Today’s quick review: Shadows & Lies. When the plane he was supposed to be on crashes, a man reinvents himself as William Vincent (James Franco), a video editor living on his own in New York. William’s habit of pickpocketing earns him a job working for a crime boss (Josh Lucas) and his right-hand man Victor (Martin Donovan). But William courts danger when he gets involved with Ann (Julianne Nicholson), a woman who owes money to the boss.
Shadows & Lies is a minimalistic crime drama about a detached man who falls in love with the wrong woman. The movie aims to be a contemplative portrait of William, whose general apathy and occasional bouts of casual cruelty set him apart from the people around him. Shadows & Lies emphasizes William’s character with slow pacing and an artful presentation style. However, flat characters and unclear storytelling undermine the movie’s vision.
Shadows & Lies makes a series of mistakes that build on one another. The plot is slow and uneventful, taking nearly an hour before the first important developments occur. The scenes are filled with evasive dialogue that conveys very little about the story or the characters. The slow opening means that there is nothing to establish William’s character. As a result, the heavy emphasis that the movie places on him feels entirely unjustified.
Shadows & Lies has hints of a grander artistic vision. The moody atmosphere, the retrospective analysis of William’s life, and his odd interactions with other people all suggest a deeper story than the one that actually appears onscreen. As it stands, Shadows & Lies does a poor job of realizing its ideas. The combination of a passive protagonist and a story where not much happens is enough to make the movie a miss for most viewers.
For a minimalistic crime drama with a similar setup and a more interesting plot, try Following. For a darker and more compelling movie about the mind of a loner, try Taxi Driver, Nightcrawler, or Drive.
[4.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1453403/). I give it a 4.0 for deeply flawed storytelling.