Good People

This generic crime thriller opens with a large bag of dirty money being stolen by four murderous criminals. Before long, the bag falls into the hands of James Franco and Kate Hudson, a cash-strapped couple who are about to be evicted. After deciding to keep the dosh, they are targeted by a variety of dangerous individuals, including thuggish lowlife Sam Spruell and French drug dealer Omar Sy. This predicament gives rise to several grisly scenes, but surprises are in short supply as the story builds towards a silly climax, where Franco and Hudson use DIY traps to take on hardened gangsters. In fairness, the film is fitfully effective in the hands of director Henrik Ruben Genz (graduating from Nordic noir TV shows like The Killing and Borgen) and it does possess a decent cast, with Tom Wilkinson lending weight in a supporting role as a sorrowful detective. Nevertheless, there is little inspiration to be found and the end product is serviceable at best.