Ben L
Too often a film will stack event on top of event, with the characters sailing through, or maybe reacting in the moment but being forced, soon, to keep moving to service the plot.
This film's plot concerns just two major plot events and yet no screentime is wasted. It gives you time to think. It lets its characters think. It doesn't choose an obvious hero or a villain. It doesn't even really tell you how things stand at the end. But that's not the point. The point is the heaviness of the actions of two people and the effects that ripple out to those they love. For those who remember the synthetic, trite film 2004 film "Crash", imagine a film opposite in almost every way.
This film is definitely not for everyone. It's not fun. It's not comforting. It's not even as exciting as an average thriller. It does possess a profound dose of humanity. It should make you think long after you've finished watching.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
11/01/24
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Chris W
subtle and understated, but realistic, captivating performances from all
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/04/24
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ronald h
Disarmingly straightforward, "Cardinals" doesn't save its reveal for the end, but rather gives it to us in segments so we have put the pieces together 35-40 minutes into the story.
This has the effect of making the audience share the discomfort of the characters concerning the elephant in the room. It's very effective.
Sheila McCarthy has a difficult role here, and she pulls it off skillfully.
Released from prison after running down a man while intoxicated, she's strangely remorseless. We soon find out why.
The supporting cast is strong, too.
Fans of fast action and violence with flashy camera work will likely not appreciate this film. It's not interested in impressing its audience with technique. It It moves along at a steady but moderate pace, and it tells a story---an engaging, thought-provoking one.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
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Audience Member
Spoilers: The wonderful cinematography, the spot-on acting, the concise script, the suspense, something big is coming, but what and when? McCarthy and Reid were stunning, Boland and Glowicki were good, Spence great as the smart, knowledgeable, if eccentric nerd as parole officer. Are we in the factory of human beings, stacked like so many wide-mouth concrete pipes on the yard we kept seeing? When we fly, looking too hard at ourselves, do we bang head first into the glass, like cardinals, who thus take that last flight, not learning before it's too late? This proclivity toward dumb behavior raises questions. Why didn't they go to the cops and report the daughter's rape? Mom had a better idea? It's the way humans sometimes do it. Maybe she was unstable. Why didn't she say no or nothing when Spence asked if she had driven into the guy she killed on purpose? Now here is what kept this from a five star. Storytellers: Tell the story, already, like, the ending, too! So many seem to leave the ending dangling, they'll figure it out, life is messy so who knows, or what, they ran outa film? Though they did leave breadcrumbs for us big thinkers: The girls were in the car, one just off work at the pipe factory, not in jail. Zoe, Glowicki, seemingly didn't get charged with banging blue boy with the dead parents in the head with an anvil or whatever. Surely he was dead or had a massive hematoma. Estranged Dad was last seen talking to Mom in the kitchen, he knowing her best despite their split, after the admission she killed the guy on purpose then drank booze for a lesser charge, which worked. Maybe she is back in the clink or this time the funny farm. Or Spence didn't blow the whistle on her, liking birds and people and such? Maybe they explained to him the dead guy was a rapist nogoodnik, which put dear mom over the edge. So we're left with shit happens, pay attention, and screenwriters don't have to tell us. I rated this 3.5 stars, for all the good work till the end, but had to kick that up to four. Why? Hey, it is what it is. Anything can happen. It wasn't a beautiful day in the neighborhood (from hell), which they should leave. If this is how moms love kids, the neighbors must watch their backs. Reality meets fantasy meets parody, dark humor.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/07/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The movie has great actors but a screenplay too lean.
However, I have a question. Why the movie's name is "Cardinals"? What is mean?
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This is an exceptional piece of film work. A very tight, very smart screenplay and an excellent cast make for a terse, intense, complex movie.Sheila McCarthy really is so much of the film's strength. The title role called for a strong, seasoned actor, and McCarthy shows she was more than up to the task. So much is expressed by her without a word; which can also be said of the other expressive actors.
Don't pay any attention to the 'Short Attention Span Theater' types calling this film 'slow', 'boring', or how nothing happens. They need to stick to Vin Diesel, Adam Sandler, and rom-coms. The movie's only 84 min. How can it be too slow if it's not even an hour and a half? I'm guessing several were too confused by it much of the way through and were pissed that they couldn't figure out what was up before it was fully revealed. Don't blame the film for being smarter than you.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/19/23
Full Review
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