Crime, thriller dramas revolving around underground drugs are a dime a dozen, but I love watching them regardless. Originally premiering at the 2017’s Tribeca Film Festival, Thumper is now available on Netflix to watch. It features a slew of familiar faces, such as Eliza Taylor (The 100), Lena Headey (Game of Thrones), Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black), and Daniel Webber (The Punisher).
The movie centers around a handful of teens with clearly no parental supervision who involve themselves in high school and hardcore drugs. At the epicenter of it all is Wyatt Rivers, portrayed by Schreiber. Wyatt is an ex-military personnel who has a family, but runs a business of cooking and selling dope through his cousin Troy and Troy’s friend Beaver (Webber). You may remember Webber from his explosive role on Netflix’s The Punisher. He gives another emotional performance in Thumper, especially when you find out more about his character’s home life.
As I read a handful of reviews for this film, it doesn’t seem like this movie was received all that positively. Like many Tribeca Film Festival productions, Thumper didn’t really have the typical cinematic structure of a beginning, middle, and an end. There really was no climax, rather this was 93 minutes of just one story that really never peaked too high. Rather, it was a small story told that didn’t have anything akin to a Hollywood ending. The way the film showcased how not glamorous these drugs are and the real-life consequences are is something I think is needed on the big screen.
For me, the standout performance in this movie was Pablo Schreiber. Without him in the film, I may not have considered it as good as I do. Make no mistake, I don’t see why critics disliked it so much. There wasn’t a single performance that I felt was bad or out of place. Eliza Taylor delivered a believable character, who was both compassionate and bold. But, back to Schreiber. It’s been several years since he premiered on Orange is the New Black as “Pornstache” and I never thought I’d find him so unnerving, imposing, and unhinged. Not to mention…not bad on the eyes.
I do think there are some aspects of the movie that could have been explored more if maybe the film had a bigger budget and larger production company. We are shown that Wyatt used to be in the military and gets anxiety medication as a result; which is suddenly not covered by his health insurance. Eliza’s Kat is an undercover cop, whose relationship her child’s father obviously estranged due to her job. The part I would have liked most to be looked into further was Webber’s character. We are given the hint that Beaver’s father is physically abusive and we see that his younger brother has special needs, a driving force for him to earn enough money to remove him and his brother from their toxic household.
While there was an explosive confrontation between all of the characters towards the end, the film does conclude in an odd manner where the story seems to have trailed off. Still, I have a fondness for these artsy, independent films about an everyday moment in life, sometimes showcasing the truth in the ugliness of all of it. One of my favorite films to have been released in the past year or so was Sweet Virginia, another Tribeca Film Festival movie from 2017, starring Jon Bernthal.
If you have 93 minutes and don’t have a clue what to watch, I’d highly suggest putting on Thumper. I would give it a seven out of ten. The film definitely deserves its name, as there were several times, especially towards the end; that made your heart “thump” and you will find yourself on the edge of your seat several times. And if I didn’t say it enough, Pablo Schreiber is the must-see reason to watch Thumper.
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
