Director: Ramin Bahrani
Year Released: 2014
Rating: 2.0
Cash-strapped construction worker Dennis (Andrew Garfield), who lives with his mother (Laura Dern) and son (Noah Lomax), has his house seized by shifty real estate 'agent' Richard Carver (Michael Shannon) - stuck living in a noisy motel and desperate for any sort of income, he accepts work from Carver to evict other people in the same situation as him (thanks Fannie Mae, thanks Freddie Mac). Basically a heavy-handed rant with a cut-and-dry storyline - Garfield has to shake hands with the Devil - culminating in a heated finale (shootout!) and plenty of scenes where the camera is trained on Dennis as he squirms in agony (my conscience! the world is upside down!). As much as I hate to say it, maybe people shouldn't buy things they can't afford or be surprised when those items are taken from them when they cannot afford to make payments (... too soon?). Shannon, our Dark Prince of Bad Intentions, takes a cookie-cutter villain (who's also an adulterer!) and makes him engrossing.
