Nice movie in general, with action, and good performances from all the actors, but something makes "Son of a gun" a boring film. I don't know what is exactly, maybe because the story is something that you have seen many times before in the past. Or maybe because the action it flows very slow. Moreover, the direction is not good enough to put this film in the category of "excellent heist movies". The romance on "Son of a gun" makes it a little more interesting and in combination with the presence of Ewan McGregor -who is not at his best, unfortunately- is a movie that, I think, worth your time even if you are bored at the end.

Review: I quite enjoyed this film because it's full of raw, intense drama but it does take some time to get going and the storyline is a bit sketchy. Its about a prison inmate who becomes friends with the top dog, Ewan McGregor, after accepting his protection from a group of rapist. When JR gets released from prison he has to help Ewan to escape because he helped him against the bullies. Once out, they plan a gold heist whilst dodging the law but JR ends up falling in love and wants to get away from Ewan because of his ruthless tactics. After getting double crossed and a few shootouts, it all starts to become a bit too much for JR so he starts to plan a way out with his new found love. The storyline was quite good because you don't know what's going to happen from one scene to the next. Ewan McGregor played the baddie quite well but I found the guy who played the lead, Brenton Thwaites, to be quite dull and unemotional. The love story was also a bit weak along with there awful planning which was basically, shoot and hope. Anyway, you really don't know who is good and who is bad throughout the film and Ewan's untrustworthy manner made the movie quite intense. In all, it's worth a watch but don't expect anything amazing. Watchable!Round-Up: Ewan McGregor's career has really had its ups and downs. From playing the young Obi- Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise to playing a cop in the awful Mortdecai, he really has come far from his early days in Trainspotting. At 44, he has starred in over 60 movies which isn't bad for someone who started his career in 1994 in Being Human. The director, Julius Avery, has only made a few TV shorts in his career so this is his first major film. He didn't do a bad job with the project because I did feel entertained throughout the film but I wasn't impressed with the leading actor. Brenton Thwaites, who also starred in the Giver, Maleficent, the Signal and Oculus, has a role in the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie so I hope that he does a better job with that. At 25, the young Australian born actor hasn't done to bad in his career so far but he lacks screen charisma and emotion.I recommend this movie to people who are into their crime/action/drama movies about a young prison inmate who becomes friends with a big time thug and ends up planning a gold heist with him. 5/10

For a crime or heist movie, Son of a Gun benefits from polished editing, good direction and commendable performance by Ewan McCGregor. However, the plot is not that engaging, the simplistic development could also be found in TV series or action games. To its credit, the film delivers plenty of content, even though some of them are stereotypical prodigy-versus-mentor or damsel-in-distress premise.JR (Brenton Thwaites) is a new inmate in a prison, where he meets Brendan Lynch (Ewan McGregor), a veteran conman who offers him protection. Soon JR find himself as Brendan's henchman, unsatisfied of only doing his bidding, the two eventually clash. Thwaites performs well, he's decent as the young lead, but his acting range is a bit limited on some scenes. McGregor is the star here, stealing any scenes with flair and occasionally blurted rage.Their relationship is a strange one, JR subtly seeks a father or teacher figure which he finds in Brandon, although ultimately he realizes that their interest might not align. It works in short term, but the material doesn't provide much back and forth exchange, what twists it has in store are pretty foreseeable. JR also encounters Tasha (Alicia Vikander), a beautiful girl in despair. There's little surprise this romantic subplot, Tasha's back story and also the tiny bit where she might just be a honey trap are not fully developed.Its plot isn't ambitious nor does it possess high level of intricacy on its heist. A lot of other similar movies, or even TV series, have delivered the same concept. The use of Australia as setting helps, but it boils down to the familiar prison break or robbery stints. Luckily, the pacing is sharp, it pushes forward with conviction and the action parts are decent as well.Son of a Gun feels like a fast version of crime miniseries of television show, it may not be groundbreaking but it is still a decent watch for action fans.

i was a bit worried when i first watched a trailer for this film that it may be cheaply made like some other Australian titles, but gladly i decided to give it ago anyway, and i just want to start by saying i loved this film it had me griped from the moment it started right to the very end. This is not you typical all action shoot em up heist film, instead it is very intelligent and gritty and more what you would expect to happen in real life. i had not heard of any of the actors in this film except from Ewan MacGregor but was surprised at how well everyone played their part. If you are thinking of watching this film then i recommend you give it a go, the only reason i think the film doesn't have a higher rating is because more people wanted a all action film, so stick it on you wont regret it and fingers crossed we see more films like this emerge from Australia