John Patton Ford
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Emily is a natural, and though Ford’s film is never as flashy as Michael Mann’s Thief or Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, both of which must surely be references for this city noir, it does elicit the same amphetamine rush, notably in a scene in which Emily takes ownership of a hot car.
Towards its climactic battle, it does get a little outlandish but it earns massive credit for its hugely impressive first two-thirds, which echoes Drive, Uncut Gems, Nightcrawler, and Michael Mann’s Thief in both style and tone but is certainly its own, unique beast.
Clearly nodding to the suffocating energy in the Safdies’ Uncut Gems—itself inspired by the seedy, grounded Dustin Hoffman ‘70s crime classic Straight Time—Emily the Criminal abundantly draws from both without ever finding a distinctive voice of its own.
It’s a feat the Safdie brothers accomplished with Uncut Gems. And Plaza is as convincing here as Adam Sandler was there.
Emily is a natural, and though Ford’s film is never as flashy as Michael Mann’s Thief or Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, both of which must surely be references for this city noir, it does elicit the same amphetamine rush, notably in a scene in which Emily takes ownership of a hot car.
In that sense, the duo have eagerly taken up the gauntlet laid down by the likes of Shane Caruth’s Primer or Darren Aronofsky’s Pi, in terms of creating heady, intellectual fairly low-budget science-based dramas.
Then there’s her interview for that coveted publishing gig (with Gina Gershon!) that’s almost as captivatingly fiery as Matt Damon’s high-rise job interview in “Good Will Hunting” (1997).
As in Michael Mann’s Collateral, the movie covers a wide terrain away from familiar Los Angeles scenery.
Much like how 2014’s Nightcrawler set up a morality tale of how far people will go to achieve their own sense of greatness, Emily the Criminal effectively questions how far people will go to achieve a reassuring sense of living.
As a result, this is a successful blend of genre and slice-of-life economic stress, joining company with David Mackenzie’s 2016 neo-noir Hell or High Water and Steve McQueen’s 2018 heist film Widows.
My only (selfish) hope is that she doesn’t go commercial and get lost, the way Brie Larson (“Room”) did (“Captain Marvel”).