Son Of A Gun is available now from Lionsgate Films.
A history lesson for you Cinapsians. The term “son of a gun”, which is commonly used as an encouraging friendly term of address these days, actually traces its roots back to the British Royal Navy. Sailors were sometimes allowed to bring their women aboard and often tucked away in the space between the guns lining the sides of the ships. A child born under such circumstances was given the label, “son of a gun”, a ship born child or son of a soldier. Son of a Gun is not about a pregnant women, nor the British navy.
Son of a Gun opens in gripping fashion. It hints at a interesting film looking at the the brutal life within a prison walls then veers wildly into a bank heist caper. Throughout the older Lynch (Ewan McGregor) is cast as a mentor to the younger and newly incarcerated J.R. (Brenton Thwaites). Thus begins the bond between the pair, one that extends into the outside world when after he is paroled, J.R. participates in a jail break to free Lynch and his subsequent criminal activities on the outside.
The issue with this is it achieves one part with success while the other pales in comparison. The politics and brutality of prison life are fascinatingly wrought, the young J.R. struggling to adapt and eventually being taken under the wing of Lynch promising much as it develops the interplay between the pair and underlines the precarious nature of life on the inside of the prison walls.
It is the crime caper segment where the film sadly falls a little flat, despite solid performances, notably from McGregor spreading his wings with something a little more aggressive and against type (think channeling his inner Begbie) but also Thwaites who shows more depth than in his last outing The Giver, although that wouldn’t be difficult.
Julius Avery turns in a rather slick piece with good action sequences, and cajoles some interesting gritty performances from the cast. The Australian setting offers some great visuals which are well used. There seems to be a concerted effort to mimic Michael Mann but falls immeasurably short. The plot and screenplay are so predictable and derivative it undermines the more promising aspects. The mentor relationship again is one that promises much but eventually discards all levels of subtlety which striving to deliver something clever and insightful. Overall, despite a promising opening, it descends into something clumsy and disappointing.
THE PACKAGEPresentation wise, Son of Gun has a sharp transfer with good detail but looks somewhat drab palette-wise; occasional scenes show some vibrancy but overall is lacking.
Special features include an audio commentary with Writer/Director Julius Avery as well as a featurette entitled Partners in Crime: The Making of Son of a Gun. Both offer decent insights into the production of the film.
THE BOTTOM LINESon of a Gun opens with a bang as a interesting prison drama but soon descends into a more derivative feature. The relationship between the two leads hints at something interesting but the change in surroundings means it also falls into the formulaic. Fans of McGregor or Thwaites should check it out but most will find this venture to be largely forgettable.
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Son Of A Gun [Blu-ray] | [DVD] | [Instant]