Bailing Out Winners

99 Homes

So following up on my review of The Big Short (here), which is a slightly humorous look at the housing market crash in 2007, I looked at a film that took a little more serious approach to the situation. I personally wasn’t affected by the crash and thanks goodness no one I knew was, but I can only imagine what it must have been like for families to have their homes ripped away from them. In 2014 Broad Green Pictures gave us insight on what can happen when you try to protect your home with 99 Homes.

Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield The Amazing Spider-Man), an out of work construction worker, is battling the courts to keep his family home. That battle is lost however, when Rick Carver (Michael Shannon Man of Steel), an unsympathetic real estate broker, comes to evict Nash and his family. Nash, now living in a motel, is forced to find work wherever he can. But as fate would have it, Nash comes to be employed by the same man that evicted him. As Nash starts to do odd jobs for Carver, he begins to earn good money for his family. However Nash’s situation starts to turn immoral and Nash doesn’t know if the money his worth the pain he is causing to unsuspecting people.

After watching The Big Short, I had a lighter heart on the whole housing market subject and this film brought me right back down to reality. The story is more of our moral compass and what we, as human beings, will do to survive both emotionally and financially. The film is wonderfully directed and the two leads of the movie give strong performances. Don’t think it should have been classified as a thriller though, but it was a tension filled drama indeed.

Garfield is great as the unsuspecting protagonist. He plays this everyman character as simplistic as possible. Meaning that Garfield puts himself in the shoes of a lot of people in this country and personifies what most of us would do. Nash has a chance to make a lot of money and he pounces on it without thinking of the consequences. The cruel performance of Michael Shannon is worth your time watching this film though. Carver’s compass is smashed to bits when the market crashed and he has found a way to make even more money than before. Shannon brings to life the unyielding side of people that have found a way to survive.

Indie film director Ramin Bahrani (Chop Shop) brings this story of morality to life with such realism and a touch of grit. This story was never going to have a “happy ending” due to the fact of morality. The saying goes, “Desperate times call for desperate measures” and Bahrani brings that to the forefront of this film. I will say that I have never heard of this particular director, but after this film I will definitely be checking out some of his other films.

Not a film that I would watch if you are already depressed, but one that I do recommend for those Friday or Saturday nights when nothing else is on. If not for the amazing direction of Ramin Bahrani, then please watch this for the two brilliant leads and their performances.

The Verdict: Worth Your Time.