This one is so very indie. Not a recognizable big-name actor in sight. That’s sometimes a good thing. You don’t know where to look, who is the important person. Sadly in the case of this film, you wish there had been a more recognizable, better actor in the lead. For a thriller, it comes off as less than engaging because you never connect with the central character. I can’t tell you the particulars because, it’s is one of those films that the less you know going in, the better, since things unfold slowly as the story drops a clue here and there. But the gist is that a man is returning to work after having been in a horrible traffic accident and he’s trying to piece it all together. But he’s also trying to figure out who is to blame and how to punish them.
When we meet Tom he’s biking to work since he’s fearful of getting back in a car. He’s seeing a shrink to talk about it. He’s making new friends on the train. And his office coworkers are all very supportive. But something is off and as the film progresses you see he has a plan to avenge. It’s not really a bad story, and many of the supporting actors carry off their roles very well. Even the pacing of the film works for it. It’s just that Jonathan Mangum who plays Tom is a standup comedian, and though many of them are fine dramatic actors, he is not one of them and takes the whole film down. Skip this one. Really, you’ll thank me for saving you those 92 minutes.
A Patient Man – Trailer #1 from Kevin Ward on Vimeo.