Holy Rollers
by Warren Curry
5/20/10
Entertainment value compensates for predictability in “Holy Rollers,” a familiar tale about the rise and fall of a young man unsuspectingly enveloped in a world of crime. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, who may possibly have appeared in every movie released in the past year, this true story of a drug smuggling ring involving a group of young Hasidic Jews plays it safe in terms of narrative, but manages to exceed the novelty of its premise. Well versed in Scorsese and Lumet, and likely a fan of James Gray’s films, director Kevin Asch’s control of tone and pacing helps one overlook the thinner aspects of Antonio Macia’s script.
Eisenberg plays Sam Gold, a 20-year-old who lives with his family in Brooklyn and works in his father’s (Mark Ivanir) fabric store. His parents plan for their son to be a Rabbi and have arranged a marriage for him, however, Sam doesn’t necessarily agree with their conservative view of the world. So when his neighbor Yosef (Justin Bartha), the rebellious older brother of his strait-laced best friend Leon (Jason Fuchs), offers him an opportunity to make quick money transporting “medicine” into the country from Europe, Sam gladly accepts — and is immediately introduced into an exciting, dangerous new universe.
It turns out the medicine Sam is couriering is actually the drug Ecstasy, which he smuggles into the U.S. from Amsterdam. Yosef and Sam work for Jackie (Danny Abeckaser), a flamboyant Israeli man who runs the operation in New York. Sam impresses his new boss with his keen business sense, and Jackie’s girlfriend, Rachel (Ari Graynor), takes more than a passing interest in the new employee. Soon, Sam is recruiting other naïve, similarly aged members of his community to make the journey to Amsterdam under the guise of bringing medicine into the country.
I don’t consider it a spoiler to reveal that the operation eventually comes crashing down around Sam — obviously, you wouldn’t have a movie otherwise. Even though the plot contains few, if any, surprises, there is always something positive to be said for a film that feels alive and bristles with energy. The script is economic to the point that it almost seems to revel in shortcuts (not many details are given as to how the business actually works), but the upside is that just about any extraneous material has been excised.
Eisenberg’s best acting quality is that he makes his characters easy to sympathize with, although he has difficulty in scenes that call for him to emote. Justin Bartha and Danny Abeckaser both seem to have used Joe Pesci as a model to play their roles; the performances are one-dimensional but avoid caricature territory. Asch doesn’t ask his actors to step out of their comfort zones, wisely utilizing their skills within the confines of the story rather than asking them to carry it. The young director impressively gets the most out of the elements at his disposal.
Though it lacks depth, “Holy Rollers” captures your attention early on and is able to sustain this momentum throughout. Kevin Asch has learned from his influences well and his feature debut takes its place among the better recent independent crime dramas.
contact: wcurry718@yahoo.com
Holy Rollers (USA/2010)
Director: Kevin Asch
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Ari Graynor, Danny Abeckaser
Rated R, 89 minutes
(First Independent Pictures; opens in New York City and Los Angeles on May 21, 2010)