Brief Story Line
Set in the 1950s New York city, a man named Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton - Primal Fear, Fight Club etc) who had Tourette syndrome (more on that below) worked as a private investigator under his boss Frank Minna (Bruce Willis - Glass, Die Hard series etc). While working on a case which he kept secret from Lionel and his other colleagues, Frank was somehow murdered and Lionel was determined to find out the truth.
As he struggled with his own challenges, Lionel had to go through various places and meet with many characters who could lead him to the truth behind Frank's murder. He met with Laura Rose (Gugu Mbatha-Raw - The Whole Truth, Misbehaviour etc) daughter of jazz club owner in Harlem who was working together with Gabby Horowitz (Cherry Rose - Erin Brokovich, 24 TV series etc) in fighting against the injustice of urban planning. Lionel was also caught up in the political turmoil in the city hall which involved wealthy developer Moses Randolph (Alec Baldwin - The Boss Baby, 30 Rock TV series etc) and a man who seemed to be hostile against Moses named Paul (Willem Dafoe - Murder on the Orient Express, Spider-man etc).
So how would the story conclude? Find them all in this neo-noir crime movie with a unique lead character.
End of Brief Story Line
I always like watching neo-noir story set in the old days where the detective would provide some narration and showing the way he solved the mystery. The 1950s setting I thought was befitting with the story telling and also the case Lionel was working on. What set the story apart from the standard neo-noir was the main character had Tourette syndrome which made him a total opposite of the usual attributes of a cool, suave and a real ladies man. But the strong photographic and probably phonographic memory were the best quality a detective could have.
My favorite part in here was the characterization of Lionel by Edward Norton. I thought his performance was awesome and totally convincing as a man with such syndrome. And I also like Bruce Willis' character which was one of those rare times he was playing a decent role in recent years. The rest of the well known names definitely provide a wonderful time as well. Oh, aside from those people I mentioned above, there were also other supporting characters such as Lionel's friends Tony (Bobby Cannavale - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle etc), Danny (Dallas Roberts - Insatiable TV series etc), and Gilbert (Ethan Suplee - My Name is Earl TV series etc), Frank's wife Julia (Leslie Mann - Blockers etc) and Trumpet Man (Michael K. Williams - The Wire TV series).
This kind of movie would not have been interesting if the setting was not done good enough. And I thought it was wonderfully done especially with the support of the excellent costume and make up department who provided the convincing hair style and suits/dresses for that period. But what really made me ecstatic was the musical score by Daniel Pamberton. The jazz songs were totally amazing and suit the mood perfectly. No wonder the movie got the 2019 Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score (although ultimately losing it to Joker).
From what I read on the internet, the film was praised for Norton's acting and the idea, but somehow it was criticized for its duration and deviation from the books (it was adapted from novel of the same title written by Jonathan Lethem). I disagreed with the duration criticism as I felt it was not overly long and was just nice to give proper closure, leaving no loose ends. As for deviation from the novel, I believed Norton has got the approval from Lethem himself to significantly change to the way he thought best. And I myself (probably because I never read the book), had no complains.
Overall I am quite satisfied watching this movie. I like the characters, the settings and the music. The story development was done in a steady pace and the ending was good enough for me. The performance of Edward Norton was a real treat to watch and it also gave me little knowledge on the syndrome. So if you happen to like neo-noir crime movie, this one could be worth to watch, though the duration of 144 minutes could be a challenge if you are not fans of too long movie.
Mike's movie moments rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Brief Note on Tourette Syndrome (from Wikipedia):
Tourette syndrome or Tourette's syndrome (abbreviated as TS or Tourette's) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. Common tics are blinking, coughing, throat clearing, sniffing, and facial movements. These are typically preceded by an unwanted urge or sensation in the affected muscles, can sometimes be suppressed temporarily, and characteristically change in location, strength, and frequency.
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