People have questioned Robert Pattinson as an actor ever since the Twilight saga. This is perhaps unfair, being that a bad movie(s) doesn’t necessarily mean the actors were the cause of it. It’s been acknowledged at this point for years now that Pattinson has no love for the franchise that helped him achieve fame. He’s spent the rest of his career since, trying to make up for it. Has anyone been paying attention though? Take the indie flick Good Time for example. Had one seen him in this without even knowing about Twilight, there would probably be nothing to criticize.
Good Time is an independent film that came out in 2017. Pattinson leads the charge as Connie Nikas
Good Time is an independent film that came out in 2017. Pattinson leads the charge as Connie Nikas, who makes a ridiculous choice in springing his mentally challenged brother from his court ordered therapy session. Hoping to obtain enough money to buy the two of them a better future, he involves his brother in a bank robbery that goes sideways very quickly. The two are separated after the attempt with Connie’s brother Nick being apprehended. Connie must now find a way to retrieve his brother from the law, braving a long and gruelling night in New York whilst trying to keep himself out of harm’s way.
The mood set forth by directors Benny and Josh Safdie is Good Time’s bread and butter. There’s a feeling at near every point of the movie that feels as though the jig is almost up. The plot is pushed in a direction where time is of the essence and every second counts, putting Pattinson’s character in a constant state of urgency. It’s this sense of urgency that creates a drive in Connie to achieve his goal. Pattinson was clearly given a great deal of room to flex his acting muscles as a result of the script and direction laid out for him. There’s a realness to his performance that is almost scary. Pattinson as Connie is unrelenting in his mission and he sees no harm in using others to his benefit, the end justifying the means. There’s a sense as though he would do anything, so long as he gets what he’s after. This is not unlike many who exist in reality, and Pattinson has an apparent understanding of this behavior either from life experience or out of sheer natural intelligence. Needless to say, Robert Pattinson has proven all he’s needed to with this role alone.
Good Time should be promoted endlessly until everyone gets the picture. Robert Pattinson is in no way a bad actor. He’s actually, objectively, a great actor. Not every movie he chooses will be a hit, but if his acting in Good Time is proof of anything, it’s that an actor should never be written off. One would think the world learned this lesson after doubting actors like Heath Ledger who blew the world away, even when most of it was initially against his casting as the Joker. Pattinson is just another example of people needing to reserve judgement.
