JR busts out of prison with Brendan Lynch, Australia's most notorious criminal, and joins Lynch's gang for a gold heist that soon pits the two men against one another.
Never sure if it wants to be a hard-edged character drama or pacy action-thriller, Son Of A Gun has plenty to admire between the tonal wobbles.
There are some exciting set pieces and McGregor is unusually but effectively cast as a hardboiled lifer.
Son Of A Gun has the gritty, rough feel of 1970s heist/hit picture.
As dull as it is unashamedly derivative, it is a complete misfire.
It’s possible to watch it without your head falling into your hands...but give it a few minutes and that’s where it’ll end up.
Almost wilfully lacking in originality, but that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining in a pulpy, hypnotically noisy way, like one of tacky but oddly compelling 70s or 80s genre pics you can’t quite switch off while channel-surfing.
Julius Avery's clichéd thriller rapidly slides into absurdity.
Efficiently done but never entirely convincing.
The action is decently staged and, save for the odd naff line, McGregor acquits himself well enough.
The tension comes and goes and crime thriller cliches are dutifully observed (call it a B+ movie), but writer-director Julius Avery displays a muscular touch behind the camera.
Unlikely discussions about the differences between chimps and bonobos provide sub-Tarantino laughs, and the heist is handled with stripped-down B-movie efficiency.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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