Between The Beekeeper, Thelma and now The G, older women haven’t had the greatest luck in cinema when it comes to scams of some sort as of late Whilst financial abuse via a scam phone call collective was at the centre of the formers – which resulted in Jason Statham and June Squibb, respectively, trolling out justice of sorts – Karl R. Hearne‘s slow-burning thriller looks at financial abuse through a guardian scam, resulting in elder exploitation that brings to mind the criminal dealings of Rosamund Pike’s satirical black comedy I Care A Lot.
From the jump, Hearne lets us know that the world within The G is one that is bathed in a harsh mentality – the opening scene revolves around a duo of thugs live burying one of their victims – and it isn’t going to go easy on “the G” of its title, 70-something Anne (Dale Dickey, as commanding as you’d expect); the titular moniker being earned from her granddaughter, Emma (Romane Denis), as a term of endearment.
Without so much as a warning, Anne and her ailing husband (Greg Ellwand) are taken against their will to a prison-like facility, with their court-appointed “sponsor”, Rivera (Bruce Ramsay), taking hold of their assets and selling their home. Rivera is convinced Anne has hidden away the remaining of her and her husband’s savings, and as much as he pushes (and punishes) her for her to give it up, it isn’t long before “The G” pushes back.
The idea of elder exploitation and these abusive “homes” they are forced to live out their days in is one of horrific realisation, and Hearne never sugarcoats such, even if his film is painted in something of a genre stroke. He straddles the line between informative and entertaining, leaning heavily into the no-nonsense temperament of Anne, with Dickey committing to the role with a powerful sense of authority. A safer, more predictable film would gender-swap Anne with a Liam Neeson/Clint Eastwood-type performer, and as much as it would still work, Dickey – who so often is relegated to support player status – feels tailor made for such a role, owning her character’s anger, but matching it with a subtle warmth that Hearne wisely knows to hold in place until it’s absolutely necessary.
Emma wanting to help Anne out makes sense for the dynamic of their relationship, and though she thinks she’s found a way in to the facility through groundsman Matt (Joey Scarpellino, utilising his attractiveness to the best of its ability), she’s ultimately way in over her head when shit starts to get real. Anne, as to be expected, is only playing the victim, befriending one of the facility’s long-standing residents (Roc Lafortune) and calling in a favour from a “soldier” (Christian Jadah) attached to her mob past. Oh yeah, Anne has a certain criminalistic history, and over the course of The G‘s taut 100 minutes, her capability of handling whatever situation she’s thrown into is on full display.
Anne quite confidently states that she’s “not a nice person”, and audiences are likely to agree. But just as much, we can see her maternal temperament, and because bad things are happening to her we are eagerly on board for when she takes matters into her own hands (despite her criminal past), and Hearne’s film gleefully showcases that not every septuagenarian-led film has to succumb to a sweet, inoffensive psyche.
All that being said, The G shouldn’t be classified as an exciting film in the physical sense. It favours psychological warfare and deliberately-paced plotting over an action aesthetic, but it’s a better film for it as it helps keep it grounded beyond its true story inspiration.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The G is now available to rent or own on Digital, including Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube & Google Play.
