Benicio Del Toro, Don Cheadle in "No Sudden Move" Photo - Warner Bros.While movies often place characters in life-or-death situations that are desperate and dangerous, we rarely see them act in an genuinely desperate manner. No Sudden Move is a period crime drama written and directed by Steven Soderbergh. It corrects this oversight in a hilarious and disturbing way. Matt Wertz, a mild-mannered businessman, arrives at his boss's house demanding the hush-hush documents that the criminals want. Wertz uses a series of quasi-apologetic threats to increase the pressure on his boss. He flails in his attempt to convey just how serious he really is, but he doesn't actually explain what's happening (since another masked gunman is just outside the door). Wertz threatens to punch his boss now, almost in tears after taking his boss to the ground. I'm going to punch you. This is going to be a punch.AdvertisementReviews and Reviews of No Sudden Movement B+ B+ Director Steven Soderbergh Runtime 115 min Rating R Language English Cast Don Cheadle Benicio de Toro, Jon Hamm, Amy Seimetz Brendan Fraser, Kieran Culkin Noah Jupe, Craig muMs Grant Julia Fox, Frankie Shaw Ray Liotta, Bill Duke Availability HBO Max May 30These moments, which are memorable and offbeat, are executed by a stellar ensemble cast. They keep No Sudden Move moving even when the film's convoluted, MacGuffin-heavy plot threatens bog down. It is set in 1954 Detroit and opens with Curt Goynes (Don Cheadle), a man who has just been released from prison and needs quick cash to purchase some land that he claims was stolen from him. Ronald Russo, suspicious of everyone, and Charley (Kieran Culkin), a vaguely psychopathic-seeming guy. The kingpins henchman, Brandon Fraser, has hired them all to care for Mertz' family while he searches for the document. However, it turns out that it is not in his boss' safe. Mertz's wife Amy Seimetz learns that Russo has been plotting to flee with Frankie Shaw, his boss secretary. Russo also discovers that Russo is secretly involved with Julia Fox (Ray Liotta). Is this really a three-man job or are certain parties considered extremely expendable?It's hard to keep track of all of it, even without mentioning Jon Hamm, a corrupt cop who investigates an ostensible act de lethal self-defense at Mertzs home, or the unbilled, late-breaking appearance of one of Soderberghs frequent collaborators. Solomon's screenplay flirts lightly with socially conscious ideas. The MacGuffin, which was revealed by Solomon, is a reflection of real-life corporate chicanery. Goynes personal crusade relates to urban renewal measures that took land from African-American homeowners through the abuses of eminent domain. However, you will need to pay attention (or be familiarized with the former Black Bottom neighborhood to understand that). It's easy to get distracted by the many tangential and funny events. Many movies have a scene where someone answers the door holding a gun and pretends that everything is fine. Very few films expertly create tension and then defuse it immediately by having the victim look outside the window and see the neighbor still lingering and say, "Well, that's not the end of that."Talking about distraction, Soderbergh still favors wide-angle lenses as well as unconventional camera angles. This practice began several years ago when he started to shoot movies with an iPhone modified. This look is clearly not appreciated by everyone. This is especially strange in a film that otherwise emulates 50s classics such as Nicholas Rays on Dangerous Ground. These films did not have the slight irising effect as seen here. They also avoided lenses that would warp objects located outside of their center. Cheadle is seen at the extreme left of No Sudden Move, while another actor is in the middle. This creates a dramatic physical difference between them that could be mistaken for being in an Ames room. It is not possible to emphasize distortion this way on a conceptual or thematic level. This is a strange choice in direction. It's easy to overlook or forgive when talented actors are having so much fun.
