The first-day of a new job is never easy. There is an overload of information, including new names and faces to watch, but no-one’s first-day is as bad as that seen in Potsy Ponciroli’s Greedy People. Set in Providence, the plot joins Will (Hamish Patel), a new police officer in town who finds himself at the epicentre of an ever expanding waking nightmare after an innocent first-day mistake ends in disaster. Also starring Lily James and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Greedy People is an independent thriller with more twists and turns than a helter skelter.
Greedy People is broken into chapters, each focussing on a different character, which helps some of the mystery development. Whilst each chapter casts a new person into the spotlight, it continues to tell the story of the aftermath of the events of Will’s first day. From this point on Greedy People becomes a terse whodunit and later, a ‘who’s gonna get away with it’, that keeps the audience on their toes. This constant state of flux is similar to that seen in Marmalade, released earlier this year. The two films have very different stories to tell, but their shared approach to storytelling is a happy coincidence that potentially points to a welcome resurgence in these types of movies.
Hamish Patel is great as the nervous new deputy. Surrounding him are his no-nonsense pregnant wife, Paige (James), and his outrageous partner, Terry (Gordon-Levitt). This trio of performances forms the centre of Greedy People and each of them are captivating in their own way. Of the three though, it is Gordon-Levitt that steals the show. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been working since he was seven and has used the years to hone his craft. Better known for playing heroes and loveable characters, Terry is a departure from expectation. Terry is a brash and boisterous personality, his loud and borderline offensive behaviour beautifully contrasts with Will’s softly spoken demeanour. The two make a fantastic odd couple, before being turned into terse allies. The bulk of the tension within Greedy People resides in the viewer trying to guess who is going to outsmart whom, and whether either of them can be trusted.
Ponciroli infuses a wry, dark humour into Greedy People, which helps sell the piece. As Will’s situation becomes slowly more complicated, the narrative takes on a comedy of errors property that is sure to have the audience in hysterics. The ever changing landscape and character developments are reminiscent of those found in films such as Wild Things, Killer Joe, and Very Bad Things, all crime stories unafraid to have a sense of humour. As with all of those films, it is the game cast of Greedy People that increases the enjoyment levels immensely. The final result is a dark comedy with a crime at its centre, rather than the other way around, whose cast ensures that Greedy People won’t easily get forgotten.
Greedy People
Summary
A dark crime comedy in the vein of Marmalade and Wild Things, Greedy People is wicked fun to watch unravel.
Greedy People is available on Digital Platforms 23rd September. Distributed by Signature Entertainment.
