No Sudden Move

The following will likely be one of the shorter reviews I've ever written because

A) I'm on a bit of a time crunch to catch up from the weekend and 

B) There's not a whole lot to say about No Sudden Move (not necessarily a bad thing)

Uniquely, this is actually an HBO Max "original"(?) in the sense that it's not part of the previously arranged, semi-controversial deal that sends a slew of theatrical releases to HBO Max same day. This one is purely on the streaming site, which I found interesting, and that's probably for the better. I think it would have come and gone in theaters without much a splash. 

In a certain way, that's what I expect to happen on the streaming site too and, if I'm being honest, that's kind of the impression I have after watching it. 

Director Steven Soderbergh is a strong talent in Hollywood who's projects and approach are often a little more grounded and realistic. He's not quite a butts-in-seats director (outside of cinephiles), but you can usually count on him not being the weakest link in his own movie's outcomes. That's no different with No Sudden Move, which sees him having fun with a historical (1950s) crime drama in Detroit that can often be darkly humorous. Soderbergh brings his usual style here - longer shots, even framing, a balanced use of editing - and gets to have some noir-esque fun with it, mostly in the form of some wacky camera angles, used sparingly, that call back to the crime thrillers of old. It's never so razzle dazzle that it takes away from the film, but there's also nothing so unique here either that it elevates the film into a stronger territory. 

More impressive that Soderbergh's direction is the cast itself. This can tend to be a fun surprise in some of his films where it feels like it's the list that just keeps on giving and No Sudden Move packs in a lot of names (and a few surprises) into the mix. Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro are the headliners, both of which moving through this material with ease. While both are good, Cheadle's Curt feels more interesting - with hidden motives and a chip on his shoulder, while Del Toro's Ronald kind of feels like he's just along for the ride. Past that you have David Harbor, Jon Hamm, Kieran Culkin, and (an underused) Brandan Fraser, along with some surprises that I won't spoil. It's one of the biggest strengths of the film to see all these cast members throughout - and similar to our leads, they all do good - but it also can sometime lead to the effect of characters who have big or semi-big stars feeling less fleshed out or just window dressing. 

What a fantastic disguise!

No Sudden Move's story is where it began to bore me however, and ultimately where I believe it's not going to get a ton of circulation/views outside of movie-buffs/critics. Setup as a mildly humorous crime thriller, the plot quickly becomes too convoluted to really make much sense any character motives, next steps, or ultimate end goal. It certainly didn't help that I had to watch this in pieces throughout a busy weekend, but even still, the ultimate story - while interesting in broad strokes - is a bit of a dud and it makes a sub-2 hour movie feel like a much longer one. In a lot of weird ways, this is a film that feels like it's having more fun than its audience and from a story perspective that comes across often when you can't quite keep up with the complications and relationships that exist between characters. 

The total result is a well-made film - as is to be expected from Soderbergh - that features an all star cast all running around in a narrative that doesn't support the film's strong foundation. Not only is it hard to keep track of but, perhaps even worse, it doesn't excite. Because of that No Sudden Move almost feels like an upscale TV-movie at certain points when the talent behind and in front of the camera suggests it could have been much more. 

CONS

• So many characters packed into a < 2 hour movie means that not many get developed, some feel underutilized, and other's had me asking "Who?"
• Some big names get underused
• Story is overly-intricate and a bit dull, leading the film to drag and feel longer than it is

PROS

• Soderbergh's direction and editing still continues to be good/great (though never quite reaches "WOW!" territory)
• Fun cinematography throughout
• Dark humor that's not overused
• Very impressive cast that's hiding some surprises. Cheadle's performance is my highlight

Rath's Review Score | 6.5/10