One Day as a Lion opens on J.K. Simmons (who is fitted with a cowboy hat, a leather vest, and a pistol on his hip) riding a horse to a small-town diner, where he then duels a man, old western style, mere moments after taking a sip of his coffee. This film knows what it is from the draw, and that goes a long way.
But it isn’t just J.K. Simmons who stands out here, the whole cast really rocks. Frank Grillo puts in a raucous, unhinged turn as the villain. He’s a walking curse word here, and it’s great. It is also surprising to see the level of chemistry between Scott Caan (who also wrote the script) and Marianne Rendón, who play the leading pair. Rendón especially is incredible, and displays some real range. If only one thing could be taken from this film, it’s that she deserves much more attention.
That isn’t to say that the rest of the film is lackluster though, far from it. John Swab’s direction and Will Stone’s camera work combine to create an experience that feels fittingly claustrophobic. We’re shown desolate towns trapped by the landscapes that surround them; these places look left behind, hardly held together. Further, the film has a very loose, indie feel that results in more than a few interesting shots and slow, methodical sequences that evolve as the scenes go on. One Day as a Lion is a prime example in shooting regular things in irregular ways. That is how you make a movie that spends so much time at motels and in parking lots feel so grand.
It’s those sorts of things that set this film apart. It constantly looks very good, and never simply shows something for the sake of it needing to be shown. Swab really works to squeeze every bit of potential out of every single shot. His natural, long-form style is a perfect fit for slice of life stories like this one, where he throws you into the lives of these characters and you just live with them for a little bit. It’s almost Tarantino-esque, which makes sense considering that the marketing for the film has called it a “witty homage to Tarantino and the Coen Brothers.” Though I wouldn’t consider it as highly as the work of either of those, I also think the marketing team is selling it short by taking that route.
One Day as a Lion shouldn’t be cornered as a tribute to those filmmakers alone. It takes clear inspiration from them, but this is very much its own thing, playing its own game. Caan’s script is the glaring difference maker, for both better and worse. Regarding the former, the character building works all ’round. This being a slice-of-life-style movie means that the character arcs have to be unconventional, because we aren’t joining them on a journey from start to finish. Rather, we’re tapping in right when things get going. So, Caan had to find calm in the chaos to give us hints to these people’s unseen lives; what drives them, how far they’ll go, where they’re going, and so on. All of that is very well placed and easy to buy.
On the other hand, the plot and overarching narrative structure are unfortunately pretty messy. The film is only 87 minutes long as is, yet it feels like it never knows when to speed up or slow down, consistently cutting itself down before it can really grab you. Not only that, but the finale ultimately suffers as a result of this inconsistency, and it suffers hard. The final ten minutes feel like they’re rushing to the roll the credits, which is a shame considering how contemplative the film is at earlier points. Perhaps the whiplash-inducing pace is purposeful, but it just doesn’t quite work.
In the way of issues is the editing, too. This is the first film I’ve seen in a while where I was genuinely pulled out at a few intervals because the editing was awkward, or lacked proper coverage. A few beautiful sequences are cut in such an uneven manner that you can’t help but wonder what the reason for it was. Nothing is incomprehensible in that regard, just distracting enough to bother.
But ending this review on a negative wouldn’t feel right, because despite the noteworthy problems, One Day as a Lion is a compelling, cool-factor crime thriller that takes a small-scale, refreshing angle on the genre. It’s fitted with a superb cast and more than a few memorable moments, as well as a swathe of upcoming talent to look out for. Find a way to watch this one.
One Day As A Lion is currently playing in select theaters and is available On Demand courtesy of Lionsgate.
One Day as a Lion is a compelling, cool-factor crime thriller that takes a small-scale, refreshing angle on the genre.
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GVN Rating 7
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