‘Slingshot’ Review
Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Tomer Capone, Casey Affleck, Emily Beecham | Written by R. Scott Adams, Nathan Parker | Directed by Mikael Håfström
A mission critical to the survival of mankind runs into problems somewhere in the outer reaches of the solar system. That and the loneliness of space travel are two of science fiction’s core themes, and Slingshot is the most recent film to bring them to the screen. Too often, though, Hollywood’s attempts fail to do either idea justice. Dare we hope that this time they’ve gotten it right?
Somewhere between Earth and Jupiter, the crew of Odyssey One is awakened from hibernation for some checks of the ship’s equipment and their mental state. Captain Franks (Laurence Fishburne; Event Horizon, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) and Nash (Tomer Capone; The Boys, Curl) seem fine. But we can tell that John (Casey Affleck; A Ghost Story, Manchester by the Sea) isn’t doing so well. In particular, he seems obsessed with the memory of Zoe (Emily Beecham; 28 Weeks Later, Into the Badlands) and the fact she hasn’t returned his messages since the ship departed.
When he’s reawakened ninety days later, something apparently hits the ship, damaging it, but whatever it was seems to have escaped being picked up on camera. But even through all of this, he can’t keep his mind off of Zoe. This becomes an even bigger issue when Franks suggests the ship’s design might be responsible for the damage rather than an impact, and we find out that Zoe was on the design team.
The Odyssey’s mission calls for it to use Jupiter’s gravity to slingshot itself to its destination, hence the film’s title. If the design is flawed, that could tear the ship apart and kill the crew. But is that simply paranoid thinking? Will John’s feelings for Zoe, Franks refers to him as thinking she walks on water, cloud his judgment? Speaking of Franks, will his insistence that they continue with the mission until they have proof doom them all?
Director Mikael Håfström (Escape Plan, 1408) and writers R. Scott Adams (Donner Pass) and Nathan Parker (Blitz, The Underground Railroad) have come up with a plot that’s part psychological thriller and part technological thriller with a large dose of relationship drama added in for good measure. The story moves back and forth from the present onboard the Odyssey One to flashbacks of John and Zoe’s relationship. Too many flashbacks that go on way too long for my liking, and should have been condensed to get their point across in less time and with less interruption to the film’s first half.
Slingshot’s second half turns into an exercise in paranoia as everything, including that relationship, is called into question. The viewer is kept guessing who should be trusted or if anyone has kept their sanity intact. Even whether what we see is actually happening or a figment of someone’s troubled mind is left unclear. And most viewers will stay uncertain until the final scene.
The script is solid and sells the situation well, perhaps benefiting from Parker having previously written Moon. Both dealt with isolation and paranoia brought on by extended times away from Earth and one’s loved ones, though in different ways. While Moon felt like a reworking of Solaris at times, Slingshot plays up the suspense and tension of the situation. It doesn’t hurt that Casey Affleck and Laurence Fishburne both deliver excellent performances, managing to be both convincing in their roles and leaving the viewer with no real way of guessing which to trust.
For a film set in space, Slingshot doesn’t have much in the way of effects. But, along with keeping the budget down, having most of the film take place inside of the ship helps create a feeling of if not actual claustrophobia, then at least of being just as trapped as the Odyssey’s crew. And that’s the key to the film’s success, it concentrates on being a thriller and uses its setting to support the plot rather than rely on pretty visuals to cover up holes in it.
**** 4/5
Overall, Slingshot is a twisty and compelling thriller that not only kept my attention but managed to surprise me more than once. Bleeker Street Media released Slingshot in US cinemas on August 30th.
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