Good Time is a 2017 gritty crime drama starring Robert Pattison, and directed by Ben and Josh Safdie . It was written by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein. The Safdie brothers have worked on a number of other independent films such as Heaven Knows What, Lenny Cooke, and Daddy Longlegs.

The film follows Connie Nikas’ one evening after he and his disabled brother Nick (taken from his care centre by Connie) attempt a bank robbery that goes badly wrong. In an increasingly frustrating situation, Connie is left needing to urgently get his hands on $10k.

The film operates at a fast pace coming in at 99 minutes and holds a tension throughout as Connie weaves through the evening and a number of interactions with some dubious characters.   In fact, Pattison offers up a career best role to date (in my view) with the sheer desperation of the character and frustration as every attempted move seems to leave him further from his goal.

The film also features a relatively small role for Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Alongside this is a powerful electronic soundtrack by Oneohtrix Point Never that won a number of accolades.

It is a memorable, distinctive story played out in a gritty, realistic way, and featuring a hell of a lead performance.

8/10

PS – For those in the UK, at the time of writing Good Time is currently available on Netflix