Felony (2014)

Very disappointing...

Must See Movie...

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

What a pretty good surprise this movie from the Aussies. Not a film which could be similar to thousands ones. Pretty realistic too, closer to reality than most crime features that we see everywhere. I don't remember having already watched such a very same scheme, involving a cop in a sort of hit and run affair; not exactly but nearly...It is definitely a cop show but without being a crime movie. In summary, a very unusual film which deserves to be shown.

After a few drinks celebrating not being killed during a bust, a police detective clips a cyclist with his car, rendering the young rider into a coma. Covering up the facts of the accident, with help from a superior, his conscience starts to attack both his state of mind, and that of his life at home. Something which is noticed by an up-coming young detective...Ooh, the agony, the moral conundrum. It's pretty much a morality play, one that is very well mounted by the makers. Written and starring Joel Edgerton, it also stars Tom Wilkinson, Jai Courtney and Melissa George. After a quick-fire opening the pic settles into a brooding sense of emotional torture, a slow burn approach that casts caustic eyes over police cover ups and the folly of the human condition. A potential romantic thread feels unnecessary, while some of the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, but with Wilkinson shining, Mark Wareham's photography the same, it's a better than average morally tinged drama. Though the ending will infuriate some... 6/10

This is one of those films that can't fail to impress you with how clever some filmmakers are.The story of a traffic accident involving a detective, Mal Toohey (Joel Edgerton), and his attempt to cover it up, and the attempt by another policeman, Jim Melic (Jai Courtney), to find the truth, doesn't sound all that special in a synopsis, but this film is so well done and has so many layers that it is one the most intriguing movies of it's kind you are likely to see.The portrayal of the police is fascinating. We see the danger of the job, and the hierarchy that exists between the older, senior officers and the younger police. We also see the brotherhood of the predominantly male culture that protects its own.This is a gritty and intense drama with a cast in top form. However, Tom Wilkinson just about steals the show as veteran cop, Carl Summer, who attempts to solve problems using both sides of the law. He also nails a very passable Aussie accent.The film features two beautiful women: Melissa George and Sarah Roberts. The stunning Roberts, who plays Ankhila Sarduka, an Indian woman, looks far too exotic to be simply called Sarah Roberts. All the stars deliver clearly defined and believable characters.There were also considerable talents on the other side of the camera. Director Matthew Saville, steers the drama from one powerful scene to the next. He had previously written and directed "Noise", another offbeat Australian police drama that also rejuvenates a well-worn genre.The film has a very good score by Bryony Marks who also happens to be married to Saville. This is a fairly straightforward score compared to the edgier one she composed for "Noise". She's beginning to be a name that can sit comfortably with notable Australian film composers such as Bruce Smeaton, Nigel Westlake, David Hirschfelder and Barrington Pheloung.Joel Edgerton not only stars in the film but also wrote it. The dialogue is sharp with Tom Wilkinson getting some of the best lines - but it needed his grizzled old copper to give them the right voice.Edgerton followed "Felony" with "The Gift" (actor, writer, director) proving that it was no fluke. I think this bloke must be one of the most talented sons ever to emerge from Blacktown. It's not just the Australian film industry that is the richer for his presence. I for one will be on the lookout for whatever he does next.

Great performance by Head Detective Summer....epic monologue:You bring me in then 180?!! Bullshit you will! Grow a f-in brain! Don't wave yourself off the pitch because suddenly it's eating away at you. What can you do?! Time.....time and the world...swallows events..and it's sad..but that's how it is...And you and me, the world is going to swallow us up, and who knows knows in the end if we leave a mark...but we're doing something!---and I like to think were doing something good with what were given. Don't wave yourself off for this....What do you want? Five years in the nick for nothing?!! Prison is for pricks that don't have their punishment up here (points at his head). Not you....not me....it doesn't make sense. Right?Detective Summer is the best part of this movie....great acting as usual. The movie itself falls a touch flat at the end.......but really? like what was the Indian kid doing riding a bike in the middle of the road at 3am any way.