A Man Apart
Directed by F. Gary Gray
- action
- drama
- crime
The story
When Vetter's wife is killed in a botched hit organized by Diablo, he seeks revenge against those responsible. But in the process, Vetter and Hicks have to fight their way up the chain to get to Diablo but it's easier said than done when all Vetter can focus on is revenge.
What it’s like
Hard-edged and sun-baked, with a cool, dusty palette of desert browns, chrome-bright car interiors and night-blue streetlight, the look of a mid-2000s Los Angeles action thriller shot with glossy digital clarity rather than grain. Camera work is mostly steady and unshowy, with tight handheld moments during confrontations and wide, flat shots of freeways and border roads that leave a lot of empty space around the characters. The score is driven by pounding percussion and synth-tinged rock, and the sound design leans on gunfire cracks, engine growl and the muffled quiet of a funeral or an empty house between sequences. The mood is grim and brooding, a slow-burning grief that keeps flaring into fury, with a lot of talk about loyalty and duty between the men on either side of the law. Pacing alternates long stretches of stern, low-key conversation with sudden bursts of violence, including gunfights and a few brutal beatings, plus strong language and a drug-trade backdrop. This suits a late-night watch alone or a long, focused evening, and is best for viewers who want a revenge story about a grieving man, a tense cop partnership and a hard, unsentimental crime world.
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