- Actors: Jesse Williams, Kellan Lutz
- Disc Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: R
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- DVD Release Date: June 27, 2017
- Run Time: 86 minutes
Despite being a
dialogue-driven suspense film primarily set in a single location and shot at a
brisk pace, Money feels like what
happens when an independent film is approached the same way a studio film is
made. There is more preoccupation with casting actors that have pre-existing
fame (a.k.a. platform) to help sell their film, even if these particular actors
are not the best or most talented for the job. In other words, the production
of Money was ironically so
preoccupied with making money that the film ultimately suffers because of it. A
somewhat clever script is often destroyed by actors who aren’t always up to the
task of handling some of the clumsier dialogue and one-dimensional
characterizations.
Set over the
course of one evening, Money essentially
has five characters, with one supporting player that has been obviously planted
in the screenplay to help provide a final twist that can be seen long before it
arrives. Mark (Kellan Lutz) and Sylvia (Jess Weiler) are a wealthy young couple
hosting a dinner for Mark’s co-worker, Sean (Jesse Williams), and his new
girlfriend, Christina (LucÃa Guerrero), when a stranger arrives at the door.
John (Jamie Bamber) introduces himself as their new neighbor, but once invited
inside, the two couples discover that he is actually a criminal with inside
information about the illegal selling of trade secrets that have recently
landed Mark and Sean a major payday.
What follows is
a typical cat-and-mouse game, with the power shifting back and forth between
the intruder and the pair of white collar criminals he is attempting to rob.
There are no moral characters among these five, which can make for a difficult
viewing. All are so blinded by greed that it often feels as though John may be
the most likeable, despite also being the most violent. And it certainly
doesn’t help that most of the actors add zero depth to their characters,
speaking each line with an absence of nuance that just comes off as bad acting
on top of poor writing. It might not even be that John is more likable, but
simply that Bamber is the actor most capable of handling the flat material.
From the very
beginning when we find out that Lutz and Williams are playing scientists, the
casting feels horribly off. Lutz is best known for his brief appearances in the
Twilight franchise, and has made a
career off of that fame ever since. Nothing in his demeanor or delivery of
lines makes him even remotely believable as a scientist, or any kind of a
professional capable of making money. And while Williams fares slightly better
as an actor, the fact that his character is written as a cocaine addict with a
quick temper makes the writing more suspect instead.
And the writing
is often worthy of an eye-roll or two. In one sequence, shortly after turning
the tables on their intruder for the first time, Sylvia inexplicably turns to
Christina and compliments her on the quality of her skin. Why is this a concern
when a violent criminal has just brought a gun into the house? I have no idea
what this line was included for, but Weixler is far from capable enough to make
it work, leading to questions about both the talent of the writer and the
actor. Weixler is easily one of the more painful elements in this film, which
is saying a lot for a movie trying to convince us that Lutz is a scientist.
Each of these actors feel cast for their past work rather than their ability to
handle the material, and the thinly developed screenplay often suffers as a
result. Even Guerrero, whose face and name might not be as instantly
recognizable, was clearly cast as a result of this being a co-production with Spain,
where she is much better known.
A film about
greed is likely to have distasteful characters, but there is nobody for the
audience to root for as a result. It is a bad sign when the most likeable
character is a violent thief. Having an attractive and slightly famous cast
might have seemed the right choice for a successful film, but it also resulted
in a mediocre movie where a good one may have been possible with actors and
dialogue that have a bit more subtlety and depth. The DVD special features
include a behind-the-scenes featurette and a digital HD copy of the movie.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
Special Features: 2/10
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