It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Instant Favorite.

Film Perfection

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

No exaggeration. This is legit a movie that gets it. If you're Aussie, this is bang on. Even the minor details show how real the scenes are. Haven't seen a movie as real as this, all the violence, prison, drug related parts are no bs. If you're looking for an epic action fuelled, overly stimulating crazy plot twisting movie, You should stick to mainstream Hollywood movies. And yes, the 150 f words make it much more realistic, if you can't accept that - grow up.

'Son of a Gun' stars Brenton Thwaites, Ewan McGregor, and Alicia Vikander. The film opens with Thwaites going through some basic checks just before entering his new home, prison. If there is a reason for him to be in there it doesn't say, or I just don't remember. But soon after he makes his jail cell his new residence he notices that one of Australia's most notorious criminals shares this prison with him. A few unsavory things happen and Thwaites finds himself clinging to McGregor hopping that he can be the father he never had. Together they bust out of jail just before attempting a multi million dollar heist. Things go south and our unlikely heroes go on the run. It's not exactly an original tale but thankfully the film doesn't rely on it to much. Majorly, it weighs on McGregor to help it march forward. Not having taken on a role like this before he dives whole heartedly in it. He is scary, abusive, but charming. Somehow he gives this scummy character just enough quality for us to hate and love him.He is not alone here though. Vikander and Thwaites also do a fairly good job. Now, this is the kind of performance I have come to expect from Vikander at this point. But never before have I see Thwaites actually get into his character as much as he does in 'Son of a Gun'. He may not get to display much range but he is able to show a lot of emotion through a simple look.At first he struggles at doing what McGregor wants and it shows. He trembles as weapons are shoved into his hands and cowers next to fallen comrades. But slowly he dips into this ultra violent world that his new found father figure loves so much. This is one thing that occurs quite a bit here. Violent, brutal, action scenes. The surprising part of these intricate sequences is that they are handled with relative grace by first time writer/director Julius Avery. He infuses them with style and grit that you don't see from rookie directors. However, his script is not so fine tuned. Not only is it predictable and uninspired but it also lacks soul. The actors performances are likable but the characters they play are not. Having to follow these under developed, unlikable people for nearly two hours can be a bit of a strain. They yell, get in fights over insignificant things, and abuse nearly everyone around them.As the story goes on it becomes even more difficult to sit through. It starts off at a good pace but as the story thickens it doesn't really know what to do with itself. It twists and turns all the way to the end but never do these twists make sense. It creates them from thin air and attempts to explain them with convoluted facts that only add to the abounding confusion. 'Son of a Gun' may be gritty, stylish, and boasting good performances but it doesn't offer much else. Its story is paper thin, predictable, and convoluted to no end. And flat unlikable characters don't help the films cause.

This opens with one of the most clichéd scenes you get in cinema - a young pretty boy called Jesse Ryan is in a prison van going to prison and he's surrounded by creatures several species down the evolutionary ladder who are looking at him in a hostile way . Yeah it's clichéd but people enjoy a good cliché now and again especially prison ones and being an Aussie film I was intrigued I might be watching something along the lines of John Hillcoat's 1988 prison nightmare movie GHOSTS OF THE CIVIL DEAD , a film that was criminally underrated and despite being understated had the capacity to shock . SON OF A GUN isn't really in the same league and tries to be a plot driven gritty thriller !!!!! SPOILERS !!!!! This might have succeeded in its aims of being a great plot driven thriller but it often misses the mark where credibility is concerned . Jesse is sent to prison for a relatively minor offence that carries a sentence of six months but apparently he finds himself in a prison full of convicts who are doing life . I'd have thought that like Britain and America Australian prisons would have different categories where people doing relatively short sentences don't mix with lifers . I'm guessing this is because Jesse needs to meet someone who can save him from prison predators who have nothing to lose and that man is Brendan Lynch who has another twenty years to serve . If he protects Jesse from the predators he wants Jesse to come up with a plan to spring him from jail by hi-jacking a copter . Hmmm so someone who can't protect himself in jail might just happen to be a very effective hijacker on the outside ? . It's not like Jesse is all that hardened and violent .Doesn't Brendan have any mates on the outside who might be more reliable ? And what's to stop Jesse changing his mind ? Let's face it he's looking at 25 years in jail if he gets caught but I guess if the characters stopped to think about all this as much as the audience do then the film would abruptly stop The contrived writing is a pity because SON OF A GUN is a rather enjoyable and tense thriller in parts . Ewan McGregor is normally an actor I dislike and seems incapable of giving a convincing performance but here he's something of a revelation as tough villain Brendan Lynch and speaking in his native accent does help . I take it by his spoken idiom Lynch is a Scot ? He's ably supported by a cast I'd had no previous knowledge of in a film while entertaining could have been a bit more intelligent

It seems like after (or before) Jeff Bridges, there is Ewan McGregor. Our main actor from "The Giver" is playing the main role here too. And again he has a mentor, which gets clear from early on. Though this "mentor" is a bit different. Also he plays a more adult role here. It's a prison con thriller kind of thing, which you either like or you don't. It's more than decent and it all comes down to the actors.The script is OK, but you might have seen a lot of things. The ending is a bit predictable too, but it's fun to watch unfold. The movie could have been a bit leaner and meaner, but as it is it's more than a decent and enjoyable watch.