‘Greedy People’ Review – An Endearing, Alarming Trip To Murder In Small Town America

In the world of cinema, the hidden darkness used to live in suburbia. We have seen it in countless movies, like Blue Velvet, The Virgin Suicides, and American Beauty. But the dream of suburbia has died, right alongside the dream of owning a home with a manicured yard. The last bastion for stories that hide the hideous underbelly of American life might just be small-town America. The lack of technological connection, sometimes backwards values, and that particular feeling of anonymity leads to an untamed, unwatched feeling. This is not even a particularly new phenomenon, as evidenced by films like Fargo, but it still feels just slightly underexplored.

Greedy People shows us brand new police officer, Will (Himesh Patel), as his first day, partnered with loose cannon Terry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) quickly goes awry. The inciting event focuses on Will responding to a call alone (Terry is too busy having sex with a married woman), and accidentally killing the wife (Traci Lords) of local shrimp tycoon, Wallace Chetlo (Tim Blake Nelson). In the aftermath of this bloody scene, which includes finding a great deal of unexplained cash and planning an alibi with his new partner, Patel immediately separates himself from performances he has given in the past. He is able to portray guilt, sorrow, shame, and deep regret all in one single moment, holding his head in his hands.

This absolutely could be an excellent movie, with one minor change. It is sad to say, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt is woefully out of place. Not every actor can play every role, and here we have the proof. Although director Potsy Ponciroli tries to hide his boyish good looks behind a truly hideous facial hair choice, it simply just never works. It reads like a nice, young man play acting as someone dangerous. Sex scenes, violence, cursing, shouting; none of it convinces and that, unfortunately, leads to a complete lack of care when he truly begins acting out. 

The heart of the movie, though, is the (relatively) good people that the story surrounds. It says something about the hideousness on display that one of those good people is Will, who begins the movie by killing an innocent woman. But he is flanked by his pregnant wife, Paige (Lily James), who is sidelined for the first half of the film. But when the switch gets flipped, at a terrifically tense dinner scene with Will and Terry, it becomes clear that Paige is willing to do almost anything to protect her family. Smartly, the script, written by Mike Vukadinovich, never pigeonholes her into the well-worn territory of vindictive woman. Instead, she, and her willingness to make difficult decisions, is shown to be a woman to be reckoned with for all of the right reasons. For proof of this, keep an eagle eye for Jim Gaffigan, playing a contract killer, in a horrendous wig. The scene between him and Paige is sharp, incisive, and lets the themes of the film shine through clearly.

Like all movies set in these small towns, there is certainly a cast of odd characters with their share of memorable (if silly) moments. Simon Rex makes an appearance as a masseur who admits to having sexually intimate moments with the murdered woman. For some reason, he tells his mother absolutely everything, which leads to some mild humor. Thankfully, the movie does not hone in on these kooky characters, it just leaves you to wonder briefly what their lives are like before returning to the adventure at hand. 

Oddly, Greedy People hinges on a supporting performance. Captain Murphy (Uzo Aduba) sets the stage with heartfelt narration and is able to communicate her own tragic backstory with very little fanfare, all while playing one of the few people who seems grounded and real. We understand all of the choices that she makes and although she is not incited towards action often, when she is, one cannot help but lean forward in their seat to see just how she will respond. Yes, there are other good people, but they are all hampered by greed, and the chance to move forward. Captain Murphy has lived in this small town her entire life and is willing to do so, because there is a higher plan and she may be the only one willing to listen.

Greedy People will certainly not set the cinema world on fire, but it was never meant to. It accomplishes nearly everything that it has planned, minus an intimidating initial villain. The film manages to be memorable, funny, thought-provoking, and leaves us with a common, but important lesson. The power of greed is nearly infinite, unless we have a higher code and do not simply accept that the world is evil and waiting to pounce.

Greedy People will debut exclusively in theaters on August 23, 2024, courtesy of Lionsgate.