I Care A Lot

 

This review may contain spoilers!

I Care A Lot follows Marla Grayson, a woman who exploits laws around guardianship to steal money from those in her care. However, Marla's operation takes a turn when her latest ward isn't who she first appears to be. I found the first act of this film to be one of the most interesting crime thriller narratives I've had the pleasure of seeing unfold in awhile. You don't really get a lot of stories around guardianship or social care, let alone interesting stories about how these systems are exploited for personal financial gain. So when you watch Marla hustle people into retirement and treat them like walking financial assessments it's immensely intriguing vilification that you can't help but be hooked by. From that point on in the film the strength is the protagonist, watching how Marla's cunning and insurmountable ambition leads to her navigating multiple dangerous situations and confrontations. I thought the film had this really bold style of filming that left every sequence looking very dynamic and imposing, while also managing to capture a colour palette that was unique and uncommon to films of this type. 

 

Peter Dinklage, who played Roman Lunyov, was a fantastic onscreen adversary to Pike; this absolutely ruthless and merciless gangster might just be one of Dinklage's best performances yet. Dianne Wiest, who played Jennifer Peterson, really depicts the transition from mild confusion and compromise right across to resistance at her confinement extremely well; Wiest plays this intense hatred for Pike's role that was scathing to see in full force. Chris Messina, who played Dean Ericson, is really intriguing in the smarmy lawyer role; he takes this awkward, almost apologetic approach to his role's sense of confidence that I found undeniably brilliant and unique to watch.

However, the best performance came from Rosamund Pike, who played Marla Grayson. I think there are a lot of people who see this film and won't help but compare Pike's performance to what she did in Gone Girl. And I think there's a serious degree of similarity, this is a very talented performer who thrives in these complex roles. Pike begins the film by coldly informing the audience that she is a lioness in a world of rich and poor, eat or be eaten. Cut to a mere scene later and you watch this role duplicitously lay out a compassionate argument for why she genuinely cares for her wards and has to keep them separate from their families. It's very clear that Pike can glide through a scene with one particular type of mask on, hiding the more vile nature of her character just below the surface. She has this loud and and unforgiving sense of confidence and empowerment that means she always seems to hold a lot of power, even in scenes where that isn't the case. Pike is fiercely strong in this, a force to be reckoned with and a performance that you will be captivated by.

I Care A Lot builds itself off an incomparable first act but from there the plot strays into dark waters that it really loses itself within. The film switches from showcasing an intricate and unusual type of crime racket we've never really seen before to this feud between our protagonist and the former Russian mob. It becomes quite a heightened sort of stand off, marring what was once a really grounded plot full of intrigue. As an audience you find the story suddenly shift off one path into an entirely different direction, crafting a conflict that doesn't particularly thrill as much as it did in the beginning. Suddenly we're in the realm of kidnappings, explosions, attempted murder and none of it really belongs in the movie you were watching an hour ago. By the time the film peters out on its relatively mild ending that really resolves things in quite an obvious manner, it's difficult to really feel impressed by where the story decided to go. The film never finds a way to centre on any character and make you like them or at least root for them by the end, so it becomes difficult to stay linked with these characters for a long period of time. The editing starts out setting an impressive visual style with the cinematography, but this takes on more of a dull pace half way through that compromises some of the visual storytelling. The score for the film doesn't sound great, it has the intent to intrigue and overwhelm but it really just grates against you until you wish they'd never included any 'music' at all.

Eiza Gonzalez, who played Fran, is a very hard sell as the romantic onscreen partner to Pike; Gonzalez really doesn't have this power to play strongly to the hustle and the chemistry between the pair is pretty flat for that subplot too. Damian Young, who played Sam Rice, just feels a little reedy when playing the hustle scenes; the way he tries to play to his underling role isn't a strong sell and is often left leagues behind by Pike. Nicholas Logan, who played Alexi Ignatyev, is such a bizarre performance for a classic henchman role; you'd expect a character like this to be straightforward but Logan has such an awkward, wilting presence that he falls short of a believable gangster.

An ironclad leading performance from Rosamund Pike isn't enough to salvage the really outlandish second and third acts of this film. I would give I Care A Lot a 6.5/10.