Titreenp
SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
ChicDragon
It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
Plustown
A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.
Jerrie
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
NateWatchesCoolMovies
Netflix's Small Crimes is a bitter, barren, gnarled piece of work that leaves an uneasy vacuum in the air as it passes. If you haven't heard of it yet, that's because the platform does almost zero promotion when new content comes off the assembly line, quietly slipping it onto the site without so much as a TV spot. Some are forgettable, and some are gems that could have done with a bit of buildup. This one is like David Mamet, Cormac McCarthy and Elmore Leonard sipping whiskey sours one cold, empty night and brainstorming ideas. I love the time honoured themes presented here, but what I love and admire more is the filmmaker's courage in completely subverting, perverting and putrefying the formula. There's countless films about disgraced cops, criminals or what- have-you who return home to a small town with designs on putting the wrong things right and finding a modicum of redemption. Thing is, in 99.999% of these films, we end up with a happy ending where all the kinks are ironed out and bygones are left as such, a trend which really cripples the stakes and grinds our expectations down with a blunt, predictable Hollywood ending. Not this one. Nikolai Koster-Waldau, aka Jamie Lannister, is a wiry, cracked out ex con who used to be a cop, before he viciously, and I do mean viciously, sliced up the town DA at the behest of a crime kingpin. Moping back into the county following a six year stretch in the pen, it's inevitable that his very presence will stir up a few noxious vibes. Sure enough, he runs into trouble from all angles, including the vengeful DA (", looking like he shaves with a wheat thresher), a scummy corrupt detective (Gary Cole eats up the dialogue like candy), the mobsters he used to be employed by, and even his parents (Robert Forster & Jacki Weaver), who are clearly broken by the past. There's a feeling of inescapable doom, an inevitable choking quicksand that Waldau wades deeper into, his seemingly noble intent on reconnecting with his wife and daughters gradually ground away to reveal the true nature of his path, and it ain't pretty. Gary Cole has a way with words and mannerisms, and he runs away with his bent cop role, stealing scenes like nobody's business. Forster has salt of the earth gravitas in spades, and nails a near career best scene with clear eyed conviction, nailing our attention to his presence. It's not a perfect film though, there's pacing issues, sometimes it gets a little vague or scattered and a romantic subplot involving a nurse (Molly Parker) seems glaringly out of place. Waldau anchors it though, a twitchy, unpredictable ne'er do well who seems cosmically incapable of getting his act together. The ending floored my expectations and remind that there is hope for fresh narratives and abstract thinking amongst writers. You'll come out of this one bruised, but you'll be glad you sat through the beating.
ciprianai
The film seems to be building something from the beginning only to come to a confusing pointless end. It doesn't make any sense. Loving parents, by the way. Cheers for not getting all that time back. Too bad the cast, the performances and the technique used to film it had a high standard, although the screenplay is bad. Seems like it has been written by a schizo who got bored at the end.
Miles Archer
Skimming the previous reviews, it appears a lot of folks aren't 'getting' what noir stories are all about. If you love 'Double Indemnity' or 'The Postman Always Rings Twice', then you should enjoy 'Small Crimes'. If you want your stories straightforward with resolutions that leave you feeling that 'all's right with the world' then this isn't your bag, man; or perhaps not 'your cup of tea', mate.As for execution of the film itself, the director's worked very much in the classic noir style, but with a modern interpretation. There is no rambling around with the story, all the dialogue and early scenes set up the increasingly rapid spiral of destruction. That's what 'noir' is all about, so if you don't get that, you've not seen or read the works that make up this genre...or you just don't like noir.I'd liken it, in a way, to 'Memento', which I loved the first time I saw it, and freely admit I didn't understand a lot of it until the end...and which point all I wanted to do was watch it again to see what I know I'd missed the first time. Small Crimes is that sort of movie, you'll want to watch it again and pick up all the subtle cues you missed the first time around. I found the very end to be perfect, and so subtle you might miss the implications. This isn't some green-screen flick to watch when you're brain dead. It's weird, wild, terrifying, the characters are real people you care about...even the 'bad' guys.I said there are spoilers because I don't want to take the chance someone might think there's one in here. Other reviewers have made the story line fairly clear, so there's no need for me to do that yet again.
Tareq Abo Shokur
Our Hero here isn't a hero but we still like him. a great performance from Nikloaj to bring a complex yet simplified character. However the movie is tonally inconsistent. just when you think we're going in fast pace and more entertaining way the movie pulls back. which is off putting. some character motivations aren't very clear.This movie is smart, good looking, dark and very original. The story is really good and interesting. I was wondering all the time what's going to happen. and the movie was able to still surprise me. If you like original and different movies you should watch this.