By George & Josh Bate
Mickey Keating may not be a household name among cinephiles quite yet, but it feels like only a matter of time until he is. At just 35 years old, Keating has already directed seven feature films, all of which have explored different corners of the horror genre while repurposing elements from iconic filmmakers like Roman Polanski and Sam Peckinpah. Keating’s latest film Crooks sees the filmmaker pivot away from horror and its multitude of subgenres to craft a pulpy, twisty crime thriller destined to please fans of Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers.
Making its world premiere at this year’s Tribeca Festival, Crooks takes place in a seedy, timeless version of Chicago filled with gangsters, thieves, and assassins. Angela Trimbur stars as Faye, a nightclub singer who’s just been fired and in desperate need of cash to pay off a gangster her boyfriend owes money to. Enter Johnny (Chase Williamson), a figure from Faye’s past who proposes that she help him pull off a seemingly straightforward heist. Inevitably, things don’t go as planned and Faye finds herself on the run from a vicious assassin known as The Ghost (Keith Kupferer) and eventually encounters a diner waitress named Blanche (Melora Walters) with more to her than initially meets the eye.
Stylistically, Crooks immediately stands apart from other crime thrillers due to its noir-soaked, heightened tone and aesthetic. Keating’s eighth feature film plays like the cinematic equivalent of a classic pulp novel. There’s the ‘penny-a-word’ pacing (at least for a while) that characterize vintage pulp novels. Somewhat larger-than-life characters spew fast-paced, punchy dialogue. And what unfolds is a narrative briskly moving from cliffhanger to cliffhanger and twist to twist.
Keating combines the sensibilities of a pulp novel with a Coen Brothers-esque premise and Tarantino-esque style. Like Fargo or No Country for Old Men, Crooks begins with a flawed, yet well-intentioned character embarking on a seemingly straightforward criminal venture that unexpectedly blossoms into something far grander than they could possibly imagine. Breaking apart the breakneck pacing consistent with a pulp novel are purposefully long, dialogue-heavy scenes that have Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction written all over them. One of these scenes occurs near the beginning of the film and kicks off the proceeding events, while another later on thrives on the subtle tension fostered by two characters with something criminal to hide interacting with one another in performatively polite fashion. In turn, Keating does what he does best once again – draw on established themes, styles, and tropes from iconic filmmakers to craft a film that somehow feels both familiar and distinct.
Evoking the spirit of the Coen Brothers, Tarantino, and pulp novels, Crooks most resoundingly triumphs with a truly unpredictable and winding narrative. Keating keeps things simple with the story he tells, but also keeps the audience on its toes from the first few moments all the way until the credits roll. Bodies drop like flies, characters you think will play prominent roles in the story suddenly die, and who you think is the main character isn’t necessarily the main character. All of this makes for a viewing experience in which no one can expect what’s going to happen next. Even the most seasoned of moviegoers will have difficulty forecasting the trajectory of the story.
As its brisk 80 minute runtime subsides, Crooks satisfies with its style and narrative volatility, although it leaves one wishing that such attributes were applied to a more complex or substantial film. The film proves so tantalizing, subversive, and atmospheric that it’s difficult not to feel somewhat underwhelmed when the story simply comes to an end. A further developed screenplay and bigger budget would have likely enabled Keating to build his story out more, populate it with more characters, and get even more twisty and unpredictable. Instead, we’re left to admire what Keating has presented, while wishing there was a bit more meat on its bones.
VERDICT: 7.5/10
Making its world premiere at this year’s Tribeca Festival, Crooks finds prolific young filmmaker Mickey Keating craft a pulpy, twisty crime thriller destined to please fans of Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers. Playing like the cinematic equivalent of a vintage pulp novel, Crooks excels with its ‘penny-a-word’ pacing (at least for a while), somewhat larger-than-life characters spewing fast-paced, punchy dialogue, and a narrative that briskly moving from cliffhanger to cliffhanger and twist to twist. This latter attribute is where Keating is most successful as he spins a story that no one, even the most seasoned of moviegoers, will be able to predict what’s going to happen next. In fact, the film proves so tantalizing, subversive, and atmospheric that it’s difficult not to feel somewhat underwhelmed when the story simply comes to an end, leaving us to admire what Keating has presented, while wishing there was a bit more meat on its bones. But with his eighth feature film at just 35 years old, Mickey Keating demonstrates that it’s only a matter of time before he attains household name status.