Lowlife

About once a year, I'll see an indie film compared to Quentin Tarantino. Sometimes it makes sense, other times it feels like the reviewer is trying to get on the DVD cover. A dialogue-heavy crime thriller with brutal violence? Sure. How about a darkly funny crime movie with multiple intersecting storylines with larger than life characters? Yeah that's oddly on the money. Such is the case for Lowlife, an amusing little crime flick from newbie Ryan Prows.

I won't attempt to describe the plot of this movie because that's all possible spoiler territory. The basic setup is a series of loosely connected criminals who all slam together when a local boss does something reckless. We've got a legendary luchador with an anger issue, a hotel manager trying to save her dying husband, and a former criminal picking up his buddy from the joint. But does it work? Mostly yes.

The film's structure bears similarities to Bad Times at the El Royale. We're introduced to new characters perspectives one by one, before a finale that puts everyone together. Like most films with an episodic structure this does mean there's a notable ebb and flow to the proceedings

The luchador's segment is one of my favorite things ever with a fantastic running gag involving what happens when he loses his temper (he yells, the sound drops out, and he wakes up to an area full of carnage of no memory) with an origin story made for wrestling, not a movie. His character is the film's main source of comedy, as I would hope considering he literally never takes his mask off. It's a clever infusion of absurdity that offers a counterpoint to his tale's dark actions.

Unfortunately the next two segments lack the same energy. The hotel manager's story is quite morose and the former partners in crime lean a little too heavily on the "white-guy gangster" trope for laughs.

Thankfully each of these arcs pay off in an energetic finale when all of these storylines merge for the final twenty minutes. Every character gets a suitable resolution and a moment to shine before the credits roll.

Tonally the movie is a smoothie of dark melodrama and black comedy quickly shifting between heightened reality and elements so absurd you have to laugh. It's a hard balance to manage, but it's mostly successful. Everyone involved is semi-sympathetic but also a big enough scumbag to make them unpredictable. Which means anytime someone does the right thing vs their natural instincts it's a win.

It also helps that the majority of the film's action takes place during the day, which offers a nice visual counterpoint to the criminal activity and violence going on, and also means that a shift to nighttime signals a thematic shift as well.

Verdict: Violent Indie Fun

Though it never reclaims the first segment's energy, Lowlife is a darkly funny indie full of memorable moments and characters. 7/10.