Fantasia Film Festival '24 Film Review - The G

Elder exploitation turned revenge takes the spotlight in Writer-director Karl R. Hearne's film The G. Legal guardian care is big business in the US. Opportunists target vulnerable seniors that seem to have no interaction with relatives. A doctor in that the scheme that declares senior unfit allowing the Guardian to go to court and take control of the their life and assets. In this case, the opportunist Rivera  (Bruce Ramsay) picked the wrong senior Ann Hunter (Dale Dickey) as his latest target. Ann is as tough as they come, born into a family that is familiar with violence. She has connections back in her home state of Texas that are still active in the crime world.

At the film's opening Ann is grumpy and mouthy as she visits the doctor for what she thinks is a regular check-up. Her Granddaughter Emma (Romane Denis)  waits for her appointment to finish showing some feistiness of her own. Once home Ann cares for her bedridden husband Chip (Greg Ellwand) the best she can. Then in the middle of the night, her court-appointed guardian appears. hustles Ann and Chip to a stark care facility that is more prison than a senior residence. Rivera moves to liquidate the couple's assets under the guise of paying for their care.   A tragic event soon after the couple's arrival brings Ann's violent roots to the foreground soon to turn the tables on her would be group of oppressors. 

Dale Dickey commits fully to the role of  72-year-old grandmother Ann Hunter. She is a full value lead performer that drives hard at everything that she does. From being a foul-mouthed chain-smoking hard drinker who got her kicked out of her sewing circle to embracing all aspects of a womanhood in a budding new relationship at the care facility. Roc Lafortune as Joseph adds a counterbalance as a resident with some outdoor privileges that quickly learns Ann's range of full-on qualities. 

Director Karl R. Herne sets the film in an unnamed Northern City in the harshness of winter a true  match to the title character's harsh exterior. The file exudes gritty goodness with a healthy dose of crime family activity sprinkled throughout the narrative. Dickey plays a role that would normally go to Liam Neeson or other older gentlemen with a particular set of skills. Here Ann Hunter has those skills and is willing to use them to protect her family in a way that will satisfy the viewer. 

*** Out of 4

The G | Karl R. Hearne | Canada | 2024 | 106 Minutes. 

Tags: Legal Guardian, Senior Care, Money,  Map, Crime Family, Sewing Circle, Buffalo. 

Well Go Entertainment Film Review - Escape

Fast, rapid quick, and relentless are a few of the words that come to mind when watching the opening sequences of the new Korean thriller Escape. An instant box hit office in its homeland, Escape tells the story of a North Korean Army Sargent  Lim- Kyu-nam (Lee Je-hoon)  in the last few days of his 10 - year mandatory military service looking to take his final opportunity to escape to the South as he will likely not have his current freedom of movement or knowledge of the mine placements in and around the demilitarized zone ever again.  Lim has been plotting his departure for a while. He was sneaking out of the barracks every night and marking the mine locations on a homemade map. One of his juniors Kim Dong-hyuk (Hong Xa-bin) knows what's up and when an impending rainfall moves up the timetable. Kim demands to go as well or will expose Lim to superiors as the strict regime vigorously encourages soldiers to do. 

Lim's initial plan is thwarted mainly because of Kim but a chance to survive is extended to Lim by an unlikely source. The notorious Field Officer Li Hyun-Sang ( Koo Kyo-hwan) a childhood acquaintance of Lim's as his dad worked as a driver for the Li family. Lim has to constantly recalculate his moves as the film progresses as different obstacles are thrown at him. He often looks to his hero refers to his  The Tenacious Explorer Amundsen author of an adventure novel that read repeatedly as a child. His other prized possession is a small radio where he listens to a ROK Radio broadcast from the south that speaks to the opportunities available in the promised land. 

Director Lee Jong-pil creates a world underpinned with a phenetic pace that will have the viewer thinking of similar adrenaline thrillers Run Lola Run  or another German film Victoria and even Ethan Hunt's need to run in the Mission Impossible films. The cinematography is sharp and crisp as well. The gun play has stylish elegance. One scene of spectacular lighting stands out as Lim and Kim attempt to stay hidden near a fence as a searchlight from a sniper tower pans to find them. The story is about two North Koreans at it centre but its audience is South Korea with a message of Making the best of the opportunities you have, not being afraid to fail, and being thankful that you do have that opportunity to fail at what you want to do. 

The ensemble cast all perform well. The cat and mouse play between Lee Je-hoon's Lim and Koo Kyo-hwan's Li at the centre. Childhood acquaintances bordering on friends pitted against each other with one needing to stop the other not because he wants to but knowing the personal consequences if he doesn't.  The film is a heart thumper that I can recommend. 

*** Out of 4

Escape| Lee Jong-pil | Korea | 2024| 94 Minutes. 

DMZ, Mines, Piano, Military Service, Map, Driver, The Tenacious Explorer Amundsen, ROK Radio, Necklace.