Leofwine_draca
GOOD PEOPLE is an unremarkable British crime thriller that just so happens to have a couple of American actors, Kate Hudson and James Franco, as the leads. They play a down-on-their-luck couple who come into possession of a bag containing a huge amount of money, but their decision to keep hold of the mystery cash is a fateful one when the owners - a bunch of murderous drug dealers - come calling for it. The main surprise about this film is that the casting is pretty decent, with Hudson and Franco doing well to convince in their roles and the rest of the cast doing a solid job. The story is predictable and the script is pretty poor, with an over-reliance on profanity for effect, but the harsh violence hits home and the action bits are solid enough.
kosmasp
And what is good anyway? Who defines what actions are good? Or if good people are not capable of doing bad things? And would that make them bad people? Don't get it twisted though: This is not a philosophical look at those things. If you even remotely asks those questions, it's not because the movie intended to make you think that much. It's your own perception that goes that extra mile (or two).The movie moves along nicely, you can see almost everything coming your way and it's decent, if you're not annoyed by the standard formula this uses. It's nice to see another french actor making the move into "mainstream" Hollywood, even if he's not in it that much. Decent or a time waster, depending on your threshold
Floated2
Good People is not a film to be taken too serious or to have high expectations. The film didn't manage to have a wide US release date in theaters but then it managed to make its rounds in foreign countries, and limited release revenues. The film starts out well, and starts to pick up when the main plot is put in place- the couple of Tom and Anne (James Franco & Kate Hudson) discover their tenant renting their basement has died, and they eventually discover large sums of cash. At this point, we start to realize how the film will go and turn out, but howeever within this there lies many possibilities which the film could have taken, though it seemed to struggle down towards the end.Good People is a fun light hearted crime thriller, and includes several twists and turns along the way. For a film such as this, its serves it purpose, it could have been better with a better plot, more developed characters, a better and less predictable ending, but for what it was it was entertaining for a solid run time film. What makes the film worth watching is the wonderful scenery and the chemistry between James Franco and Kate Hudson, there are also several scenes of unintentionally comedy towards the last 30 or so minutes which are worth while.
Argemaluco
I generally don't like the "normal people find a lot of money" formula. I understand its value as a dramatic catalyst which invites to explore the reactions and attitudes of characters due to their unexpected richness, as well as the ethic complications that implies. And, in some cases, it also adds a danger element because of the illegal provenance of the money and the criminals who are surely looking for it. I understand the potential of the premise, and I have even liked some films which employed it (such as Shallow Grave and Millions), but in many occasions, it feels like an artificial and lazy trick. That might explain the apathy the film Good People provoked on me. Or it might be one of those mediocre movies, which aren't boring, but without any distinctive element to make it good or bad. Just... meh. James Franco, Kate Hudson and Tom Wilkinson make a credible work in their roles, despite how superficially written their characters are. Good People never reaches the level of dramatic intensity or visual virtuosity in order to capture the spectator beyond a vague curiosity to know how everything is going to end. And when we finally reach the conclusion, it's convenient and improbable. In conclusion, despite the apathy it provoked on me, I can give Good People a slight recommendation, because it managed to keep me moderately entertained.