Locke

British construction foreman Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) is a happily married father of two. The night before he is scheduled to oversee a record-setting concrete pour, he forsakes watching a big football match with his family to be present for the birth of his illegitimate child, the product of a single night of infidelity with a woman he barely knows. As Ivan cruises the highway en route to the hospital, a series of tense phone calls bring his personal and professional life to ruin. However, he is determined not to walk in the footsteps of his late father, who abandoned him as a child.

For as many films as there are that fail to deliver on a promising premise, there is the rare film that succeeds despite sounding like a terrible idea on paper. Locke falls in the latter camp. Directed and written by Steven Knight, it unfolds in real time, and from the moment the title character enters his car, the camera almost never leaves him. An hour and a half of a character driving and talking has the potential to be excruciating, but it ends up captivating due to the precision of its script and the competence of its star.

Hardy, who sports a quirky Welsh accent, continues to excel at portraying characters who have a lot going on beneath the surface. Ivan starts the journey with an air of almost impenetrable calm and maintains it even while he comes clean to his wife and colleagues. But between phone calls, he seethes with resentment at his dead disappearing dad. Even as his frustration grows as the trip progresses, Hardy avoids the clichéd and predictable epiphany-inducing meltdown that would have sunk his credibility (and this film along with it).

Oddly, this bit of verisimilitude also serves as a hindrance. There is some semblance of closure by the end, but the viewer can’t help but feel cheated by the lack of a payoff. Even a quiet, grounded film can have its share of big moments, but there is nary a one to be found here, an absence that robs the film of impact and often tests the audience’s patience.

There are, however, plenty of amusing little moments. Through a series of conversations with Ivan, beleaguered second-in-command Donal (voice of Andrew Scott) goes from being completely overwhelmed by the prospect of tacking charge to amusingly drunk. And then there is Ivan’s awkward attempt to clarify the nature of his relationship with the mother-to-be to a hospital administrator. Every time a “her partner” is tossed his way, he insistently replies that he is “the father.” Knight’s stage-like feel for dialogue is in good form in these exchanges.

To be certain, Locke’s low-key unconventionality will prove maddening to a certain segment of viewers. But those with the requisite patience can appreciate a convincing (and mercifully compact) look at how one man tries to come to terms with a colossal screw-up.

7.75/10

Gone Girl

On their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy Elliott Dunne (Rosamund Pike), the wife of writer-turned-bar owner Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) goes missing under suspicious circumstances. As the police investigate the disappearance, Nick commits some social blunders under media scrutiny, and Amy’s hidden diary points to a once-happy marriage that has since deteriorated into hostility and fear. Though suspicion falls on Nick, Amy’s ultimate fate may not be what it seems.

Directed by David Fincher and scripted by Gillian Flynn from her own best-seller, Gone Girl is both a solidly crafted piece of cinema and an enigmatic disappointment. Fincher is a master stylist, the movie is sharply written, and the cast exudes competence, yet the film never quite grips its audience to the fullest extent.

This failure to go for the jugular is born of both perspective and pacing. In the novel, readers are treated to dueling unreliable first-person narrators, and characters come to life in the discrepancies between the accounts. On film, we get traces of this – Amy gets a diary voiceover and the camera often follows Nick – but the amusingly sordid confessionals are largely lost. Further, while the film has plenty of tense moments (a shocking discovery toward the middle, a bloody act of desperation toward the end), that tension isn’t sustained through the second half. There is an episodic quality here that undermines what is at stake. We should feel the walls closing in on our protagonist, but we never fully get that sense of pending doom.

These flaws mar what is otherwise a very well-executed film. The cast is beyond reproach. Affleck, a real-life hate-magnet for many, seems born to play Nick, a character that embodies both sides of the laid-back nice guy/smug jerk dichotomy. Pike never fully gets across the bubbly naiveté of Amy’s diary narration, but she otherwise nails the character’s otherworldly cleverness and limitless determination. Among the supporting roles, Neil Patrick Harris is appropriately creepy as Amy’s obsessive ex, Kim Dickens delivers a healthy dose of skepticism as a dogged detective, and even the usually clownish Tyler Perry does quality work here as a media-savvy high profile lawyer. There is nary a weak link to be found.

In addition, although Fincher fails to impart the same spark here that made his past thrillers so gripping, Gone Girl is far from stylistically limp. There is a convincing sense of place as the film hops from New York to Missouri and beyond, and the few violent set pieces are visually arresting. Frequent collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross supply a score that  is handily unsettling when it needs to be.

Ultimately, Gone Girl may have more resonance for those unacquainted with the source material. The novel’s twists – and twistedness – were punches to the reader’s gut, and the film, faithful as it is, offers familiarity to cushion the blows. Even with this diminished thrill, there is still a lot to really like here, just not enough to love.

8.25/10 

Devall's Cajun Cuisine (CLOSED)

NOTE: Devall's closed in 2016.

Located at 3932 West Market Street in Greensboro, Devall’s Cajun Cuisine specializes in Cajun starters, sandwiches, and entrees for lunch and dinner. There are food and drink specials, a full service bar, and catering is available.

Though Devall’s is in walking distance and I love Cajun, I have visited only a few times since the restaurant opened last year. There are reasons for that infrequency, just as there are reasons I won’t swear off this place completely.

First, the good: Louisiana-bred owner/chef Roger Devall knows what he’s doing. The menu here is full of Cajun staples, and every one that I’ve had has been well-executed. The etouffee (available with shrimp or catfish) in particular is a standout: the rich brown roux is addictive. The red beans and rice features a nice, spicy Andouille and provides the hearty comfort of a stew. The jambalaya is quite good too albeit markedly different from the more familiar Creole style: this one is drier and smokier without a strong tomato presence.

Stray from Cajun, however, and the quality varies. The hush puppies, long and oddly shaped as they may be, are served fresh and are above average, and the cheesy twice-baked potato earns no complaints. But the coleslaw lacks much flavor, and on a recent visit, a steak ordered medium well came out leather tough (a mistake that our apologetic server did try to remedy).

Other aspects of  Devall’s are similarly hit-and-miss. The establishment is small, and the bead-adorned bar area with the television gives off sports bar vibes. However, the inviting red walls and tastefully placed Mardi Gras décor add considerably more class. Every server I’ve ever had here has been attentive and personable, but the kitchen operates at a leisurely pace. Most entrees are priced in the teens, certainly not a bad value for the quantity, but one wishes the sides were on par with the mains.

Devall’s location – in a half-abandoned shopping center between Guilford Country Republican Party Headquarters and a Chinese restaurant – isn’t doing it any favors, so here’s hoping it can stay afloat. The restaurant is by no means a sure thing, but there is enough here to make it at least an occasional option.

7.5/10