Excellent, a Must See

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Move starts off slow, with a couple that's hard on their luck and then something shocking happens. There is un convincing b level acting by A level actors. You would think that the performance would be a lot better considering their other movies, but I have a feeling they were just doing this movie just because it was paycheck and their schedules had some gaps so they signed on. Bad guys come looking for something they find in their house. Soon the movie becomes Home Alone, the R-Rated version. In this version of Home Alone, the bad guys don't just fall down stairs and burn their hands, the bad guys die horrible, ruthless deaths.

Good People is actually a pretty good tense thriller and is nowhere near as bad as some people are making it out to be. Is it pretty predictable at times? Yes. Has it been done before? Yes. That doesn't make it a bad film though.It's main idea is along the same lines as the excellent Shallow Grave, so while it's definitely not an original story it still makes for a decent film in it's own right. There are differences between the two films with the main one being the desperation the main couple, Anna & Tom, find themselves in regarding money. They are struggling to make ends meet and are on the verge of being evicted...Shallow Grave didn't have these elements, so it's the same same box but with different wrapping.The film is pretty slow going at times but it doesn't ever feel boring and even through these moments you're still getting to know about the different characters so while it gets slow at times, the story still develops. It does pick up as it goes on though, so it's not as if it doesn't ever get going, and there is a good amount of tension and suspense throughout to make up for those slower instances.The main characters - on the whole - were well written, but one thing that annoyed me about Anna & Tom was that they had all of this financial trouble yet they were desperate to have a baby. Priorities people! They were also very naive with regards to the money by thinking that they were safe and that no one would be looking for it especially considering the background of their tenant. In saying that though, that is where the story shows how desperation makes them blind to reality. I mean what would YOU do if you were in the same situation and came across 1000s of pounds? The vicious criminal boss Jack Witkowski was played excellently by Sam Spruell who brought a real believability to that character as someone you definitely did not want to upset/double-cross.All in all, Good People isn't a fantastic film, but it's definitely worth a watch.

I saw this movie 4 years ago when it was called Ca$h, but that was a comedy and this was a thriller, still it's amazing just how similar the two films are. Good People and Ca$h are so much alike, that I don't know how the producers of this film didn't get sued! Good People takes place in London and focuses on another young couple down on their luck. They're about to lose everything when their downstairs tenet dies and they find a bag of cash in the ceiling. Much like the couple in Ca$h, they face the dilemma of keeping the money or turning it into the police. Of course they have to keep the money for there to be a film, but shortly after, the rightful owners show up and want their cash, leaving the couple on the run. James Franco and Kate Hudson play the young couple and to my surprise, despite their very different styles, they had great chemistry, but that's really all this film had. It's very hard to review a film that is so similar to another, because I find myself unimpressed by the second film and wonder, if I hadn't seen the first, would I have enjoyed the second? As far as thrillers go, it wasn't much different or better than you'd expect it to be, despite the big names in the cast. Ultimately, Good People isn't a bad film, but I preferred the story in a more comedic form with Sean Bean playing a foul mouthed, wise cracking gangster. If you're a fan of any of the cast members, you should see this film, because it definitely wasn't boring, but it really wasn't anything special.

I generally don't like the "normal people find a lot of money" formula. I understand its value as a dramatic catalyst which invites to explore the reactions and attitudes of characters due to their unexpected richness, as well as the ethic complications that implies. And, in some cases, it also adds a danger element because of the illegal provenance of the money and the criminals who are surely looking for it. I understand the potential of the premise, and I have even liked some films which employed it (such as Shallow Grave and Millions), but in many occasions, it feels like an artificial and lazy trick. That might explain the apathy the film Good People provoked on me. Or it might be one of those mediocre movies, which aren't boring, but without any distinctive element to make it good or bad. Just... meh. James Franco, Kate Hudson and Tom Wilkinson make a credible work in their roles, despite how superficially written their characters are. Good People never reaches the level of dramatic intensity or visual virtuosity in order to capture the spectator beyond a vague curiosity to know how everything is going to end. And when we finally reach the conclusion, it's convenient and improbable. In conclusion, despite the apathy it provoked on me, I can give Good People a slight recommendation, because it managed to keep me moderately entertained.