If you enjoy thriller movies and are looking for something along the lines of a classic cat and mouse scenario, then be sure to check out the Netflix original Beckett. The film stars Tenet (2020) actor John David Washington and is the debut directorial film by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, who was an assistant director of Call Me By Your Name (2017) and Suspiria (2018). Beckett is a compelling paranoia/survival/conspiracy thriller about a tourist who's deep-down on his luck.
The movie follows the story of Beckett (Washington), an American businessman who's on a romantic vacation in Greece with his girlfriend April, played by Alicia Vikander. While travelling one day, the trip takes a turn for the worst when they have a tragic automobile accident. Beckett awakes battered and bruised and unexpectedly finds himself the target of a manhunt as he is thrust into the middle of a mysterious conspiracy. The man is forced to run for his life and desperate to get across the country with little more than his passport, as he tries to get to the American embassy in Athens in an attempt to clear his name before his pursuers catch up to him.
Beckett is an ode to the paranoid political thrillers of the 70s. The visuals were beautiful and well shot and seem to be inspired by vintage Hitchcock. It's almost like a neo-noir thriller with the tone and execution lending itself to feeling like it's set in decades past. The hyper realistic filming technique creates a raw and inherent feeling throughout the entirety of the movie.
Some people may be put off by the slow pace, at least in the film's beginning, which during the first 30 minutes focuses on the romance between Beckett and April. However, those are the only moments that Beckett is allowed to breathe. This film doesn't linger too long there. Once the accident occurs and the plot kicks into high gear, this movie never lets up.
I loved the mistrust that is set up throughout the film. As the story progresses, the audience is left wondering who is hunting him down and why. There's an added complication that Beckett can't speak Greek. The language barrier also helps set up the mistrust.
The action sequences may seem bland compared to other action thrillers, but there is beauty and simplicity in an age where we see so much crazy CGI and other special effects in the genre. It's nice to see a movie that goes back to basics. There are a ton of cat and mouse chases in this movie and they all take place in different environments, like a mountainous forest, a train, subway, and another in a city where it was a real treat to see them all play out.
And as you can probably tell from the title alone this movie is largely a one-man show in terms of characters, with Washington's character dominating screen time. In addition to Vikander as co-star, there's also Vicky Krieps who we remember for her role in 2017's award-winning historical drama Phantom Thread, and Boyd Holbrook (Logan, 2017). I liked what they bring to the story, and how their characters help unravel the mystery. I also like the way they created a Beckett character who's nothing but a regular type of guy that got himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. His character is not a secret agent nor has he any special skills that can save him from bad situations. So basically, he has to figure out a way to survive while evading the bad guys. It gets messy and unco-ordinated as expected. In this way, it makes the action and drama more interesting.
However, it was kind of silly at times, how his character endures a crazy amount of physical punishment. The chase scenes require a good amount of suspension of disbelief. There are a handful of beyond belief scenarios that befall our protagonist, from car accidents and gunshots to stabbing and even falling from a cliff, things that any mere mortal wouldn't survive in real life. Also, the political revolution backdrop is a little weak, or at least not too resonant. I didn't fully understand the complexity of the conspiracy that Beckett finds himself in. Halfway through, I ended up not really caring about motives because they didn't feel relatable. It's probably that I was more caught up in the pursuit, so the political reasoning behind it was less important.
While the story may not be as great as Harrison Ford's The Fugitive (1993) and parts lack in deep character development, the chase aspect and the beautiful 70s-ish cinematography in Beckett makes the film an enjoyable watch. Washington also successfully delivers an exciting performance as a man on the run, even though you might have to overlook some of the unrealistic flaws, and those impossible stunts and injuries.
- Beckett
- Starring John David Washington, Alicia Vikander, Vicky Krieps, Boyd Holbrook
- Directed by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino
- Now streaming on Netflix
