- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,231
- 26,682
Shot Caller (2017) <Netflix>
We open with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (only credit I can find of note is GoT, which I never saw so I dunno this guy at all), getting released from prison, with a van waiting courtesy of 'The Beast'. We follow him as he returns to open society and connects with the brothers he bonded with in jail, and we start mixing in flashbacks to tell you how we got to this point. Plotline is a rich executive gets a DUI, killing his partner in the accident, and goes to jail. He leaves outside his wife and young son. Upon entering for what should be 18-24mo, he is confronted with survival = be a warrior or be a victim. He gets in with the Aryan Brotherhood there and works his way up the power structure; and in doing so commits more vicious crimes and has time added, eventually moving to a bigger, more serious prison. Once out after serving about 10y (?) he comes across as someone higher up in the brotherhood, sent on a mission from 'The Beast' with a group of the brothers. The rest of the cast have a few recognizable faces, but nobody of note. The story is about 'Money' (the name he earned in prison), working with the brothers on a gun sale to the cartel, where we can't read some of his own team and their motives...but mostly we spend the film trying to understand Money and what his motives are. There are a few scenes touching base with the wife, and even the kid (before, during, and after prison), but they are only one facet of this guy and we can't tell where they fit into his big picture. Not to spoil the film, but it gives a good look at what the prison system can do to an honest man without making THAT the point of the film. The point is Money, why is he doing what he is doing? And he carries the film quite well for this purpose. Not a great film, but a good solid character film if that's what you're looking for. 7/10.
We open with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (only credit I can find of note is GoT, which I never saw so I dunno this guy at all), getting released from prison, with a van waiting courtesy of 'The Beast'. We follow him as he returns to open society and connects with the brothers he bonded with in jail, and we start mixing in flashbacks to tell you how we got to this point. Plotline is a rich executive gets a DUI, killing his partner in the accident, and goes to jail. He leaves outside his wife and young son. Upon entering for what should be 18-24mo, he is confronted with survival = be a warrior or be a victim. He gets in with the Aryan Brotherhood there and works his way up the power structure; and in doing so commits more vicious crimes and has time added, eventually moving to a bigger, more serious prison. Once out after serving about 10y (?) he comes across as someone higher up in the brotherhood, sent on a mission from 'The Beast' with a group of the brothers. The rest of the cast have a few recognizable faces, but nobody of note. The story is about 'Money' (the name he earned in prison), working with the brothers on a gun sale to the cartel, where we can't read some of his own team and their motives...but mostly we spend the film trying to understand Money and what his motives are. There are a few scenes touching base with the wife, and even the kid (before, during, and after prison), but they are only one facet of this guy and we can't tell where they fit into his big picture. Not to spoil the film, but it gives a good look at what the prison system can do to an honest man without making THAT the point of the film. The point is Money, why is he doing what he is doing? And he carries the film quite well for this purpose. Not a great film, but a good solid character film if that's what you're looking for. 7/10.