Movie Review: You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Genre: Crime Drama

Director: Lynne Ramsay

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Judith Roberts, Ekaterina Samsonov

Running Time: 90 minutes

Synopsis: Military veteran Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) was abused as a child. Now he lives with his mother (Judith Roberts) and works as a lumbering and violent fixer for shadowy operatives with political connections. Joe's next assignment is to rescue Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov), a senator's daughter who has been abducted for sex trafficking. But the case takes an unexpected turn and Joe becomes a suspect as the body count mounts.

What Works Well: The cinematography, lighting, and grimy locations contribute to a moody and bleak aesthetic, and director Lynne Ramsay is always looking for artistic compositions. In a physically domineering performance, Joaquin Phoenix translates abject despair into soulless efficiency. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The villains are barely defined, and the logic-defying plot is borderline incomprehensible as narrative coherence is sacrificed for style. The flashback snippets frustratingly remain just that, and despite the short duration, ponderous pacing results in lackadaisical energy.

Conclusion: A strong central character is lost in indulgent abstractions.



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