by Jay Bamber

Created on: July 11, 2011   Last Updated: July 12, 2011

The Son of No One is a star studded thriller, including rising star Channing Tatum, as well as old hands Al Pacino and Juliette Binoche, which sees a tough cop, Jonathan White, assigned to the precinct where he spent his formative years. The film follows his journey as ghosts from his childhood rear their head in adulthood and as his marriage and home life begin to fall apart due to the revelations and recriminations that emerge from his trip down memory lane. As Jonathan gets more involved in the politics of his home district, he begins to uncover government conspiracy and escalating violence, the likes of which he could not have imagined. As he swings between his duty to his home then and his home now, he realises that he may not get out alive.

In his third directorial endeavour, and his third collaboration with Tatum, Dito Montiel treads similar cinematic ground with the grim aesthetics which characterised his earlier works (‘A Guide To Recognising Your Saints’ and ‘Fighting’), as well as a strong focus on the ideas of identity, community, heroism and time. Continuing his preoccupation with how the past infringes on the present, and intern affects the future, Montiel has crafted an ensemble piece of disparate and connected characters. The film garnered much attention at first due to its eclectic cast, some of whom are adopting roles which are far out of their usual range. Perhaps most surprisingly, given his outrageous comic persona and his larger-than life character on the programme ’30 Rock’, Tracy Morgan burdens a significant chunk of the dramatic load as Vinnie. It marks his first true foray into the world of ‘serious’ acting and many are eager to see how he fits into the genre.  Katie Holmes also plays against type as Mrs. White, who sees her family crumble under the pressure of her young husband’s increasingly tense relationship with the city and takes a much more down to earth approach than her recent fare.

Premiering at Sundance, ‘The Son of No One’ caused a stir by severely dividing critics, with some reportedly leaving the cinema before the film finished. However, other reports have been more complimentary; especially of the acting and the high production values, considering the film rather meagre reported 15,000,000 dollar budget. Audiences are invited to make up their own minds when the film is rolled out into cinemas later this year. 

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