A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library. Loosely based on, or inspired by, real criminals.Recently I was viewing an article on actress Alicia Vikander, I have become a fan of hers after seeing a few of her movies but realized I had never seen "Son of a Gun". I also am a big fan of Ewan McGregor, starting with his character in "Trainspotting."Set and filmed in Australia, 20-something Brenton Thwaites plays 19-yr- old JR starting a several month stint in prison for an undisclosed crime. It is clear that incarceration is all new to him, he seems like a rather nice young man.Of course the older, stronger, hardened criminals try to take advantage of JR's type but in an early scene Ewan McGregor as hardened criminal Brendan Lynch takes a liking to the boy when JR informs him of a bad chess move. From then on he becomes JR's protector but with a condition, JR will set something up for Lynch when he is released.That something involves a carefully orchestrated prison break involving a getaway by helicopter. Plus, they formulate a plan to rob a gold mining operation and get away with a few gold bars, fencing them in Melbourne will get each enough cash to run away for their old worlds and live other lives.The movie recycles themes that most of us have seen before in movies but is put together well, and acted well, so it comes off as an entertaining 90+ minutes. Vikander has a relatively small role, but it is important as she and JR end up falling in love.SPOILERS: In the end Lynch, in spite of his apparent caring about JR, decides to run off with all the loot, the gold bars, for himself. But JR and the girl pulled a switcheroo, they had the gold bars, Lynch had nothing. If Lynch cooperated they would call him later and tell him where to find his share. Maybe...

'Son of a Gun' stars Brenton Thwaites, Ewan McGregor, and Alicia Vikander. The film opens with Thwaites going through some basic checks just before entering his new home, prison. If there is a reason for him to be in there it doesn't say, or I just don't remember. But soon after he makes his jail cell his new residence he notices that one of Australia's most notorious criminals shares this prison with him. A few unsavory things happen and Thwaites finds himself clinging to McGregor hopping that he can be the father he never had. Together they bust out of jail just before attempting a multi million dollar heist. Things go south and our unlikely heroes go on the run. It's not exactly an original tale but thankfully the film doesn't rely on it to much. Majorly, it weighs on McGregor to help it march forward. Not having taken on a role like this before he dives whole heartedly in it. He is scary, abusive, but charming. Somehow he gives this scummy character just enough quality for us to hate and love him.He is not alone here though. Vikander and Thwaites also do a fairly good job. Now, this is the kind of performance I have come to expect from Vikander at this point. But never before have I see Thwaites actually get into his character as much as he does in 'Son of a Gun'. He may not get to display much range but he is able to show a lot of emotion through a simple look.At first he struggles at doing what McGregor wants and it shows. He trembles as weapons are shoved into his hands and cowers next to fallen comrades. But slowly he dips into this ultra violent world that his new found father figure loves so much. This is one thing that occurs quite a bit here. Violent, brutal, action scenes. The surprising part of these intricate sequences is that they are handled with relative grace by first time writer/director Julius Avery. He infuses them with style and grit that you don't see from rookie directors. However, his script is not so fine tuned. Not only is it predictable and uninspired but it also lacks soul. The actors performances are likable but the characters they play are not. Having to follow these under developed, unlikable people for nearly two hours can be a bit of a strain. They yell, get in fights over insignificant things, and abuse nearly everyone around them.As the story goes on it becomes even more difficult to sit through. It starts off at a good pace but as the story thickens it doesn't really know what to do with itself. It twists and turns all the way to the end but never do these twists make sense. It creates them from thin air and attempts to explain them with convoluted facts that only add to the abounding confusion. 'Son of a Gun' may be gritty, stylish, and boasting good performances but it doesn't offer much else. Its story is paper thin, predictable, and convoluted to no end. And flat unlikable characters don't help the films cause.

This above-average, Australian-set heist thriller is neither as grandiose nor as exciting as Michael Mann's legendary "Heat," but director Julius Avery's first full-length crime melodrama isn't a total write-off. Brenton Thwaites of "The Giver" is a young man thrown into an Aussie prison who soon learns that being a good-looking lad behind bars has its disadvantages. A homosexual contingent of inmates has already taken advantage of her cell mate, and they have fixed their bony eyes on him when two other scruffy inmates intervene. These fellows are Brendan Lynch (Ewan McGregor of "Star Wars") and Sterlo (Matt Nable), and Lynch takes a liking to the J.R. They become friends, and J.R. gives Lynch advice about his chess game. Since he has been sentenced to a mere six months, J.R. gets out and arranges things through another treacherous individual, Sam Lennox (Jacek Koman), to break Lynch and two of his buddies out of prison. The audacious jailbreak resembles a similar jailbreak from the Charles Bronson thriller "Breakout" where a helicopter was used to rescue a prison. After Lynch and his mates make their way outside of the prison to an open field within the walls, J.R. forces the pilot to set down and Lynch and company clamber aboard and fly away. Sam has set up a gold ingot heist at a gold mine, and Lynch brings J.R. in on the job. While they are hiding out from the authorities courtesy of Sam, J.R. gets involved in a romantic relationship with a Tasha (Alicia Vikander) who works as a waitress at Sam's strip club. Lynch warns J.R. about the complications that woman can create, but J.R. ignores him and Tasha and he fall in love.Our protagonists pull off the heist and make a successful getaway. Unfortunately, the faithful Sterlo dies during the careening car chase. Like all memorable heist thrillers, getting the loot constitutes one set of obstacles. Naturally, Sam betrays Lynch and company. Nevertheless, Tasha warns J.R. in time for them to escape. Sam now has $4 million in gold and plans to exchange it for cash in Melbourne. Lynch and J.R. make their way to Melbourne and recover the gold after they convince an assassin sent by Sam to knock them out to join them. Lynch is still dead set against having Tasha around and relates how a women wound up sending him back to prison. Ironically, despite showing J.R. the ropes of the crime business, Lynch is surprised when J.R. and Tasha turn the tables on him and escape with all the gold. Honorable man that J.R. is, he buries Lynch's share in a graveyard while Lynch sits out another prison sentence. At this juncture of the action, everything gets a little muddled. All we know is that J.R. pulled a switch on Lynch after Lynch had decided to double-cross J.R. for his own good and give him three-quarters of a million dollars. Lynch has purchased a boat and appears to have life made. Instead, he winds up at a laundry mat and the authorities show up and arrest him. Meantime, J.R. and Tasha get away.A shortage of suspense, a muddled third act, and not enough hair-raising action slows down "Son of the Gun," but if you've got an afternoon to fill, this qualifies as an above-average, atmospheric yarn.

I watched just because of Ewan McGregor. And it was well worth the 1:49 minutes of my time. If you want to you can probably work out what is going to happen next throughout the whole movie. But, the performances are good and the story is interesting and I just sat back and watched for the sheer movie satisfaction. And, on that score, this movie does not disappoint. The violence is in keeping with the roles portrayed and, dammit, I just loved the way it ended. I will definitely recommend this movie to my wife as there is more than enough to keep her watching - besides the aforementioned McGregor. In this cynical world, it's nice, once in a while, to have trust vindicated.