Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Good People Blu-ray Movie Review

Money doesn't pay.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 28, 2014

Everyone wants money, and people particularly want "their" money, regardless of how they came about it, whether they earned it straight up or secured it by some nefarious means. Some people want it so badly they'll do uncharacteristic things to keep it, while others will break free of the basic human condition and resort to animalistic violence and untamed methods to take it. Good People is all about several parties vying for a stash of cash by any means necessary, one set determined to keep it for relatively good means, another angling to retrieve it through violence, and a third party by way of smooth yet dangerous intimidation. It's a fully unoriginal film but one that tackles its stock ideas nicely enough, engendering a fairly tangible sense of danger throughout while working through basic characters with generic motives. It's a bit better than it sounds, if only because it knows its goals and sticks to them, producing a suitably moody and nicely photographed film that strives only to be the best it can be within the limited confines of its seen-it-before structure.

The hunted.

Young couple Tom and Anna Wright (James Franco and Kate Hudson) have inherited an old beater of a house outside of London. They've moved across the Atlantic, hoping for a fresh start after she miscarried their first child. Work is slow and bills are high. While they are renovating the house, they are staying inside a city apartment. One night, they find their downstairs tenant dead. They also find a bag full of cash in his ceiling. They stash it away and evade questions from the local police, led by detective John Holden (Tom Wilkinson). While they believe the money will be the answer to their troubles, it's really just the beginning. It doesn't take long before two parties come after the family in search of the cash, including the quietly devious and poised Khan (Omar Sy) and the more forceful Jack (Sam Spruell). It will require teamwork and a lot of luck for the couple to survive the coming attacks on their persons if they hope to make it out of the ordeal alive, never mind hundreds of thousands of pounds richer.

Shades of A Simple Plan meets Straw Dogs define Good People. It's neither as intense nor well-crafted as either of those movies, but it does find a good, positive balance on its side, a balance that sees the story flow cleanly and evenly, the performances efficient, the photography nicely supportive, the atmosphere sufficiently thick, and the story presented just well enough to maintain audience interest even as it never once betrays genre convention. It's a movie that works only within its parameters, as recycled as they may be: the young couple looking for a fresh start, the criminals that want their money, and the aging detective on the case are all key plot ingredients that serve a greater whole but don't exactly set the cinematic landscape ablaze. It's not a movie that jumps around waving its arms and seeking attention but instead one that confidently goes about its business, remaining in a safe zone but pushing a few limits here and there to keep things at least mildly interesting when it becomes clear the plot isn't going to go anywhere viewers haven't been before. It's "generic" done well, and with those expectations in mind audiences in the mood for a rather bloody "get the money" movie should walk away satisfied.

For a movie with such limited scope beyond stock, the cast manages to elevate it a few notches with some believably authentic efforts, even as they're mired in scripted mediocrity that dares not travel beyond a genre safe zone. All of them portray very basic, single dimension characters motivated by the usual suspects, including the proverbial "fresh start" for the protagonists and violent sprees for the antagonists. James Franco and Kate Hudson fulfill core requirements and find an extra gear with a rather believable interpersonal dynamic that never feels forced or playing to the script but rather evolving as the story pushes them deeper into a world of unpredictable violence. Even in disagreement there's an evident strength to their bonds, one that seems believably capable of withstanding what is easily the biggest test of their lives. Tom Wilkinson, too, manages to bring a little bit of life to an otherwise dull character, the stock detective who slowly pieces together the truth that's not directly revealed to him. Wilkinson breathes a bit of life into an otherwise flat character that plays a routine role and, like everything else, fulfills requirements but little more. Omar Sy is particularly strong as a soft-spoken but hard-hearted criminal who is easily the film's best asset in a part that feels a little underdeveloped and absent the screen time it deserves. Sam Spruell is fine as the more externally motivated bloodthirsty villain who wishes to secure his money at all costs.

Good People Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Good People arrives on Blu-ray with a satisfactory 1080p presentation. Millennium Entertainment's transfer is solid, appearing relatively bland and bleak but seemingly in-line with filmmaker intent. Indeed, colors are a bit drab, favoring a dull gray appearance that sets a fairly dour mood. Nevertheless, the palette appears even and precise within that structure, presenting clothes, such as Tom's blue denim jacket, and other goods, such as Khan's car, with commendable accuracy. Details are solid, with special attention to some of the rougher surfaces seen throughout the film, like wood, concrete, and brick. Chipped paint and dusty areas of the house look excellent, too. Facial features and clothing lines are also suitably complex and nicely representative of a good, basic Blu-ray picture. Skin tones appear accurate, but black levels sometimes take a push towards a dark shade of purple. Light banding appears around a few bright light sources, but the image is otherwise proficiently handsome. Overall, this is a quality effort from Millennium.

Good People Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Good People features a good, but not at all memorable, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music enjoys a commendably balanced stage presence, yielding good clarity throughout the range, fine front end spacing, healthy surround features, and a sufficiently heavy low end. Light background ambience helps set the stage in a few places, notably in outdoor moments when one can hear playing children and light background city din. Action effects are hit-or-miss. Gunfire is never prominent and aggressive, but neither is it wholly puny. A jet flyover near the end rolls through the stage with adequate, but not overwhelming, power, a shame considering the effect plays a part in a crucial scene. Dialogue delivery is clear and precise with good center balance.

Good People Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from an assortment of Millennium Entertainment title previews, Good People contains only "Making Of" Featurette (1080p, 2:52), a brief plot/character recap.

Good People Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Good People brings absolutely nothing new to the table, but it does set the table with a serviceable story that's performed and executed very well, as well as something this unimaginative can be performed and executed. It's satisfyingly entertaining at a core level, and viewers going expecting to see the same thing in different packaging should be satisfied with the results. Millennium Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Good People delivers solid video and audio. Supplements are limited to a brief featurette. Worth a rental, and genre fans might consider a purchase at a substantial discount.