Beckett – Netflix Review (4/5)

BECKETT on Netflix is a new action-thriller with a delicious old school vibe. John David Washington is perfect in the title role. A somewhat slower first half leads into an intense ending. Read our full Beckett movie review here!

BECKETT is a new Netflix action-thriller starring John David Washington in the title role. Also, you’ll see many other familiar names in the credits, but most only have minutes on screen. This is, after all, the story about Beckett.

During the first part of this movie, I thought it was a mistake that this movie was labeled as being “action” as well as thriller. By the time we got to the final act, I could definitely understand why. Get ready for an ending where you can feel the exhaustion (and determination) of our main protagonist!

Continue reading our Beckett movie review below and find the movie on Netflix from August 13, 2021.

An old-school vibe

When Beckett first begins, I was wondering what year this movie was set in. There is a delicious old-school vibe that made me think this story played out years ago. However, the fact that you’ll see a smartphone and a picture of President Obama on the wall of the US embassy helps set the stage.

Also, there is a vibe of how a change is coming and after the 2016 election, we all know what that change turned out to be. His name is never mentioned in this movie, but plenty of other things are included as reminders of what was coming.

As Beckett, John David Washington portrays the kind of man, who will often pay the price of other people’s mistakes. However, he wins on karma and will gladly be a hero for someone else. Just not himself. In fact, he can be chased by someone trying to kill him and still will not harm people in his way.

He is “good people” in every sense of the word. One bad decision and a terrible accident see him land in extremely hot water, but that still doesn’t change his core values. That speaks volumes about his character.

John David Washington is Beckett

Because Beckett himself is a very laidback and kind man, his look is also strangely timeless. His clothes are nice (even if he looks like a homeless man by the end) but nothing especially related to the current fashion of any particular time.

If it isn’t clear already, let me say it directly: I think John David Washington is simply amazing in the title role. I loved him in Tenet but with this character, he does something very different.

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Our review of Tenet starring John David Washington >

At times, I almost couldn’t believe that this was the same man who played the lead in Tenet. Sure, the two characters look alike but almost like two siblings where you find yourself thinking they’re too different to be related. Then something else happens and you go “Okay, now I see it”.

Also in this movie are Alicia Vikander (Earthquake Bird), Vicky Krieps (also out with Shyamalan’s Old right now), and Boyd Holbrook (In the Shadow of the Moon). All actors – in however small parts – deliver wonderful and strong performances that keeps Beckett’s journey moving forward continuously.

Watch Beckett on Netflix!

Beckett was directed by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino who also came up with the story. The screenplay was written by Kevin A. Rice and is the writing debut for Rice. This is only the second feature film for Ferdinando Cito Filomarino as a director.

He has chosen a style that is both old-school and completely timeless. You’ll get the lingering shots of our main protagonist and watch action scenes with a lot fewer cuts than usual. For me, this made the story stronger and a lot more realistic. I felt myself thinking that this all felt extremely real.

In the “it could happen to me” sense, which is damn scary when you see what happens to him. This is essentially a very classic “wrong time and place” story. It’s just executed in a way that made me remember that action movies don’t require “action heroes” to be entertaining.

Just a good story and interesting characters, which Beckett certainly does deliver on!

Also, it wasn’t surprising to see that Luca Guadagnino is a producer of this movie. After all, he directed Call Me by Your Name and the recent Suspiria remake which utilize the exact same elements.

Beckett is out on Netflix from August 13, 2021.

Details

Director: Ferdinando Cito Filomarino
Writers: Ferdinando Cito Filomarino (story), Kevin A. Rice
Stars: John David Washington, Alicia Vikander, Boyd Holbrook, Vicky Krieps