watch the trailer because it sucks and deviates you from seeing a good movie. (I avoided myself from viewing trailers years ago for any movie) - They are simple a pure commercial beacon that use the best scenes as a vehicle of opportunism to forge you into seeing something that ultimately it does not translate into what you are expecting.

This film gave me shivers and not just because of the intense first act which sees us locked in a prison with some pretty ruthless men but because I regained hope for a flailing Australian film industry. I feel obliged to support my industry so often I go to the cinema reluctantly and am thoroughly disappointed by the lack of respect for the audience the filmmakers have, they believe first and foremost they must get their unworthy stories on screen and then I'm left out of pocket and dissatisfied. This time was a different story, Son of a Gun has given us a MOVIE!!! Finally, an actual movie which I could disengage and go on a ride with the characters. This isn't trying to be a groundbreaking heist film and yet it is groundbreaking for Australia, it is so well made, performances are stellar and the score is epic. We have space for our kitchen sink dramas but we also should make way for these type of films and also judge it as an Australian film. That's why I gave it 10 out of 10 because this film should be judged like all other Australian films are judged and not judged harshly because it has a big star and feels like a bigger story. I highly recommend this film.

A decent crime movie. Ewan McGregor makes a charismatic heavy-duty criminal with an inevitable intellectual side expressed through chess. The film gives him a chance to show his strengths as an actor. Slightly ropey plot (the chess again) and some A-Team style action scenes with plenty of bullets being sprayed around without apparent casualties. The central romance is pretty unbelievable- where does this attraction come from? - but it was an enjoyable bit of Aussie escapism, and the nasty Australian prison where the action starts came across as more believable than the US counterparts that usually form the backdrop for films like this. One to watch when you want some crime stuff, and enjoy.