[Rating: Swiss Fist]
“Got a problem with the names of characters or the events depicted? Too bad.”
That’s a bold statement to put in your end credits, for those that stick around for them. But Among Them is a bold movie.
Sold as Tarantino meets Bad Times at the El Royale, it starts off as a bank robbery gone wrong. While it’s easy to say “it gets crazy from there,” it’s more descriptive to say it becomes a psychological mind twist that never spoon feeds you. And like I’ve already stated, it’s unapologetic for it.
Jonathan Thomson and Dan Liebman star as two bank robbers, going by the names “Harry” and “Mick” respectively. They check into a dive coastal motel in the winter time. It’s the type of place that doesn’t look like it gets a lot of visitors during this time of year. Giving total Norman Bates vibes is the front desk clerk (Michael Reed), who is calculating and quite inquisitive. While stashing their stolen cash and guns, they are joined by heist stowaway, Syde (Evalena Marie).
As time goes by, things start to go missing: the money, the guns, and their minds. They start to have hallucinations as the film starts showing you their descents into madness. Is it payment for their recent sins or something else?
This was definitely not the action film I thought I was getting into originally. At almost the halfway point, certain elements of horror and suspense take over. I was no longer concerned with if they were going to be able to pull off the bank robbery. I was more concerned with what the hell was going on in these scenes.
Quick cuts of violence gave way to feelings of paranoia, as the camera zoomed and the edits flashed. While I was not handed the ending I wanted, it kept me interested until the end. Great performances by the two lead actors, as well.
In the end, some may be satisfied with this style of unconventional storytelling. Some may be looking for answers. You won’t get them. Too bad. No apologies. Not from this movie. It was “written recklessly by Evalena Marie” and “directed dangerously by Kevin James Barry.” That’s also “boldly” stated in the end credits.
ALSO: Stay for the shortest post-credits scene ever!
KB is a native New Yorker/Midwest transplant who’s into tech, sports, and the arts, especially film and music. He still aspires to be a DJ in his other life. You can frequently catch him watching Hitchcock classics, film noir, and anything Star Wars.
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