Soderbergh’s period heist film is filled with unexpected twists and turns that will derail everything. No plan goes off without a hitch.
Soderbergh aka Mr. avant-garde is known for his sexy crime thrillers – he absolutely loves a heist film, and even more so, an ensemble cast. Known for the brilliant Traffic and the equally brilliant Out of Sight, this Soderbergh period crime film is based in 1954 Detroit and surrounds a group of small-time criminals who are hired to steal a particularly important document. When the heist goes wrong (when does a heist go right these days?) they search for the men who hired them – and why they were chosen – sending them down numerous paths in this race-torn city.
No Sudden Moves is full of twists and turns, as you would expect from a Soderbergh film, it features a powerful soundscape and a classy score (created by David Holmes), the use of unorthodox camera angles for suspense and effect, another Soderbergh trick of the trade. Now, back to that heavy ensemble cast: Benicio Del Toro, Don Cheadle, an unrecognizable Brendan Fraser, David Harbour, Ray Liotta, Jon Hamm, Bill Duke, Kieran Culkin, Noah Jupe, Amy Seimetz, and even a cameo from Matt Damon. Half of Hollywood involved, what could go wrong?
One thing that really came out in this film was the desperateness of the characters, they all act on impulse and make rash decisions, behaving like you would expect a criminal in this predicament should act. Cheadle and Del Toro, as Curt and Ronald, were the duo making these rash decisions, a petty crime partnership thrown together in haste, with only each other to trust, but can’t quite cement that bond due to greed and wanting to save their own lives. They could have been masterful together.
Something else that stood out in No Sudden Move was that it was shot extremely well, it was captured and edited by Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard, both of whom were just Soderbergh’s pseudonyms, the secretiveness is bewildering but I kind of like it. The film was slick and had an unexpected finish, albeit a smart finish, an ending I truly wasn’t expecting, or maybe I’m just a little wet behind the ears. At the beginning it felt like it was meandering along, they were giving nothing away, but it slowly picked up pace and delivered an exciting noir like story. I should know by now that Soderbergh likes to keep us guessing.
The film begins with the gathering of a small group of petty criminals; Curt Goynes (Cheadle) has just been released from prison and is in desperate need of cash, and Ronald Russo (Del Toro) a well-known criminal who used to work for the Italian Mafia, as well as small-time gangster Charley (Kieran Culkin).
They are all recruited by Doug Jones (Brendan Fraser) to hold up an accountant, Matt Wertz (David Harbour) and his family Mary and Matthew (Seimetz and Jupe), Matt must go and retrieve a secret document from his boss’s safe which the gang’s employer desperately needs. After finding out there is nothing in the safe, Matt gives false documents to the gang which eventually unravels and leads to a whole host of trouble for everyone involved. So, after a skirmish at the house and the discovery of treachery, Curt and Ronald must stick together and can only trust each other in the hopes of uncovering who hired them and why they were set up.
The two men must figure out the next plan of action; getting back at the people that set them up, but also now being pursued by police detective Joe Finney (Jon Hamm). Curt and Ronald – who are now in possession of the secret blueprint after a trip to Matt’s boss – must negotiate with numerous parties to give themselves the best chance of escape, and a little payday for themselves. Secretly, they plan to double cross each other and make deals with their respective crime bosses; mafia crime boss Frank Capelli (Ray Liotta) and old school pimp Aldrick Watkins (Bill Duke), both of whom have no intention of cutting a deal with their subordinates’. The double cross meets the double cross, can anyone be trusted? It doesn’t look like it, even the cops can’t be trusted.
The document on everyone’s wish list contains a blueprint for a state-of-the-art catalytic converter, something the big motor companies can’t afford to get out because it would damage their earnings too much. There is real theme of greed in this film from all involved. Big money is there for the taking in this elaborate game of chess, where the next move could cost you your life. Who will slip up first and who will come out of the other side unscathed and rich beyond their dreams?
Apart from a couple of surprising moments early on, I couldn’t get into this film during the first half, it felt slow and cumbersome. I couldn’t understand what was happening – or hear for that matter – but it swiftly picked up pace and turned into an enjoyable and sexy heist thriller, with deaths a plenty and some major curveballs.
It wasn’t my favourite Soderbergh film in a large array of great films (I watched Out of Sight recently and that is vastly superior to this), but it is still entertaining when it kicks into gear. Soderbergh still has a very astute and a technical eye for what makes good cinema; the aesthetics and the acting were all top quality. It felt quite refreshing, the fact it was a period piece and not set in the present day like most heist films – we don’t get enough crime caper heist films, and that is a shame alone.
No Sudden Move is available to watch on HBO Max now.
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