The Netflix Violent Crime Thriller That Will Give You A Panic Attack

Good Time was written by Josh Safdie and Frownland filmmaker Ronald Bronstein, and directed by Josh and Bennie Safdie. The film stars Robert Pattinson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Benny Safdie, Buddy Duress, Taliah Webster, Captain Phillips‘ Barkhad Abdi, and hip-hop artist Necro. The film has been highly lauded by critics and general audiences alike, and was even selected to compete for the Palme d’Or during its premiere run at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Good Time centers on Robert Pattinson’s Connie Nikas, and his cognitively impaired younger brother, Nick, portrayed by co-director Benny Safdie. As Nick engages in a traumatic therapy session to determine the extent of his impairment and root cause of a recent violent episode, Connie bursts in and enlists Nick for a bank robbery scheme he’s planned. Together, the pair steal over $65,000 in cash from the bank and escape in an Uber, though the dye packs present in the bank bags go off, causing the Uber to abruptly crash.

After trying to make their escape on foot, Nick is arrested and sent to the highly dangerous Rikers Island prison. Connie, feeling responsible for his brother, begins to craft a scheme to break him out of prison as he continues to suffer personal and financial hardships on the outside. As Good Time continues, the brothers each face a great deal of strife navigating the social and political world around them, while dealign with their respective lack of finances and disabilities.

Eventually, Connie’s scheme goes awry, resulting in him breaking the wrong prisoner out of a guarded hospital room. After discussing the prisoner’s crimes, Connie begins to realize the money the man stashed before being caught by the police may still be in its hiding spot, prompting the pair to return to the scene of the crime. As Good Time builds to a stunning climax, the camera work and visual language of the film inspire a great deal of claustrophobia, in a Safdie brothers trademark which many audiences have described as anxiety-inducing.

Good Time has been hailed as a massive critical success, receiving nominations for a wide variety of independent awards. The film currently touts a 91 percent certified fresh critical score on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, citing the direction, writing, and performance from Robert Pattinson as massive highlights. Following the success of the film, the Safdie brothers were finally able to get in touch with Adam Sandler to lead their follow-up effort, Uncut Gems, which the pair had written for the Hubie Halloween actor years earlier.

For those who have yet to watch Good Time, be sure to do so with a glass of water, an empty stomach, a weighted blanket, and plenty of pauses as necessary to prevent any panic attacks that may arise. For those who don’t mind a heart-thumping experience, Good Time is currently available to stream on Netflix.