This movie, which was shot in Manchester, England and is set in New York City, is meant to be seen as a full-length episode of The Wire or The Sopranos. That is, of course, a difficult objective to attain, and the outcome, while passably good, is not very noteworthy.
Luke Evans portrays Adam, a kind man who shot another young man and served 16 years in prison as a result of his tragic juvenile decision. His partner, Donna (Stephanie Leonidas), is not too happy to see Adam back in the neighbourhood and is eager to get in touch with their now-teenaged son Jimmy (Rudy Pankow). She raised their kid Jimmy with the impression that his dad just departed town and abandoned them.
Eli (Zack Adams), the brother of the child Adam killed, is also upset to hear of Adam’s return. However, Eli’s problems go beyond his past: his best friend Mike (Rory Culkin) is preparing to flee with his on-again, off-again girlfriend Lori (Savannah Steyn), provided they can somehow manage to save up enough cash to leave New York. Since Mike’s uncle (Alex Pettyfer) has accompanied him on numerous drug dealings by now, may the answer be for him to arrange a sizable off-book profit for himself?
You get the idea. Life is a hard knock. Individuals, they are not good. The depiction of this complex web of competing interests is plausible enough, but before we can fully get to know these characters, the story must come to an end. It’s not that the movie is too short; in fact, the pacing should be tightened—rather, it’s because there are so many important people that we don’t really get to see enough of their inner lives to be fully engaged in the outcome. It resembles a long TV programme pilot that was never produced.
The star of the movie is Culkin’s character, who is able to play a variety of notes. He is a multifaceted character that may be described as comedic (sloping around like an extra from The Crow; you can only imagine how horrible the band he’s in must be), tragic (it’s obvious he’s bound to get in well over his head), or likeable (his genuine and presumably based on actual respect interaction with Lori). Even if he is rather foolish, there is a palpable sense of inner life there, even though he isn’t the protagonist.
You would want to see what stupid thing he has done in this episode of a TV show. However, this isn’t a television show, and as it stands, 5lbs of Pressure—the title alludes to the force needed to pull a handgun—classifies as a passable rather than exceptionally excellent crime film.
starting on May 22 on Prime Video is 5lbs of Pressure.
