A film about confidence
tricks, so a fairly confusing plot, things that seem implausible, and
a twist at the audience's expense. I'm not sure I followed every
twist and turn, and most of the characters were flawed and mainly
unlikeable. Not that characters have to be likeable, but it's a long
time to spend in the company of quite so many sleazeballs.
The tone is set in the
first few minutes with the lead character arranging his comb-over.
This is at once about deception (because comb-overs are about
pretending you have hair when you don't) and slightly disgusting –
not sure why comb-overs provoke such disgust, but they do, and the
effect is enhanced by some close-ups of an ugly pot belly.
Did the late 1970s
really look this ugly, and this brown? Probably they did. The
aesthetic of the film somehow made me think of a porn film – think
'Boogie Nights' but without the dirty bits - even though there was
relatively little sex depicted.
Despite all this
repugnance I quite enjoyed the film – it didn't feel like time
wasted, anyway.
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