YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE Review – It's Hammer Time!
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE Review
by Staci Layne Wilson
Director Lynne Ramsay, though not prolific, has made a name for herself with movies that make disturbing, yet thought-provoking impressions on the viewer. In 2012 We Need to Talk About Kevin was the talk of the cinephile clique; now she’s back with another curio centered on a deeply dysfunctional character.
Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) is a hammer-wielding former FBI agent and Marine suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder—from both his abusive childhood and the horrors of war—making him the perfect assassin to do whatever needs to be done, because he just doesn’t (or can’t) care. Operating in the fringes of society while still managing to dutifully care for his erasable elderly mother (Judith Roberts), Joe finds a balance of sorts. When Joe is hired by State Senator Albert Votto (Alex Manette) to quietly find and rescue his abducted teenage daughter Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov), and make her captors suffer, Joe thinks it’s just another job… but it could be his undoing.
You Were Never Really Here weaves a dark and absorbing yarn with the use of here-and-now action, graphic flashbacks, and dire delusions. It’s an extraordinarily violent film, yet it’s peppered with small moments of poignant grace. For example, in a scene after Joe has mortally wounded a hitman, he lays down beside the man so he won’t have to die alone.
The music during the aforementioned death scene—and all of them—are right on the money. The spare and haunting score is by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood (whose collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson have earned him many awards) and it’s aptly augmented by simple, unvarnished cinematography courtesy of Tom Townsend.
Phoenix is respected, but largely underrated. As for Ramsay, she’s the superstar no one really knows about—she’s made only four feature films in 19 years. It’s quality over quantity. This is a tour de force of director and actor, each making You Were Never Really Here their very own. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s a must-watch.
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE Review
By Staci Layne Wilson
Rated R
89 Minutes
Get times and tickets at Fandango.com.
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE Review
By Staci Layne Wilson
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