Well into the brand new darkish crime comedy Greedy People, I needed to verify IMDb to ensure this wasn’t some movie one or each of the Coen brothers had truly made and someway I didn’t understand earlier than diving in. Nope, it was Potsy Ponciroli who directed, and Mike Vukadinovich who wrote it. No Coens wherever in sight besides because the clear inspirations for this entertaining movie of which the masters behind Blood Simple and Fargo would in all probability approve, and may even have made originally of their illustrious careers.
So get this for a plot.
New and really inexperienced cop Will (Himesh Patel) arrives within the small East Coast city of Providence for his new job as a deputy, partnered with quirky vet Terry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). With a pregnant spouse (Lily James) and their loving canine in tow it looks like a great profession transfer. However, Will quickly discovers Terry will not be precisely the brightest bulb, however reasonably a freewheelin’ man who offers him the 411 in town whereas driving him alongside the beat, solely to pause for a bit afternoon delight with a married townie he will get it on with as Will waits within the cruiser.
When the beginner errors a minor police name for an precise housebreaking and is unable to get Terry’s consideration, he drives off and takes issues into his personal fingers — fairly disastrously — as he enters the tackle given and freaks out the feminine resident, Virginia (Traci Lords). She hysterically overreacts to the intrusion and, after constructing to a bodily altercation with Will, all of the sudden dies. Terry lastly reveals up on the now-crime scene the place the pair additionally uncover a stash of $1 million in money close by. Impulsively, they arrange the scene to seem like a house invasion and resolve to separate the money. After all, who will ever know? Only drawback is they’re only one step above the Keystone Cops, and their bumbling, spur-of-the-moment determination results in all hell breaking free amongst a bunch of characters residing as much as this flick’s title.
So it seems the cash was truly left for a few hit males who had been employed to knock off Virginia by her shrimp entrepreneur hubby (Tim Blake Nelson), who then could be free to frolic along with his devious mistress (Nina Arianda). Title playing cards proceed to introduce us to a revolving forged of loonies together with Virginia’s oversexed masseuse (Simon Rex), plus hit males The Colombian (Jose Maria Yazpik) and The Irishman (Jim Gaffigan) amongst others. The plot thickens as one after the other our forged begins getting knocked off. No one is spared besides presumably the no-nonsense police captain (Uzo Aduba), who appears to be the one one on this city with any sense, if not with out a motive herself.
Performance-wise, it’s enjoyable to see Gordon-Levitt let free and play this goofball for all he’s value. Rex is sort of humorous as nicely, persevering with to indicate his comedic aspect submit Red Rocket. Patel performs it helpless and straight, and James can also be pulled into the scheme left to her personal units, and upset at Terry who by chance runs over her canine (sure, that is the sort of movie unafraid to kill off even the cute pooch). Aduba is the shrewd one, kinda the Spencer Tracy police captain function in It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World when you want a clue. Nelson will get some alternative display screen time as nicely, however was higher served by Ponciroli in his terrific offbeat 2021 indie Western Old Henry that really may additionally have owed the Coens for inspiration from their 2018 Wild West anthology The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, which additionally featured Nelson, however I digress.
Even with all its familiarity, Greedy People, which delights in piling up the our bodies in near-slapstick trend, does ship a satisfying payoff because it had been, no extra — however no much less — than a great summertime diversion on the movies, particularly for individuals who miss the cinematic heyday when the Coens made this explicit wackadoo crime comedy a memorable style all by itself.
Producers are Shannon Houchins, Ponciroli, Zack Schiller, David Boies, Chris Parker and Dylan Sellers.
Title: Greedy People
Distributor: Lionsgate
Release Date: August 23, 2024
Director: Potsy Ponciroli
Screenwriter: Mike Vukadinovich
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Himesh Patel, Lily James, Tim Blake Nelson, Uzo Aduba, Tracy Lords, Nina Arianda, Jim Gaffigan, Jose Maria Yazpik, Joey Lauren Adams, Simon Rex
Rating: R
Running time: 1 hr 53 minutes
Content Source: deadline.com