Directed by:
Ric Roman WaughScreenplay:
Ric Roman WaughCinematography:
Dana GonzalesComposer:
Antonio PintoCast:
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Omari Hardwick, Lake Bell, Jon Bernthal, Emory Cohen, Jeffrey Donovan, Evan Jones, Juan Pablo Raba, Matt Gerald, Max Greenfield (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
After a DUI sends him down the rabbit hole of the American prison system, successful businessman Jacob Harlon (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is transformed into Money, a stoic, ruthless prison gangster. As he navigates the brutality of his new home, adapting to its violent codes of ethics and rites of passage that will ensure his survival, he slowly loses his previous identity and his relationship to his former life, including his wife and son. The grip of his new family, the prison gang, extends beyond the prison walls. Upon his release, chased by the law enforcement, threatened by his incarcerated protectors, Money must orchestrate one last dangerous crime. All is not what it seems. The ruthless process of fulfilling his obligations also becomes his path to sacrifice, retribution and self-definition. (Altitude Film Distribution)
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Reviews (7)
The antithesis to The Shawshank Redemption. Darabont’s film had violence and plenty of harsh scenes, but it is also a film full of vitality and melancholy, as every fan knows. It's almost steeped in subtle poetry and a positive mood that gradually creeps into your mind the longer you watch it. Shot Caller is a prison drama, too, and almost epic is scope, but its psychological effect is the exact opposite. It’s a place where you come in strong, but you will hardly ever leave. A place that takes away freedom, but at the same time can dramatically change a personality. The transformation of GoT darling Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is more than impressive, confirming what an exceptional actor he is. The script is quite sophisticatedly combines a no-frills prison drama with a typical American gangster movie (filmed in L.A.). It also handles the temporal narrative of the plot well, making the script seem complex and convoluted. Of course, you won't find Darabont's directorial virtuosity, nor does the film have such ambitions, which is why it will never be a milestone or a cult classic. But it is one of those films that will stand out gradually, over time, and will be more for connoisseurs than for the mainstream. It has little marketing, and probably knows why. Waugh wanted to tell a depressive story of a man who had everything and lost it, and he succeeded brilliantly. Raw, austere, uncompromising.
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Brilliantly acted, and brilliantly handled visually, where the casting was simply excellent, and Coster-Waldau and Bernthal were superbly chosen for their roles, where you believe Nikolaj in both positions. On top of that, the film is pretty gritty, which definitely helps the overall impression. If we want to mess up our lives, we can do it thoroughly.
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The prison environment from another perspective, as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is no criminal. Unfortunately, one event turns his life upside down and the American system throws him into a prison full of perverts, murderers, blacks and Nazis. And I am not really sure if he is mentally unstable when he gives in to the Nazis, but the screenwriters created quite some twists for him, so the audience doesn’t get bored. The biggest issue is that Nikolaj really doesn’t look like a murderer and when he does kill, he looks like a gassy newborn. On the other hand, the movie has incredible guts and the ending was truly flawless. I was deciding between three or four stars, and in the end settled for the better than average.
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A great crime movie with an excellent cast. How to go from financier to murderous inmate in two easy steps. Coster-Waldau undergoes the transformation with elan. Director Roman Waugh gets the maximum out of this story. He’s good at prison movies. The best scenes are the ones with the Beast in the middle of nothingness.
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An incredibly lobotomized B-movie, which has about the same feel for relativized morality as a Nazi has for a bottle of Jäger. At the same time, however, it is riding a wave of sleepy macho sentiment. Almost none of the key decisions make much sense, and Waugh is redeemed only by the fact that Coster-Waldau, and especially Bernthal, can chew of the tons of clichés with a little interest. Otherwise, a complete disaster.
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