99 Homes

As problems and personal tragedies increase at such an alarming rate these days, so, to we see them reflected at the multiplex. Anywhere from terminal illnesses, to businesses going under and anywhere in between... we see it all. Remember when many unfortunate souls were losing their homes back in 2008 and '09 in the droves? Well, "99 Homes" will certainly hit many a nerve as this expose of corruption and deceit will truly rock anyone at the core even if it needs to be exposed for all to see.

Around the world everyone knows that honest hard work gets you nowhere. In sunny Orlando, Florida, construction worker Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield) learns this the hard way when he loses his job and is subsequently evicted from his home by a charismatic, gun-toting real-estate broker, Rick Carver (Michael Shannon). Humiliated and homeless, Nash has no choice but to move his mom, Lynn (Laura Dern) and nine-year old son, Connor (Noah Lomax) into a shabby and dangerous motel. All is lost. Until an unexpected opportunity arises for Nash to strike a deal with the devil--if you will. He begins working for Carver in a desperate attempt to get his family home back.
Carver seduces Nash into a risky world of scamming and stealing from the banks and the government; he teaches Nash how the rich get richer. Living a double life, Nash hides his new boss and job from his family. He rises fast and makes real money; he dreams bigger. But there is a cost. The devil never gives one something for nothing. On Carver's orders, Nash must evict honest families from their homes--just as it happened to him. Nash's conscience starts tearing him apart...but his son needs a home. In a dramatic high stakes climax, with a 1,000 home deal on the line, Nash will have to choose between destroying an honest man for the ultimate win or risking it all by going against Carver and finding redemption.

Others to round out the cast are Tim Guinee as Frank Green, Clancy Brown as Mr. Freeman, Nicole Barre as Nicole Carver, Rick's wife, J.D. Evermore as Mr. Tanner, Yvonne Landry as Frank's neighbor, Ann Mahoney as Mrs. Tanner, Judd Lormand as Mr. Hester and Cullen Moss as Bill.

This was directed with such grit in climatic intensity by Ramin Bahrani ("Strangers" 2000, "Man Push Cart" '05, "Chop Shop" '07, "Goodbye Solo" '08, "At Any Price" '12) plus TV. The way this filmmaker was able to bring Garfield through these stages of getting swayed into Carver's world was subtly done, but the impact was evident. And even though one would be prepared to 'boo' Shannon's Carver role before they entered the theater, once this story unfolded, you were almost feeling sorry for this man, all the while having to tell yourself that this guy is nothing more than a scam artist. This is not only the mark of good direction, but of talented writing as well. It was written by Bahrani and Amir Naderi, based on a story by Bahrani and Bahareh Azimi. The relationship between Carver and Nash was tense, to put it mildly, but both were willing to look beyond that for financial means--Carver's greed and Nash's financial desperation. At the end of the day, Nash was becoming just like Carver--just nicer about it, and the turmoil in which he was putting himself through was insurmounting by the day. The subtlety was amazing, because, at times, you couldn't decide who's side you were on. Shannon is a consummate actor, as he's proven time and again, but it was Garfield that actually surprised me here. The subtlety of his transformation of this angry man losing his family home to such a con artist, and through desperation is willing to work with this guy in order to make enough money to buy his house back, to getting caught up in the lying, making real money. It was amazing. Kudos to both these fine actors as well as the supporting cast.

This is not exactly a warm and fuzzy feeling film that one can grab a popcorn and dig right in. Instead, this is more of a character study/cat and mouse game to see whose going to hold out. So as far as craft is concerned, this is a great study, but for the entertainment factor, save that for another film.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                Rated: R                                   112mins.