At the heart of an infernal plot, John David Washington finds himself pursued to the four corners of Greece in “Beckett”. A paranoid thriller in the lineage of classics of the genre, where the hero does not have a single minute of respite.
Beckett : John David Washington trapped
Second-team director on several films by Luca Guadagnino, among which Call Me by Your Name and Suspiria, Ferdinando Cito Filomarino signs his second feature film with Beckett, after Antonia. A thriller that starts off as a classic love story between the title character, played by John David Washington, and April, played by Alicia Vikander. The two lovebirds enjoy a stay in Greece that turns into a nightmare.
While Beckett dozes off for a few seconds at the wheel, the couple is the victim of a terrible car accident. April does not come out alive. His companion is admitted to the nearest hospital. After the tragedy, the young man returns to the place where the fall of his vehicle ended. It is then done shoot by corrupt police officers, who are chasing him.
Beckett begins a dangerous journey, which leads him to Athens. The American gradually discovers that he has found himself in spite of himself at the heart ofa political plot. He understands that he cannot trust the authorities, starting with the agents from his country deployed there.
Boyd Holbrook and Vicky Krieps complete the cast of this paranoid suspense where the hero does not have a moment’s respite.
When a person becomes a fugitive …
After a race against time pushing the limits of time in Tenet, John David Washington performs a frantic sprint in Beckett. His character is ceaselessly manhandled, trapped in a hellish plot. A protagonist who is reminiscent of those of iconic 70s thrillers like Because of an assassination, The Three Days of the Condor or Punishment. But according to Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, Beckett is more fallible than the heroes played by Robert Redford or Clint Eastwood. Asked by the site Discussing Movie, the director explains:
The difference with the type of characters the two have played is that you always feel like somehow the characters of Clint Eastwood or Robert Redford are going to come through, because that they are so cool and smart. (…) It doesn’t mean that Beckett isn’t cool or smart, but the goal was to make him a little more real, that we can identify with him a little more.
In this, Beckett therefore resembles more the Marathon Man, also on the run, played by Dustin Hoffman in John Schlesinger’s film. The two characters also share a real ability to withstand pain.
The quidam who became a fugitive camped by John David Washington falls, takes blows and his suffering is constantly noticeable in action scenes. Harassed and traumatized, he never gives up on his quest for survival, then for truth. Through heavy movements as well as exhausted and lost looks, the actor delivers an impressive performance. A service that reinforces the growing tension of Beckett, where the fate of the hero is indeed impossible to guess.
Beckett can be viewed on Netflix from August 13, 2021.
