Beckett is the type of film that sadly does everyone involved a great disservice. Poorly plotted films are often enough of a hurdle to overcome, but paired with bad acting and a comical use of the musical score, Beckett is a disaster on all fronts and one that becomes a struggle to sit through. Beckett is a thinly written narrative and it's one that can only go so far before it becomes clear it won’t be crossing the finish line with a win.
John David Washington stars as a man named Beckett who is on vacation with his girlfriend April, played briefly by Alicia Vikander. The two divert from their initial plans in Athens, Greece for a more scenic excursion in Northern Greece, but things take a turn for the worse when they are in an accident. April is killed in the car wreck, leaving Beckett emotionally distraught and witness to an unusual situation. What follows after the accident is a narratively uneven and badly paced thriller that is sorely lacking in the thrills department.
Ferdinando Cito Filomarino and Kevin A. Rice’s screenplay about a man in the wrong place at the wrong time offers a decent setup that could have easily morphed into this generation’s North by Northwest. However, what ends up happening is that the story and much of the interesting beats aren’t played up in the ways they should. The film has far too much of a straight-laced approach, with a seriousness that winds up being unintentionally comical. Perhaps if the intention was to be more comedic then much of what’s presented would have fallen into place; it could have even been rather enjoyable.
Many films sometimes fail to find the right tone for their scripts, which gives off a feeling of dissatisfaction or confusion over what the film is intended to be. For a narrative that is about police corruption, political conspiracies, and kidnapping, Beckett is unable to grasp what makes mystery thrillers feel exciting, frightening, and all-around engaging. To make matters worse, the musical score literally spells out what is intended in nearly every scene, and is strangely absent or goes unnoticed in moments when it’s needed the most. Ultimately, with or without the score attempting to rile the audience up, the film falls flat. However, that is not the worst thing to happen in this movie.
There are many films that are objectively (or subjectively) terrible for numerous reasons, but the performances in any respective film has the opportunity to salvage them, perhaps making an unsatisfying experience feel worth it. It is unfortunate to see an actor with such promise and family legacy buckle under the pressure of leading this film. John David Washington, by most standards, is an exceptional talent, and will probably have a truly outstanding career. However, Washington seems to have been given little to no assistance from his director, Filomarino, as he flounders from one end of the film to the other. At times he is overly emotive and in other instances, he seems bored.
Upon rewatch, it certainly seems as though Washington needs a strong director who pushes an actor to be great and not just accept the first take. It also became clear on second watch that no one in this cast was prepared in any way to play their respective roles, except for Vicky Krieps and Alicia Vikander, who, against great odds, do very well in this environment. To Washington’s credit, his best moments are opposite Krieps and Vikander (specifically the latter). All in all, Beckett is a drag. It is one overly long foot chase across Greece that ends in such an anticlimactic manner that it almost warrants a laugh track. While it aims to be a propulsive thriller that will have the audience rooting for the underdog, it sadly collapses under the pressure.
Beckett is streaming on Netflix as of August 13, 2021. The film is 108 minutes long and is rated TV-MA.
