6. Easy Money
Looking to secure enough cash to party liberally at the level of his over-privileged friends, JW (Joel Kinnaman), a young and brilliant economics major partners with a friend to enter the cocaine business. One problem with his seemingly simple plan (to provide the brains behind money laundering and banking) is that on their trail is the Yugoslavian mafia. But the biggest problem? There is no such thing as easy money.
Easy Money is an engaging character study examining how poor actions spurred on by even poorer decisions in the pursuit of a shortcut lead to nothing but disaster and inner discontent.
Most fascinatingly, it is not only Kinnaman’s JW that falls for this consummate and universal “promise” but also a mob enforcer who looks to skip town with his daughter with a single heist, and the aforementioned fugitive who with one forged drug connections looks to wash his hands of former sins and skip the country. It’s a common theme among these types of thrillers that crime doesn’t pay, but Easy Money goes about it far more interestingly than most.
This effort marks the second great Scandinavian crime thriller of the year after the even more stellar Headhunters, which also examines the inevitable fall that comes with overreaching to achieve the dream life – or what one presumes the dream life to be.
Easy Money collects some stellar talents such as Kinnaman (who is already on his way to Hollywood stardom) as well as Matias Varela as the squirrely drug connection and Dragomir Mrsic as the mafia muscle. Additionally, director Daniel Espinosa (Safe House) proves himself to be a talent to watch and when combined with the performances and overarching themes makes Easy Money a bittersweet and compelling cautionary fable.
5. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
One of this summer’s sleeper hits, John Madden’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel nevertheless failed to break out of its mature audience niche, which is an incredible shame, though far from a shock. When the choice is between experiencing one of the world’s most popular superheroes do battle or journeying with a gang of geriatric Brit’s waltzing around India, among younger audiences, there isn’t much of one.
It’s somewhat of a shame considering the charm and warmth that radiates from this dramedy, which examines the often heartbreaking challenges associated with coming of age, of which the message (and the inherent struggles) is universal.
This particular band of characters, in their golden years, is simply coming of age again. Though the odyssey begins on level ground (with seven strangers responding to a bargain offer to stay in an Indian hotel for “the elderly and beautiful”) each of these individuals earnestly struggle with loneliness, regret, the pains of lost love and temptations of the flesh.
The British cast is simply superb – Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith – a collection of some of the most masterful thespians ever to grace the screen all assembled for a perfect use of their talents. A man by the name of Ronald Pickup (of whom I’ve never remembered seeing in a film before) is a delightful surprise here as one of the aforementioned lonely ones looking for a final fling before old age entirely consumes him. Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel is the other huge revelation brining not only exuberance to his performance but proving he is both a dramatic and comedic talent to watch.
With it’s stunning scenery and feel for the streets of Jaipur to cap it all off, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is as crowd-pleasing an effort as they come and the rare instance of one that has heart and soul to go with its chuckles. A must-see for a youth of any age.