Joint Body (2011)

Joint Body follows a recently paroled man with nothing to fall back as he tries to stay on the straight and narrow. It's a plot that has been used countless times, but it has produced some good films if done well. The acting is done very well, the directing is very good, and the writer wants to make the film more character driven than conflict driven. A lot of newer films and series have done this recently and it had led to some great cinema. Unfortunately, while joint body does touch on many things, it never really follows through enough with anything. We meet the main character Nick's brother and his wife and touch on a little of their history, his ex wife and his daughter whom he has no contact with, but it only briefly touches on these things. While we learn of a few stories and see the basics of their relationships, nothing ever really drives home into why these characters came to be who they are or what makes them tick. It's not like by the later part of the film you will feel like you understand the characters and can predict how they would react and feel to situations. For a film based on characters more than conflicts, this leaves it feeling a little light and empty. Instead of really focusing on one relationship and going into it, we pick up tiny bits of history with the secondary characters. There isn't a super strong ending that wraps everything up either. Open endings can be great, but it didn't leave much of what would be expected to follow, nor a feeling that the story would go on and on. By the end, it felt like we were still just in the middle of a story that didn't really go very far in any direction. If you are on Netflix and have seen almost everything like me it's something you can give a run through, but it won't wow you, evoke any strong emotions, or make you think very much.

Another one of those haunting, slow-paced indie films that really feels like it has something to say... until you realize it doesn't. The reason it's slow-paced is that it has nowhere to go, and it's just wasting time while it tries to figure itself out. And it fails.Really good performances, everyone looks right and does an excellent job with almost no script to work from. It goes to show you how far some haunting music and good performances will take you.Fading to black is not an ending, filmmakers. Leaving it up to the audience is not an ending, either.Not a bad movie... it looks good, and keeps you engaged... until it randomly ends. Really frustrating that the filmmakers would go through all this and not even bother to know how their story ends. It feels like they probably just ran out of money, and stopped whenever the film ran out.Overall, a waste. Another indie director that can't be bothered to make a whole movie.

This movie is severely underrated and unknown yet I have no idea why. Everything about it is absolutely fantastic. The acting is great and believable all around (hats off to Mark Pellegrino especially) and the plot is well-written and kept me wanting more until the very end.The only reason I'm not giving this a 10/10 is because of the rather odd ending that I couldn't make sense of. I don't think it takes away from the movie or would put anyone off from re-watching it though. Maybe you just have to leave it up to your own imagination as to what happens.I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Pellegrino's work, or just someone who enjoys a great underrated movie. With so many fast-paced movies out there, this one is bound to treat you to something a little different than usual.

Where do i start.?? This is a brilliant movie. and very well acted. The storyline keeps the audience captivated throughout.(or should i say - it did me) A few twists and turns, but i enjoyed every minute of it. An ex con returns to civilization and has to carry on without his ex wife or seeing his daughter of now 14 years of age and after being in prison for 7 years. His brother now a police officer, assists him by giving him a gun for protection, which leads him to become a victim of a crime shooting while trying to protect a strip dancer who he has befriended. If you have not seen this movie, i recommend it highly. The only thing is~ the strange ending. Joint body - 2 surely must follow.????? Don't miss it.