Jamie Childs' JACKDAW is one of my favorite films of 2023. A BIG screen movie that looks awesome on a small one it is a thriller that goes from frame one and doesn’t stop until the end.
The plot of the film has an recently returned vet doing a quick pick up in the North Sea. He is to make a pick up and bring it back for some quick cash he needs to take care of his brother who has Down’s Syndrome. However things go instantly wrong and before you know it he’s not only trying to get away from the bad guys but trying to find his brother who has gone missing.
This film does everything right. From the look to the music, to the acting to the script, this film is top of the line. It’s a film that looks deceptively simple, but it’s a perfectly constructed film so as to have better characters and more suspense than pretty much any other thriller that I’ve seen this year. All hail director Childs who has made a film that is going to become a favorite of many people.
Watching the film after watching another thriller playing at Fantastic Fest that was a balls to the wall thriller that impressed with its technical virtuosity I truly understood how great JACKDAW is. Stripped down to the basics JACKDAW builds suspense via some carefully chosen shots, a moving camera, sound design and beautifully realized characters. With seemingly minimal amount of effort we are brought into the story, given people we want to fight for and put on the edge of our seats.
And about those characters JACKDAW shows how easy it is to create ones that grab us. A line or two in context of an interaction of the characters is all we need. It doesn’t take much just the right line and great actors and suddenly we have been told volumes with out actually being told as much in so many words.
Most importantly this is just a great film that I can’t wait to revisit.
JACKDAW is a must at Fantastic fest or where ever you can see it.
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