The Girl Is In Troubleby Wilson Morales
With the exception of a plot that’s filled with little suspense and inconsistencies, Columbus Short and Alicja Bachleda are actually fun to watch in this lighthearted femme fatale wannabe film noir. Using NYC Lower East Side locations vibrantly, director Julius Onah’s feature debut has promise with room for improvement.
Short plays August, a Lower East Side DJ struggling to keep his life together when all of a sudden a Swedish dame in distress named Signe (Alicja Bachleda) comes calling for him. What’s a guy to do when a woman, whom he barely knows, calls you at 2 in the morning want to meet up. Blinded by lust, August takes the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
Little does August know that Signe is on the run from a bad situation she got involved in. Before she hooked up with him, Signe witness and recorded on her cell phone the murder of a drug dealer by the son (Jesse Spencer) of a powerful investment banker. Now she ‘s hiding from the dealer’s terrifying brother, Angel (Wilmer Valderrama). When August covers for her as Angel comes looking for his brother, he tries to figure the best way to get himself from harm’s way.
Written by Onah and Mayuran Tiruchelvam, the film starts off with Short narrating and giving backgrounds on each of the main characters. In some films, the narration can be a distraction, but through Onah’s direction, it comes across as slick and clever. The problems lie in the middle where things start to become more predictable, and all the cards are shown. It then becomes a matter of playing the film out and see if will it end as we expect it to.
Though the script that doesn’t give them much of a stretch, Short and Bachleda are convincing enough as two lost souls. They are also aided by a good supporting cast, including Valderrama as the brother looking to get answers, no matter how violent he has to get. As easy as it is to assume that it’s a one-dimensional role, Valderrama adds some depth to the character that makes one differently. Along with Miriam Colon as Angel’s grandma, Paz de la Huerta as a ditzy bartender, and J. Bernard Calloway who plays Dre, a bouncer from the neighborhood who keeps to himself but provides the help when needed, the film is filled with characters who provide some substance and some emotional scenes.
Executive produced by Spike Lee, the film has some ingredients of his films such as Clockers and He Got Game, but Onah has his own style that will take him to another level and hopefully bigger things.
