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No Sudden Move
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Wikipedia article
'No Sudden Move' is a 2021 American period crime thriller film directed, photographed and edited by Steven Soderbergh, produced by Casey Silver and written by Ed Solomon. The film features an ensemble cast including Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, David Harbour, Jon Hamm, Amy Seimetz, Brendan Fraser, Kieran Culkin, Noah Jupe, Craig Grant (in his final appearance), Julia Fox, Frankie Shaw, Ray Liotta, Matt Damon and Bill Duke. 'No Sudden Move' had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 18, 2021, and was released in the United States on July 1, 2021, by HBO Max. The film received positive reviews from critics with praise for Soderbergh's direction and the performances of the cast.
Plot
In 1954 Detroit, Michigan, gangster Curt Goynes, in need of cash to leave town, is recruited to threaten a family as part of a blackmail scheme, along with gangsters Ronald Russo and Charley. The recruiter, Doug Jones, sends them to the house of GM accountant Matt Wertz, where they are to hold the family hostage while sending Wertz to the office where he works, to retrieve a document from his boss's safe but finds it empty. A desperate Wertz brings fake documents to Jones, then returns home where Charley prepares to execute the entire family, to the surprise of Goynes and Russo. Not wanting to be part of a massacre, Goynes shoots and kills Charley.
Jones phones the house, having discovered the documents are fake. He orders Goynes to kill Russo and the family, and Goynes realizes he and Russo have been set up. Before they leave, Goynes instructs the family to tell the police that Charley broke into their home and that Wertz killed Charley in self-defense. The police detective, Joe Finney, is skeptical of the family's story. Once the police leave, Goynes, Russo, and Wertz go to Wertz's boss's house in Ohio and retrieve the real document, which turns out to be plans for a new car part. Goynes and Russo discover they have a high bounty placed on their heads, and make plans to ascertain what the document is worth by arranging a meeting with Frank Capelli, the mob leader who contracted the blackmail scheme and with whose wife, Vanessa, Russo is having an affair. Goynes makes further arrangements with mob leader Aldrick Watkins to take part of the eventual payment in order to clear himself with Watkins, with whom he is on the outs.
Goynes and Russo have a meeting with Capelli. Goynes deduces that the value of the document vastly exceeds the amount they considered it was worth. Jones arrives and points a gun, showing Capelli and Jones's intention to turn on the gangsters. This results in a shootout that kills Doug. Frank flees, only to be caught by Goynes and Russo who extract the name of his contact. Curt calls the contact, Naismith, a Studebaker executive, and arranges to sell him the document for $125,000. Frank escapes, but when he returns home, a battered Vanessa shoots and kills him before departing with a suitcase of cash. Seeking a bigger payday, Goynes and Russo return to Wertz's boss's home and have him call his contact further up the chain of command. Goynes and Russo meet with arrogant automobile industry executive Mike Lowen (aka "Mr. Big") at a downtown hotel, who pays them $375,000 to retrieve the document. The document is revealed to be plans for a catalytic converter, and Mr. Big is seeking to conceal its existence from public knowledge and avoid governmental pressure on the car companies to implement pollution controls. Mr. Big tells Goynes and Russo that even though they are taking his money, it does not matter - he will always have more.
After Mr. Big leaves, Goynes and Russo attempt to split the money but are interrupted by Watkins and his men, who have already retrieved the $125,000 from Naismith. It initially seems Goynes and Watkins team up to betray Russo, but Goynes is led away at gunpoint by Watkins' men. Ronald is allowed to leave with the $375,000. Watkins and his men are stopped outside the hotel by Detective Finney and his men, but he bribes the detective with $50,000 of the Naismith money to let them leave with Goynes, telling Finney that Goynes will be "taken care of". Russo flees the city with Vanessa, but when they leave the main road to avoid a potential pursuer, she kills him and claims the money for herself. As she drives away, Vanessa is stopped by a police officer, who takes the money and then allows her to leave. Detective Finney privately returns the money to Mr. Big, including the $50,000 bribe from Watkins. Watkins takes Curt to a pier, where they make amends. Watkins gives Curt $5,000 and allows him to leave for Kansas City.
Cast
* Don Cheadle as Curt Goynes
* Benicio del Toro as Ronald Russo
* David Harbour as Matt Wertz
* Jon Hamm as Detective Joe Finney
* Amy Seimetz as Mary Wertz
* Brendan Fraser as Doug Jones
* Kieran Culkin as Charley
* Noah Jupe as Matthew Wertz Jr.
* Craig Grant as Jimmy
* Julia Fox as Vanessa Capelli
* Frankie Shaw as Paula Cole
* Ray Liotta as Frank Capelli
* Bill Duke as Aldrick Watkins
* Matt Damon as Mike Lowen/Mr. Big (Uncredited)
* Byron Bowers as Maurice
* Hugh Maguire as Mel Forbert
* Bryan Sawyer as Detective
* Javon Anderson as Lonnie
* Kevin Scollin as Hugh Naismith
* Lucy Holt as Peggy Wertz
Production
It was announced in November 2019 that Steven Soderbergh would direct the film, then titled 'Kill Switch', with Josh Brolin, Don Cheadle, Sebastian Stan and John Cena in consideration to star.[https://collider.com/josh-brolin-don-cheadle-sebastian-stan-steven-soderbergh-kill-switch/ Josh Brolin, Don Cheadle, Sebastian Stan in Talks to Star in Steven Soderberghs Next Film][https://theplaylist.net/steven-soderbergh-kill-switch-don-cheadle-20191119/ Steven Soderbergh Plots Crime Thriller 'Kill Switch' With Don Cheadle, Josh Brolin & Sebastian Stan] By March 2020, Jon Hamm and Cedric the Entertainer entered negotiations, with Brolin dropping out.[https://collider.com/jon-hamm-kill-switch-new-steven-soderbergh-movie/ Exclusive: Jon Hamm in Talks to Join Steven Soderberghs Kill Switch] In May 2020, it was announced Cheadle, Stan and Hamm were confirmed, with Benicio del Toro, Ray Liotta, Amy Seimetz, Frankie Shaw and George Clooney joining the cast.
Filming was due to begin on April 1, 2020, but was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soderbergh stated he was hoping to restart in September. The film was retitled 'No Sudden Move', and began filming in Detroit on September 28, with David Harbour, Brendan Fraser, Kieran Culkin, Noah Jupe, Bill Duke and Julia Fox joining the cast, while actors Stan, Cena and Clooney departed due to production delays. In October, Matt Damon was added to the cast in a cameo role.[https://deadline.com/2020/10/matt-damon-joins-steven-soderbergh-no-sudden-move-hbo-max-movie-1234604185/ Matt Damon Reteams With Steven Soderbergh For No Sudden Move At HBO Max] Production wrapped on November 12.
The film is shot with RED Monstro cameras. The lenses used were Kowa anamorphics.
Release
'No Sudden Move' had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 18, 2021. It was released on HBO Max on July 1, 2021. According to Samba TV, the film was watched by 567,000 households over its first four days.
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film reports an approval rating of 92% based on 140 reviews with an average rating of 7.70/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "While it may not be on par with his best crime capers, 'No Sudden Move' finds Soderbergh on entertainingly familiar groundand making the most of an excellent cast." According to Metacritic, which assigned a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 37 critics, the film received "generally favorable reviews".
Richard Roeper of 'Chicago Sun-Times' gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars and wrote, "Another instantly immersive, richly layered and beautifully shot chapter in one of the most impressive directing careers of our time." Writing for 'The A.V. Club', Mike D'Angelo gave the film a "B+" grade, calling it a "twisty new caper" said: "Movies routinely place characters in desperate, life-or-death situations, but rarely do we see them behave in a genuinely desperate way. 'No Sudden Move', a period crime drama written by Ed Solomon and directed by Steven Soderbergh, corrects this oversight in a way that's at once hilarious and distressing."
References
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