“Good Time” is a film that will go down in the career of Robert Pattinson as a milestone and though the actor has a long career ahead, this is his best performance to date. The Safdie Brothers have given him the role of a lifetime in their crime thriller and he has done complete justice to the portrayal of a crooked criminal who is extremely protective of his mentally challenged brother.
A spine-tingling tone
This Safdie Brothers’ offering runs to 100 minutes and takes the viewers on a hellish night ride in New York City that sees Connie Nikas (Robert Pattinson) involving his younger mentally-challenged brother Nick (Benny Safdie) in a bank robbery.
The former is confident of his tactics as he feels that no one will doubt Nick. Connie makes an impressive start but then everything spirals out of his control as Nick gets caught by the police. Now, Connie has another job up his sleeve. He has to free his brother from the prison hospital.
So, he goes to his girlfriend Corey but it does not work out and he has to move on to another option, a dangerous one that further takes him on a series of misadventures. During all this ordeal of Connie, the film moves at a rapid pace and the tension is every bit palpable. The audiences feel as nervous and as excited as the protagonist as he goes about moving from one plan to the next. Nevertheless, the film ends up on a sad note, making one realize the brilliance of the ironical title.
It is hard-hitting yet emotional at heart
Of course, “Good Time” is a fast-paced crime thriller interspersed with some electrifying sub-plots but in essence, it is a film about emotions. It is about an unexplainable and undying love that does not know where to call it quits and Robert Pattinson is the one who holds this immense love in his heart.
A small-time crook who is singularly devoted to his brother evokes sympathy in great measure as he races against time and fate to save the love of his life.
Full marks to the “Twilight” actor for portraying this complex role with such élan. He is bang on with his body language and expressions. One feels for him and is also repulsed by his cold-blooded tactics.
Watching him on screen is an experience in itself for one feels a range of contrasting emotions simultaneously. There is sympathy for the overprotective brother, angst for the societal conditions that led a young man astray and utter despise for his self-serving ways but overall, it is undiluted reverence for actor Robert Pattinson.
