Thursday [1998]

November 7, 2013

An imminent clusterfuck. That’s right, a clusterfuck. I said it. Only in The Place Beyond The Pines [2013] have I seen a character that can be classified as someone constantly getting into trouble. The clusterfuck term refers to the combination of character traits and characters that you know is going to result in some huge problems. For all you Nolan’s Batman fanboys, here’s a chance to see young Harvey Dent with his two faces merged into one.

At the beginning of the movie, we can clearly see the good movie trifecta: 1. Weird opening scene 2. Unusual and upbeat music and finally 3. Great camera. Bam, right there you already have a cult movie with a memorable opening that I am sure we will enjoy for many years to come whenever we decide to watch it again. Of course, nothing is perfect, so hectic editing (maybe because I watched the unrated version) spoils the fun a bit, but later on the movie, it settles down.

Monday night, Los Angeles (where else…), small convenient store. A small-time drug dealer named Nick is choosing his coffee while his posy waits. An imminent clusterfuck. Fast-forward three days, and Nick shows up at his old buddies place. Casey is not thrilled to have a criminal in his house since he cleaned up his act a couple of years earlier. In fact, this is the last thing he needs, as he and his wife are trying to adopt a baby. But he’s a mate, in the words of Trainspotting… An imminent clusterfuck.

You just can’t tell where Thursday is going. The story is very lively, seemingly almost perfect. They pulled this off by cleverly concealing the underlying clichés with a phenomenal scenario and amazing actors. A deal that I would take any time (anytime, anyyytime…). The weird pace of the main story as well as the atmosphere is something that’s spoiling a bit a score for Thursday. With a lot of style, humor, and a runtime of just over eighty movies this is that fun movie from the nineties that you were looking for. It has that Tarantino vibe that so many others tried to emulate.

It seems that the main story is overpowered by extremely interesting side-stories and events (yes, they are woven into the tapestry of the main story but still). In conclusion, besides excellent script, actors, and camerawork, Thursday’s main quality is the opportunity to look into the mind of a psychopath, and not just only one…