Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

anneehuang 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.

jimbo-53-186511 JR (Brenton Thwaites) is serving a short prison sentence and does his best to keep his head down. JR soon draws his attention to prison heavyweight Brendan Lynch (Ewan McGregor) when the two men are drawn together through their love of chess. Brendan takes it upon himself to look after JR and whilst JR believes that Brendan is doing this out of the goodness of his heart it soon transpires that Brendan has big plans for JR on the outside and needs to get him on side in order to assist in orchestrating a prison breakout for Brendan and his gang. Brendan's plans for JR don't stop there and he's also intent on including Brendan in his plans to rob some gold.The first half of this film is where the picture is at its strongest; it essentially introduces a young man who's wet behind the ears to a seasoned criminal who essentially runs the show and knows the inner workings of the prison system. This sets up an interesting dynamic at the start, but ultimately becomes one that seems to become lost as the film progresses. Whilst I'm prepared to accept that the opening 30 minutes or so are both brutal and engaging and clearly exist to establish the relationship between JR and Lynch there seemed to be far too much time spent on setting up the narrative at the expense of both storytelling and moving the narrative forward.It's actually sad really when the only thing that's really established once the men break out of prison is that one of the inmates is a rapist which results in that inmate getting the obligatory kick-in. It's yet another prison cliché and is a poor plot twist that just adds to the many groan factors that seems to be increasingly on offer here.The problem with this film is that it spends a lot of time setting up its story but then fails to provide an adequate pay-off once the story has been established. There is about 5-10 minutes of time showing the heist and then the rest of the time is spent exploring the aftermath - such as twists like the boss' nephew getting killed and a lame twist at the end involving the switching of briefcases.To be honest I come in to heist films expecting the story to be full of holes but when watching a heist film I do expect them to be at least fun or exciting. Son of a gun delivers none of these things and is far too dull and serious to be truly enjoyable. Anyone expecting an Oceans 11 type film is going to be deeply disappointed.The only thing really saving this forgettable and dull heist film are the performances; McGregor is very good here and this is probably the best I've seen from him in a long time. Thwaites is OK but is clearly playing second fiddle to a lot of the cast. Vikander is also good here even though she only really exists as a clichéd love interest - but she does look as gorgeous as always.Despite a strong first half, Son Of A Gun never recovers and just becomes more boring and more tiresome as it trundles along. In truth it's dull and rather forgettable.

magnuslhad JR is a young guy on his first prison stretch, about to encounter harder, tougher, seasoned cons. He doesn't back down though, and this saves him short term but long term, drags him into more serious crime. He is mentored by Brendan who has JR play a pivotal role in his own escape. Brendan takes a shine to JR for reasons we never quite understand, but Brendan sporadically asserts his independence at various crucial junctures. McGregor is an odd fit in this role, more convincing as the philosophical mentor than as the hardened man of violence. The bromance between the two never quite reaches Donnie Brasco levels, part of an overall unevenness in tone. There is a brisk pace and a decent twist at the end. In short, worth watching, but basically an average heist movie and not much else.

Mitchell Bonnici This film is a thoroughly impressive take on a true story: Unlike many Australian films which tend to exaggerate the Australian stereotype, Son of a Gun tastefully portrays a very believable and captivating story. Not only has it been written and shot beautifully, the subtle intricacies candidly highlight the high caliber of the work.Brenton Thwaites has cemented his position as one of the most artistic actors of today, portraying the full character of JR in a way that urges you to root for him throughout. A mention must also go to the amazing Alicia Vikander who can hardly put a foot wrong of late (Ex Machina and U.N.C.L.E. are must-see's if you're a fan). It was an absolute pleasure to watch the two act together. Would definitely recommend.