THE G REVIEW

“A stronger take on what Thelma tried to achieve.”

Photo courtesy of Dark Sky Films

There have been many movies starring butch military and mercenary type dudes, who need to fight back against one adversary or another, or very often, they have to get revenge for someone in their life being kidnapped or even killed. Liam Neeson and Jason Statham have made entire careers about that, and it’s been

Last year, Josh Margolin’s Thelma took that simple premise but cast 93-year-old June Squibb in the role of an old woman robbed of her life savings, who decides to take it into her own hands to get that money back. The movie was the darling of Sundance, and it did very well theatrically, although six months earlier, a movie called The G, written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Karl R. Hearne (Touched) had already debuted at the Fantasia Film Festival with a very similar concept, but to nearly no attention whatsoever.

Photo courtesy of Dark Sky Films

Essentially, Hearne’s film puts a twist on the revenge thriller by casting 63-year-old character actor Dale Dickey – you would definitely know if you’ve seen her, and you definitely have seen her in many movies and shows – as Ann Hunter, known affectionately as “The G” from her granddaughter Emma (Romane Denis). Ann is married to an elderly invalid of a husband, and one day they’re told by a group of men that they are now their guardians, and they would be moved into a facility where they are immediately abused by men trying to get their hands on the couple’s money. Ann’s husband eventually dies from the beating he endures to get Ann to talk, and she decides to get revenge on the men responsible, who also stole their condo.

Although Thelma also dealt with elder abuse, it wasn’t quite as dramatic in terms of the ordeal her character went through, compared to Ann, who has to watch as her wheelchair-bound husband is being beaten almost to death. We also learn over the course of the film that Ann has some sort of military background with a man from her past who shows up to help her. Later in the film, we also see her brandishing a gun and shooting people in the head, so she is pretty serious. Even so, it does take a long time to get there, as Ann ends up connecting with Joseph (Roc LaFortune), another resident of the facility who helps her.

Photo courtesy of Dark Sky Films

The G also does an interesting thing by creating a concurrent running storyline following her granddaughter Emma, who is also trying to get her grandmother’s money back. She ends up getting the help of a young man, with whom she falls into a relationship. There was a bit of weirdness going into the last act where I didn’t quite understand some of the players involved – a few who have similar looks – but eventually, the movie turns into the promised revenge thriller with Ann going after her money and not taking any guff from those who threaten her. (There’s also the opening scene of someone buried with only their mouth above ground that I never quite understood its connection to the overall story or the bad guys’ M.O.)

Otherwise, the movie does a great job creating tension, because there are real stakes involved, with main characters being killed throughout, so obviously, it’s not quite the comedy romp that Thelma attempted to be. Hearne also does a fantastic job creating mood and tone, so even when the film slows down, it still keeps the viewer invested. I was also quite impressed by the synth score for the movie that did a lot to create that mode.

Ultimately, this is a stronger take on what Thelma tried to achieve, because it’s never trying to be a comedy, and it takes a very serious premise far more seriously.

Rating: 7.5/10

The G is now available on VOD, and still playing in a few select theaters.