Title: Nobel Son (2008)Starring: Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Mary Steenburgen
Directed By: Randall Miller
This is a tightly-knit, dark comedy-laced caper movie. AKA one of my favorite genres. I'm a sucker for heist movies, and when one comes around that manages to keep the mystery evolving and keep me guessing, I like it. If it can do all that and manage a few good laughs in the process, I'll love it. And that's how I feel about Nobel Son.
Alan Rickman stars as Eli Michaelson, a Nobel Laureate/professor who happens to be a real jerk. It seems like those who meet him, resent him and those who know him, hate him. Naturally, when his son is the victim of a kidnapping heist Eli balks at the ransom demand, setting into motion an elaborate series of events involving $2 Million and a fair amount of comeuppance.
I won't spoil any of the surprises contained within the plot. Instead, I'll praise the taut direction of Randall Miller and the wonderful performances of the cast as a whole. Even bit parts are played as though they're just as big a piece of the puzzle as the leads. Praise for that goes to the casting department, although it doesn't exactly hurt that some of my favorite actors find their way onscreen. It was nice to see Rickman, as always; but also Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen, Danny DeVito, Bill Pullman, Ernie Hudson and Eliza Dushku more than hold their own. I was pleasantly surprised, too, by Bryan Greenberg who plays Eli's kidnapped son Barkley. The only other project I recognize him from is the current HBO series How to Make It in America, which is also pretty good. But I digress, this is a movie blog after all.
I had been looking forward to this film for a while because Rickman was in it and because I had already heard (and enjoyed) Mark Adler and Paul Oakenfold's score. I'm glad to say it didn't disappoint. Recommended.
Score: 8/10
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