Film-Forward

Another in Kelly Reichardt’s canon of deceptively modest stories of ordinary people set within a specific place and time.

Director Park Chan-wook takes as his blueprint Donald E Westlake’s lean and mean bloodbath The Ax (1997) and makes the macabre and cynical tale his own.

This is not easy viewing, but it is informative, impressive, and horrifying.

A bruising portrait of a man living on the margins of society.

The standouts here are its neon-lit fights, digital worlds, and the moody score by Nine Inch Nails.

The musical gives Jennifer Lopez a chance to unleash all her superstar powers—both musical and cinematic.

The film wouldn’t work nearly as well without Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst and their palpable chemistry.

With a sly undercurrent of darkness, Jay Kelly is more bitter than sweet. It’s far richer and more complex than you might expect.

An exception to the rule that films limited mainly to one location can feel stagey and stifling.