Money (2016)

Touches You

Absolutely brilliant

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This was filmed in 2015 but it's clear that Jesse Williams was forced on this production at the last minute and squeezed into filming in under a week for the money. Money for the movie and money for Jesse. The rest of the casting is a shambles; meat puppet Kellan Lutz as a chemical engineer and chief scientist at a pharma firm? Christina the chain smoking Spanish girlfriend? Poofy Brit with a gun? Sylvia the aggrieved WASP? Oh my god what a train wreck. 2 healthy strong men can't overpower one guy as he sits with a drink in hand, pontificating? Wives and dates seemingly utterly unaffected by mind bending violence and no one questions it?

In the "Behind the Scenes" segment of the DVD of "Money," the screenwriter Josep Ciutat identified his film concept as "normal people acting like gangsters." That is a perfect description of a set of nondescript characters struggling through a long night of amateur criminal activity.The opening of the film sets the stage for a mundane experience that will soon escalate to the abnormal in the short space of twenty-four hours. A kind gardener takes the time to show Sylvia (Jess Weixler), the lady of the house, a few ballroom dance steps. It turns out that the gardener will figure prominently in the turbulent chain of events.One of the memorable images of the film is that of the beautiful turquoise quetzal bird. Sylvia explains that her prized possession of the figurine of the quetzal represents the symbol of freedom in Guatemala. But the greatest threat to the bird is to be locked in a cage. It soon becomes clear that Sylvia herself is confined in the gilded cage of her opulent home that contains secrets and lies that will explode in the drama. The filmmakers have chosen an especially vulgar box-like home of Sylvia that does indeed resemble a cage.Sylvia's husband Mark is involved in a scheme to sell his company's secrets to a rival organization. Mark and his buddy Sean believe they have pulled off the scam. Yet their elation turns to shock and despair when they are held hostage by a suave, smooth-talking hustler named John (Jamie Bamber), who seems to know every intimate details of their lives.The confrontation between the intruder and the thieves unfolds like a group of rank amateurs trying to salvage the money and outfox one another. The dialogue is snappy, and the changes in fortune and the reversals are well-executed during the night in the home.This low-budget thriller was clearly a compact and economical film production. In the bonus segment of the DVD, the director noted that the shoot was completed in only sixteen days. The film was especially well-crafted with small details like the Saul Bellow book that are effectively incorporated into the action. Above all, it was the character of Sylvia who was intriguing in the transformation that occurs over the course of the film. There is one turning point when she learns from her husband that their home is encumbered and that they are near bankruptcy. That moment is the catalyst for Sylvia to show her true (an rather distasteful) colors and to do something about escaping from her cage.

It seems to me that 'Money' is a perfect, elegant and flawless product; a very stylized classic drama. While I was watching it, movies like The Rope (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948) or Wait Until Dark (Terence Young, 1967) came to my mind. The movie is concise, pragmatic and straightforward. Its goals are clear and they know how to reach them. Its message is, on top of that, beautiful, illuminating and not indulgent. The tension is built up in a superb manner for a movie that needs to keep us in suspense. And the director's work with the actors is sublime. With perhaps the exception of Kellan Lutz, more inexpressive, they are all splendid, and that makes the text shine and the credibility of what is taking place escalate. In that sense, the actor's direction is spectacular. At times, the necessity of filming hastily is noticeable, but not so much because of the editing, which is perfect, with just some isolated glimpses that can be observed. However, it is more noticeable in the staging: it looks like there wasn't time to plan a proper communicative meaning beyond what's functional. There is not a genuine relationship between the characters and the space, not a single shot provides more information than what the characters verbally announce. It would have been a spectacular movie if they had taken more risks in that sense. It would have been even better if they had what every movie lacks of: time! But, in spite of that, everything in 'Money' is believable, accurate and intense. Concision, focusing on a single location, a right pace in the dialogues, witty replicas and great performances are but a few of its virtues. In that sense, 'Money' is a complete success.

There is not an extra word or an extra shot in Money. Everything is brilliantly calculated to take the audience on a smooth ride. There are no explosions or fireworks in here. It's all about humans making choices and making mistakes based on their darkest ambitions. I enjoyed very much the performances and how the script can flip the circumstances upside down in just a second. There is some kind of seductive coldness in this film. It didn't make me care particularly for any of the characters. Instead I was fascinated watching their actions and decisions. The film kept me intrigued until the very end. The premise is simple yet the unfolding is quite elegant and believable. I recommend this film to anyone that likes smart thrillers that rely on human psychology.