Rent Shot Caller on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Ric Roman Waugh
Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh
Starring: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Omari Hardwick, Lake Bell, Jon Bernthal, Emory Cohen, Jeffrey Donovan, Max Greenfield, Benjamin Bratt, Holt McCallany
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A newly released prisoner is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a rival gang on the streets of Southern California.
Verdict
This is engrossing and brutal. I can't say with certainty, but this feels like a more violent and sensational prison setting than reality that amplifies the drama and intensity. A typical family man goes into prison and has to chart a path to survive. You know that's only going to go one way. We know he's not malicious, but he's also part of a gang and has to follow orders. While this feels like a high drama version of what it's like to go to prison, it never feels too over the top. We want to know how he ended up in the gang and what he's going to do once he's released.
Watch It.
Review
I was thinking this reminded me quite a bit of Felon, and it turns out Ric Roman Waugh also wrote and directed that movie.
"Money" Harlon (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is fresh out of prison. He seems to be well known and looks gang affiliated. He's the type of person that people clutch their valuables closer when they see him. Despite his gruff look, he doesn't seem like the gang type. We're introduced to this hardened criminal and then jump back ten years ago where he seems like a regular family man with no tattoos. So what happened? How do you go from typical business guy to gang affiliated criminal?
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| Nikolaj Coster-Waldau plays Jacob "Money" Harlon |
We see what got Harlon into prison. He took a plea deal, feeling guilty over what happened. What do you do to survive? His first night in jail only confirms that he can't keep his head down and hope for the best. If he doesn't attack first, he'll be attacked and abused his entire sentence. He needs protection to survive his time, and getting noticed by one of the gangs is the way. He knows this gang will help him survive, but he also has to be willing to break rules and laws to help the gang. It's transactional and everyone knows it. Prison is depicted as rough, granted movies make prisons seem more dangerous than reality. U.S. prisons are generally safer and more boring than depicted in fiction.
The movie juxtaposes past and present, building his past and how he ended up in a gang. Harlon pushes his family away during his sentence. During a riot he's caught on camera committing a violent crime and gets more time. This is where he blocks his family completely. Once he gets out, they think it's over, but it's not over. He'll always be in the gang, and they will always expect him to serve the gang. It's like Harlon tells a guard, "there's your rules and the gang's rules. The gang's rules matter." I'm surprised Harlon's parole officer doesn't realize the tragic cycle.
Only at the end do we discover the plan Harlon has concocted. It's an incredible risk, but if he can pull it off it ensures his family's safety. The wild thing is that despite the various crimes Harlon has committed since going into prison, he has morals but he also wants to survive. By the end of the movie, he's still in the gang, and he's got a lot of crime ahead of him.
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