Rating of
2.5/4
"You Were Never Really Here" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/06/19
An ex-FBI agent and soldier traumatised by past abuses both witnessed and experienced is hired to track down the daughter of a prominent politician and punish those responsible for her abduction.
A story of a dysfunctional loner with suicidal tendencies rescuing a teenage runaway from a life of prostitution draws obvious parallels with Taxi Driver, but the feel of this attempted update reminded me more of the emotionally stark brutality of the work of Nicolas Winding Refn. The central performance by Joaquin Phoenix is strong, it is suitably intense and contains some striking imagery, but somehow these elements fail to conspire to become a satisfying narrative; concentrating more on mood than drama, its bleak and laconic style comes across as more pretentious than powerful.
You Were Never Really Here is certainly an interesting take on the revenge thriller, but you come at the king, you best not miss. The result is less Taxi Driver than Taken for Guardian readers.
