99 Homes (Ramin Bahrani)

[Dead & Messed Up]

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[Dead & Messed Up]

This was a nifty little thriller melodrama, Shannon convincing and surprisingly understood in his role of realty shark, Garfield's doe-eyed misery a sympathetic opposite. Some of the late-film revelry feels like reheated "Boiler Room" and "Wolf of Wall Street." Never as outrageous, but uninspired when set against the first hour's more distinct and involving take on displaced families and lost homes. Bahrani keeps the momentum with a quiet pulsing score and efficient scene work, maxing out each bit for drama while already looking ahead to the next twist. Most of the pleasure here comes from seeing the small details of scamming the system - like stealing appliances from houses, claiming them as stolen by prior tenants, and getting a nice fat reimbursement check. A bit long for its morality tale simplicity, but engaging all the same.