There’s many stories that never go out of style, and the heist flick is certainly at the top of that list. It’s a popular sub-genre because it can easily avoid the timestamp. Certainly, modern movies implement technology into their schemes, but sometimes it’s just a couple of guys, a girl and a plan. And you don’t need tech for that choice premise to work beautifully.
For writer-director Julius Avery, his upcoming crime caper Son Of A Gun marks his directorial feature debut. It’s a low-budget story of career criminal Brendan Lynch (played by Ewan McGregor), whose attractive darkside is too much for impressionable youngster JR (Brenton Thwaites). As soon as the kid becomes embroiled in a deal that “can’t go wrong” – it does go wrong.
It’s a neat premise that’s only captivating to this writer after watching the first clip. Locked up in the slammer, Lynch is approached by the young lad who spots his ‘bad move’ during a chess game. It’s a little frustrating that the film still hasn’t landed a US release date, with its first major theatrical opening due in Australia, but hopefully its performance in London next month will aid in landing a US distributor.
Along with McGregor and Thwaites, the film stars Alicia Vikander, Matt Nable, Damon Herriman and Nash Edgerton (brother of Joel).
Son Of A Gun will screen at the BFI London Film Festival, before it opens in Australia on October 16th.
An edge-of-your-seat heist thriller starring Ewan McGregor and talented newcomer Brenton Thwaites, Son of a Gun tells the story of a young man who is drawn into the lawless world of a notorious criminal. While locked up for a minor offence, 19-yr-old JR (Thwaites) becomes apprentice to the enigmatic Brendan Lynch (McGregor), a calculating crime boss with connections both inside and out. After helping Lynch and his crew orchestrate a daring prison escape, JR is invited to join in on their next job – a high stakes heist that promises to deliver millions. But as they plan the heist, JR begins to suspect he is being played and soon finds himself on a collision course with his mentor in a very dangerous game. The impressive debut feature of Australian writer/director Julius Avery, this taut psychological thriller, both artful and laced with action, palpably gets under your skin.
