Summary
A tortured soul of a fixer, is hired to rescue a senator’s 14 yr. old daughter from a “specialized” brothel. When the job goes sideways he has to decide whether to give in to his inner demons or face down the real ones who are trafficking in underage girls.
Going In Blind
I was very fortunate when I saw this film. I got to see it in the way that I prefer above any other. A bunch of my friends seemed excited for it, invited me, and I said yes, without having seen the trailer or any marketing for it.
Its a true pleasure to see a film in this way. I’m not an anti-spoiler guy. I think a good film will still be enjoyable even if you know things about it, but there is something special about knowing absolutely nothing about a movie when you sit down to watch it.
This movie could have been a slow drama, action sci-fi, or stately period piece and it didn’t matter. I was in and every thing that happened would be a total surprise.
I’m glad I saw this movie in that way because having anything told to me in the trailer would have spoiled some of the mystery and confusion in the film.
The setup and even the whole plot is really quite basic. There aren’t a lot of twists and turns and the hitman pretty much just does his thing, but the way the film reveals facts about his past and how he works creates a sort of trips experimental film vibe.
It’s like some one took the movie “Taken” and said, ‘what if the main character was a suicidal victim of sexual assault who is caring for his senile mother and is basically waiting for her to die so he can finally kill himself without abandoning her? Wouldn’t that be a more interesting internal drama? Also, what if we cut away every time he goes to do anything violent so we never see him actually kill anyone?’
This movie is brilliant at making you not miss the violence and giving you an amount of empathy for Phoenix’s (“Signs”) Hitman which in “Taken” is granted to Liam Neeson because he is ‘cool.’
Your empathy for Joaquin Phoenix in this film is deeper because you experience the pain that he has endured and continues to endure every time he has to kill.
This, of course, would not be possible if not for Phoenix’s amazing performance. There is no mistaking the pain in his tired eyes. Worn and long battled, you sympathize with the everyday struggle of being who he is and you start to give up hope because you see he has too. Phoenix’s willingness to tap into these sorts of emotions is truly remarkable.
There is a reason that you can tell me it’s a Joaquin Phoenix film and I don’t need anymore information to make me see it.
The Real Battle
What I loved most about this film is that it dwells on the real battles of life. When we are young children we think that the most thrilling thing that can happen to a person is to be whisked away on some adventure (Star Wars) or battle impossible odds to overcome the evil hordes of some foul sorcerer (Lord of the Rings) but as we grow older we realize that those battles are only shadows and reflections of the more serious battles of trying to be a good person when everything in you wants something which is wrong and trying to keep from killing yourself today, knowing that tomorrow doesn’t promise to be any better.
Sometimes, you don’t want to dwell on those internal realities and difficulties and movies like “Jack Reacher” are made for those days. But every once in a while, when things are dark, a movie like “You Were Never Really Here,” says ‘I understand. Keep trying.”
Verdict
While this film is certainly disturbing and not for sensitive viewers, it has a lot to offer to people who love film for more than its entertainment value. Lynn Ramsay's direction is particularly strong. This is a film where every shot was chosen specifically. It is so far from shooting simple '2-shot, over-the-shoulder, revers-over-the-shoulder” coverage, it is difficult to compare to other commonly known films. It is a true director’s vision come to life.
When you hear a film fanatic saying that they think most modern films all look the same or are visually boring, this film is why they feel this way. They are used to watching films like “You Were Never Really Here,” which try to cover commonplace themes and stories in new and creative ways.
Review Written By: