1.5 out 5 stars
Everyone can share those moments when vacations or holidays have not gone to plan. Despite the beauty of the location, there are times when some events turn into tragic tales that may be funny later, but are a nightmare when they occur. Still, none quite compare to the terrifying account of Ferdinando Cito Filomarino’s (Anotina.) recent release on Netflix, simply called Beckett.
Nestled in the hills of Greece, Beckett (John David Washington) is on a getaway with his girlfriend, April (Alicia Vikander). They have escaped the busyness of Athens to enjoy a quiet time in the villages of the surrounding countryside. While on their romantic excursion, they end up in a car accident that leads to the young woman’s death and just the beginning of her boyfriend's nightmare.
Their car smashes through a house hidden close to the road and its inhabitants did nothing to assist the couple. Once Beckett wakes up in a hospital, he is confronted with his loss and many questions. Which leads the tourist to begin to realise that a cover-up is happening around him. The local police make it out that no one was in the building that the couple’s car smashed through the night before. Yet, after the American looks into the situation, he finds himself in the middle of an incident that has international implications and could lead to him losing his life.
What seems to be the setup for a fast-paced mix of mistaken identity and government cover-ups becomes a confusing escapade across Greece. Throughout most of the film, John David Washington does not know what is happening to him and why every government official has it in for him. When added to a well-crafted mystery, this can be a fascinating element, but that is not the case for this production. As the audience remains just as confused and frustrated with the arch of the story, this makes this less than entertaining.
Reminiscent of The Fugitive, there is an attempt to take a misunderstood everyman and make him into an action hero. Washington’s character does bleed, but proves to be inexplicably resilient as he jumps from cliffs and carparks. He also has an uncanny knack for alluding the authorities despite living in a society with more surveillance than ever before. All the while, he is assisted by the generous and compassionate Greek population, who treat these bizarre incidents like his situation is a regular part of their day. Washington does not fill the role of action hero. At the same time, Alicia Vikander and Vicky Krieps are wasted in non-essential secondary functions.
Beckett has all the markers to be a potential franchise. Still, nothing about it would make anyone want to see any more of these characters. There is something wrong with a production when you leave with less than you arrived with initially, and you must force yourself to hold until the end.
REEL DIALOGUE: Can we trust anyone or anything?
Trust. It is a word that is essential for human relations to flourish. The challenge is to know who to trust. Throughout Beckett, the question comes back to learning who to trust, who will help you and who to trust when things are at their worst.
This is an issue that impacts fictional tales and real life, too. It is not hard to realise that most people will fail to find the answers in this area at some point. Yet, what is known of the God of the Bible is that he is the only one that is truly trustworthy. If you are looking for someone to trust, how about picking up the Bible and finding the only genuinely reliable being in existence.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. - Psalm 118:8
