Michael Fassbender is one of Hollywood’s most known and acclaimed actors working today. From bold performances in arthouse flicks like Shame to solid work in blockbusters in X-Men: Days of Future Past, Fassbender always makes a presence in each role he takes.
Even the best actors though have their fair share of misfires, with Fassbender’s last project Assassin’s Creed falling on its face at the box office and with critics. He know tries to redeem himself with Trespass Against Us, a crime drama that follows Chad Cutler, who tries to raise a family under the influence of his criminal father.
Boasting a great cast and an intriguing premise, Trespass Against Us has the pieces of the next great crime film. However, the film’s favoring of generic style over any signficant level of substance holds it back in the end.
What is most unique about Trespass Against Us is its sense of place and personality. The characters are live in this weird little community of trailers in a field, spending most of their time throwing out vulgarities are planning their next heist. Their dynamic together is interesting while still having a sense of humanity.
With such a good cast, its no shock that the performances here are quite good. Fassbender always has a great presence in his roles, delivering an authentic performance here. Brendan Gleeson is the stand out however, with his harsh wit and overwhelming presence over his son having a strong effect on the film. Lyndsey Marshal and Rory Kinnear are also quite good in their small roles.
Trespass Against Us makes an earnest effort to be more than the average crime flick. The film’s strongest dynamic is the relationship between Gleeson and Fassbender, with their complicated father/son relationship being interesting to watch.
However, it seems that the film falls apart around that dynamic. Scribe Alastair Siddons does a fairly poor job constructing a narrative, with the story falling apart just as it gets going. Most of the film follows the aftermath of a heist, with the film meandering from scene to scene without much purpose. The story never goes in any interesting directions, especially with its weak conclusion.
Siddons script also fails at giving much substance to these characters. While there are certain dynamics that are interesting, they never receive the development needed to make these dynamic come to life. More scenes dedicated to delving into these characters would have helped a great deal.
What hurts this film most of all is its lack of personality behind the camera. Director Adam Smith does a competent job here, but the film never feels like anything above a standard-issue crime flick. Even with this unique setting and bold characters, the style here is fairly muted and generic.
Trespass Against Us isn’t without some strong moments, but fails to do much with its promising set-up. Let’s hope Michael Fassbender can get some better scripts going forward.