By George Bate
The deceptive allure of capitalism and the values that corrode by operating within that system lay at the heart of a breezy (and quite sleazy) dark crime comedy that has fun with its makeshift duo of criminals while somberly interrogating the disturbing fragility of cultural identity.
Making its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, God Bless You, Mr Kopu follows Mafu Kopu (Dimitrius Shuster-Koloamatangi, Predator: Badlands), a down-on-his-luck Tongan native whose life in New Zealand has not gone to plan. Without a job and not so much as a penny to his name, Mafu finds hope when he encounters Marco (Simon Rex, Red Rocket), a sleek, enigmatic American salesman who convinces him to join a scheme to rob prospective customers using Marco’s power of hypnosis. But as the money starts to accrue, Mafu begins to question the ethics he has left behind in teaming up with Marco.
The feature debut of writer/director Alex Liu, God Bless You, Mr Kopu is part crime thriller, part comedy, and part biting social satire. Moving from beat to beat at a brisk pace, Liu’s film introduces the audience to Mafu, a man so desperate for a glimmer of hope that he overlooks the too-good-to-be-true aura of an American salesman with an unusual penchant for persuasion. Predator: Badlands breakout star Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi plays the vulnerable young man with a doe-eyed desperation that perfectly sells how he so effortlessly becomes Marco’s protégé.
Akin to the ambition and energy Marco injects into Mafu’s life, Simon Rex’s entry into the film adds a strange mystique to the proceedings. Rex is strapping, charming, articulate, and knows exactly what to say to get what he wants, mirroring the bravado of Tom Cruise’s Frank T.J. Mackey from Magnolia and the confidence of Brad Pitt’s Rusty Ryan from Ocean’s Eleven.
Together, Shuster-Koloamatangi and Rex mastermind a tantalizing two-hander that encroaches on increasingly dark territory as its runtime progresses. The humor that comes from Shuster-Koloamatangi’s naivety and Rex’s swagger slowly gives way to more contemplative messaging about the ease with which people are willing to betray their values and culture. This actualizes as many of the people Mafu and Marco steal from are Polynesian natives like Mafu. A character early on in the film calls Mafu out for his duplicitous alignment with the Yankee, but this doesn’t stop him from foregoing morals in the pursuit of money. The film may be a tad too on-the-nose with its commentary surrounding this issue, but it is elevated by Shuster-Koloamatangi’s ever-evolving performance.
Then, suddenly, an unexpected third act twist changes one’s entire outlook on God Bless You, Mr. Kopu. Liu engineers the kind of revelation that alters the retrospectively changes the entire film, for better and for worse. While surprising in both conception and execution, the twist threatens to undermine the effectiveness of some of the film’s potentially powerful themes.
Thankfully, Liu’s film finds its footing again as it reaches its conclusion. The Tongan Kiwi filmmaker finds a way to wrap up the narrative in a satisfactory manner and manages to pull off his central commentary, despite the best efforts of a game-changing twist. Again, Shuster-Koloamatangi does so much heavy lifting here as he authentically captures Mafu’s tumultuous journey under Marco’s spell and ensures that Liu’s critiques of modern capitalism land as powerfully as they do.
VERDICT: 7/10
Making its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, God Bless You, Mr Kopu is a breezy (and quite sleazy) dark crime comedy that has fun with its makeshift duo of criminals while somberly interrogating the disturbing fragility of cultural identity. The feature debut of Tongan Kiwi writer-director Alex Liu, the film moves at a brisk pace and never ceases to entertain as it slowly trades humor for thoughtful commentary. Predator: Badlands breakout star Dimitrus Shuster-Koloamatangi superbly sells the doe-eyed desperation of a down-on-his-luck Tongan native and is ultimately critical to the success of the film’s commentary given how much his performance contributes to and elevates Liu’s messaging. Simon Rex, meanwhile, injects energy and ambition into the proceedings with a sleek, enigmatic performance akin to Tom Cruise’s Frank T.J. Mackey from Magnolia and Brad Pitt’s Rusty Ryan from Ocean’s Eleven. While an unexpected third act twist threatens to undermine its nuanced critique of modern capitalism, Liu’s film finds its footing come the end thanks to heavy-lifting from Shuster-Koloamatangi’s stellar turn. Part crime thriller, part buddy comedy, part biting social satire, God Bless You, Mr Kopu seamlessly oscillates between genres as it showcases the remarkable talent of Shuster-Koloamatangi and bitingly condemns the erosion of cultural identity that the deceptive allure of capitalism gives way to.