Although Robert Pattinson became known to the general public as Edward Cullan in the Twilight Saga films, he also played very different roles in films such as Cosmopolis, Life and The Lost City of Z. In Good Time he collaborates with the Safdie brothers, who have been making low budget films in New York for ten years. This film meant a major breakthrough for them, but Pattinson also is amazing here. Since I read as little as possible about a movie beforehand, it took about fifteen minutes before I recognized him.
Connie Nikas (Pattinson) is planning a bank robbery with his mentally handicapped brother Nick (Benny Safdie). The two have convincing masks and they manage to leave the bank with a large sum of money. Everything seems to go smoothly, until they discover that there is a paint pack between the banknotes. Once it explodes they are forced to flee. It results in a day in which both brothers go through separate experiences. Connie constantly has to come up with a new plan to stay out of the hands of the police, but also to get a large amount of money together as soon as possible.
Being able to think quickly and act upon it as a situation becomes increasingly chaotic is somethign Connie has to do throughout the film. Connie tries to use his street smarts in every situation to outsmart others, so that he can take advantage of it. And that is something Good Time shows perfectly. The situations are varied and every time you expect him to fail, he thinks of something to approach it differently. With its hard visuals, a cool crime story (and small moments of humor) it is easy to understand why the Safdie brothers managed to break through with this film. Pattinson plays a very strong role.
