One Good Turn

I bought "One Good Turn" from a yard sale for $2.00 and it was worth every penny. I wanted it because of James Remar and Suzi Amis as I have seen and liked the movies they have been in. Remar has his usual bad guy role although he does make you like him at times. You even feel sorry for him in the film, too. As someone has already stated in another review, he really is an underrated actor. Amis has the role of an anguished wife both from a past mistake and a workaholic husband played by Lenny Von Dohlen. The premise for this movie is that Remar had saved Dohlen from a burning car many years ago and Dohlen had never really gotten the chance to properly thank Remar. They have a chance meeting on the street and strike up a conversation. Remar is down on his luck while Dohlen is quite successful. As expected, Dohlen wants to help out the man who saved his life and he offers him a job. This movie had twists and turns and sometimes you could figure out what was going to happen next but there are a couple of times you might not. All in all, this is an entertaining flick and is worth the rental or if you can snag a copy as cheap as I did, worth owning.

It might not have the style of say, Cape Fear but it's as entertaining. As a 90s thriller fan especially but also a directing student and filmmaker myself, this film thoroughly impressed me. The script is very well written and it is extremely well directed - there is not a false note in the thing. The leads are all excellent, the score is great, the camera choices and sets are great and the script is just the right mix of unpredictable yet satisfying - you know you're watching a sociopath thriller and you get that but it unfolds in ways you don't see coming. It's depressing this movie isn't better known but what can you do?

I liked the directing style, the tension and suspense and the lighting and soundtrack.

Though the actual characters could be replaced with other actors...the essence of a no name actor is what propels this movie.

This could and should never be a Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise/Mel Gibson movie as it would never work.

James Remar holds this together as far as lead performances and it tends to drag in some areas and then confuse in others...but the tension...especially at the bedroom scene and the train scene is what builds this entire film into a flick that is capable of holding an audience.

A short rewrite may have made this into an exceptional movie, because the theme and dark elements that construct this movie are built to a nice flow.

You probably would not have any idea what I'm stating here...but watch it from the view as a director, writer and camera man as well as sound technician and you will see that the sound, lighting, camera movement and underlying theme is just blow away material.

That's the truth and I'm sticking to it.

I look forward to working with this director and producer.

This is one of those drama/thrillers that gradually reveal the true essence of the characters through a well developed storyline. The acting and dialogue is highly credible, its certainly not 'off the cuff', relaxed acting, it's more thoughtful and diplomatic, which may give some viewers the imression of 'wooden' acting. If you're the type of person who thinks before you speak you'll find this dialogue VERY believable. I found the whole story really intriguing, especially the ending. You might compare the antagonist to something like Fatal Attraction in terms of general psychosis,, although it's more a tale of revenge. If you liked Misery then you may like this-it's not flashy, its not big budget but it's clever and it's real. I had a much better time watching this then some of those billion-dollar blockbusters I had to painfully sit through!

The script of "One Good Turn" gives the actors little to work with. It features standard characters, plot holes the size of craters and pacing inconsistent enough to make it tough to buy the sense of peril.

Despite this, James Remar manages to make his role multi-layered and worthy of bit of sympathy. In the moments where his character is doing something evil, he has a concentrated focus that is neither evil nor sane. Instead, he slowly draws his madness and revenge towards the conclusion that is inevitable but somehow unexpected. The script lets him down by relying on a hackneyed flashback technique. But his final moment is infused with a resignation and sensitivity that this type of film usually can't achieve.

Wath One Good Turn for Remar and ignore the script.