The Good Neighbor movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Good Neighbor

This psychological thriller releases in theaters and VOD on June 17, 2022

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 37 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

On a fateful night out, new neighbors David and Robert find themselves bonded by a hit-and-run accident. While David is overcome with guilt, driven by his brash decisions in the immediate aftermath of the accident, Robert feels he has earned his forever friend. When the dead girl’s sister shows up to investigate, David wonders if he can find redemption while Robert is determined to bury the past and keep his new friend for himself, no matter the cost.

The movie was directed by Stephan Rick, who also co-wrote it with Silja Clemens and Ross Partridge, based on the screenplay.

THINGS I LIKED:

The cast does a great job and includes Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“Vikings”, “The Tudors”, Bend It Like Beckham), Luke Kleintank (“The Man In The High Castle”, Crown Vic), Eloise Smyth (“Harlots,” “The Frankenstein Chronicles”) and Bruce Davison (Willard, X-Men). I thought Jonathan Rhys Meyers was excellent in the popular TV show The Tutors, so I’ve been surprised that we haven’t seen him in more films since then. He even speaks Latvian in this movie.
The city takes place in Riga, Latvia so we get to enjoy the beautiful European architecture, culture, and countryside.
It’s very clear what the characters’ motivations are.
It’s suspenseful and you constantly wonder what choices the characters are going to make.
There’s definitely a sense of escalation as the stakes get higher.
The ending is powerful.