Movie Review – Beckett – Not So Intense Drama
Table of Contents
My rating – 3 out of 5
Plot Summary – Beckett
I am unsure how to say this, but John David Washington looks distinctly uncomfortable in this movie! Despite the tension-inducing storyline, he mostly emotes like the CGI version of himself. For most of the latter part of the movie, when he’s stumbling around from place to place, his expression screams that “Please take me outta here!”. Not sure why, he’s definitely much better than this. Even in Tenet, where he looks wooden, he’s better than in Beckett. Anyway, let’s get on with it and give you an idea of how the movie progresses.
Beckett and his girlfriend April (Alicia Vikander) are on a vacation in rural Greece (i.e. as we later learn, about a six-hour car journey away). We know nothing of their backstories and the director doesn’t bother to tell us much about them. Greece is, and has been for many years now, a hotbed of semi-violent political drama. For two American tourists caught in the middle of it, is a scary existence and one wouldn’t want to be anywhere near it. From Athens, they start off in the evening towards some even more remote place, traveling over desolate stretches of road. As is rather regular in such journeys, the partner has to be very alert and continuously engaging with the driver.
But here it does not happen, and the two, run off the road and crash into a dilapidated house. Beckett is heavily injured and loses consciousness. He comes around when he’s in the hospital and then taken to the Police Station to register his statement. But nothing has come out of it, in all these days. When he goes back to the scene of his accident, he runs into a blond-haired woman and another Policeman. To his great surprise, they both start shooting at him! He scrambles and runs over rugged Greek terrain, trying to protect himself, and continues onward to Athens.
After much distress and trying to outrun anybody chasing him, he reaches Athens and wants to surrender himself to the US embassy. But the US consulate is dithering over whether to hand him over to Malaysian authorities or not. But, even here, his life is not out of any danger, the same people are still trying to catch him and shoot him dead. The two activists who had brought him to Athens, return to the scene and turn out to be the only ones whom Beckett can trust. But slowly, people who want him dead become double in number.
Conclusion – Movie Review of Beckett
The film has its heart in the right place but is let down by nuddled thinking. Washington and Alicia Vikander are definitely not good on screen together. John looks unsure, stilted, and totally unsatisfactory in the lead role. The story leaves some gaping holes behind and feels disjointed. The only half-decent acting comes from the Greek parts of the story, who even in small roles, look excited! The cinematography is ordinary though adequate.
Difficult to recommend this film to anybody but since it is on Netflix and if you have a subscription, you might as well spend about two odd hours watching this, if you have nothing better things to do.
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