I know I said this before, but somewhere down the road, I guess I became a fan of David Ayer. Sure, Suicide Squad was a shit-show, but I have the distinct feeling he just stopped arguing and went with whatever flow the suits wanted that day. I have pretty much enjoyed everything he has done, to some degree, with a hearty acknowledgement of the flaws. At the very least, I applaud him for sticking to a distinctive tone & style, one that doesn't shrink back from the violence that men can do. Glorifies it? Maybe, probably, but as I said, "fictional violence is fun, real violence is entirely a different beast."
Ayer's second straight-to-alternative-source-because-The-Pause movie is a micro focus on gangs in LA, zoomed in on one gang leader Wizard having established himself as the highest of the high, collecting taxes of fealty from all others. David (Bobby Soto, Narcos: Mexico) and Creeper (Shia LaBeouf, Fury) are Wizard's tax collectors, steeped in the power they are provided, and Creeper's legendary status as a man not to be fucked with. The movie spends much of the time establishing these two men, from David's tight connection to family and how he separates that very Catholic part of his life from his work, to Creeper's straight up scary status on the street. And then someone comes along to show them he can be scarier, he can out creep the Creeper, and what happens if you say No.
The New Norm never has me watching a movie straight through, entirely in one sitting, unless it's a re-watch (and I am skipping posting those this season, as they out number all other media) where I can wander around the apartment doing things as a movie plays in the background. So, over the three acts of watching, the movie sorted itself into two acts, one very tight and one ... lacking. The establishment of David's family and his torturous separation of them from his work is finely craft lending itself well to my current fascination with how people live in LA. He's a good guy, you like him, but you know What He Does. Everyone in his extended family is involved in The Business, they are his Crew. When that all comes tumbling down, we see how David is something else entirely when it is taken from him, and to be honest, that all comes to an end far too quickly. The action of the third act of the movie quick, tight but drops a lot of the emotional weight the first two acts carried. I found myself marveling at exactly how small David's world was given we were told they controlled all LA. I also found myself re-writing the third act, having David seeking out real monsters to replace Creeper, who died far too quickly, far too easily to warrant his early movie rep. Real monsters who would make the cartel connected New Guy's scare tactics pale in comparison. I liked my ending better than Ayer's, and since we were all Davids, why not.
Of note, one of the scenes, where David's niece has her Quinceañera, I was struck that it all seemed familiar. Then I was reminded that Ayer had directed a couple of episodes of Deputy and it made sense, as the show did its best to shine another light on Latino culture in LA, while not dodging the reality of the crime controlled neighbourhoods. This movie also deals with the paradoxes inherent, from the simple beauty of a young woman coming of age, and her family celebrating it together, to the deep seated familial ties of criminal legacy.
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