Fair Play

I can't help but feel that every new thriller with a sexual undertone inevitably reminds me of Fifty Shades of Grey. It's hard to take it seriously after that comparison. However, Alden Ehrenreich, usually quite unremarkable, and the perfectly cast Phoebe Dynevor, both deliver stellar performances. Maybe it's the Wall Street setting — you're more likely to encounter a scoundrel than a good guy there. In fact, spotting two scoundrels side by side in the crowd is probably more common than you'd ever imagine. (07/16/2024)

Luke and Emily are the perfect couple in love. Both work as analysts at an investment firm and both are overly ambitious. But one day, when they hear that Luke is likely to be promoted, they are both initially delighted, but eventually it is Emily who gets the promotion, and we get into a dramatic rollercoaster of hate, jealousy, animosity, and, the closer we get to the end, bigotry and the psychological transformation of the initially loving Luke into an absolute psychopath who can't handle defeat. I actually don't have as much of a problem with the film as I expected. The relationships and the inter-character upheaval is presented in a very vivid and intense way, it's a story that is part of some people's everyday lives and here it is captured faithfully and authentically. The build-up as the credits approach is solid too, but the ending then fizzles out a bit – I guess I wasn't expecting anything else. It’s certainly not groundbreaking, but as an example of "what a man is capable of doing for a career" this film is more than telling. (10/11/2023)

A very promising start, a little questionable conclusion. I understand what Chloe Domont is saying with this film, but I was slightly underwhelmed by the execution. The whole idea could have been presented in hints and small intimate motives of the characters and it would have been very effective. Instead, in the second half, they chose to drive the behaviour of the characters ad absurdum and all the believability fell down for me. It's a shame, it had the makings of a very solid drama with some very thought-provoking ideas. (01/31/2023)