This Wednesday, it's the release of Sons of Philadelphia. Directed by Jérémie Guez, the feature film tells the story of two cousins, petty thugs in the city of Philadelphia. Joel Kinnaman plays Michael , the more violent and eccentric of the two, while Matthias Schoenaerts plays Peter, the more calm and taciturn of the duo. Focus on an exciting fraternal adventure:
Sons of Philadelphia: old school thriller
Jérémie Guez, you may not know him yet, but this French author/director is to follow very closely. While he began his career as a novelist, he decided in 2016 to start writing screenplays. It is to him that we owe Sparring, Burn Out, Rebels or the recent The Night devoured the World. In 2019, he embarked on his first production: Bluebird. An intelligent and old school thriller that owes a lot to the presence of Roland Moller. 
With Sons of Philadelphia, he repeats the experience by signing a film in a very similar style. Here too, he chooses to bring an old-fashioned crime story to the big screen. Here too, he decides to highlight tired characters, overwhelmed by events, who evolve in a dark, morose universe with no escape. Jérémie Guez chooses to set up a fairly classic story, in any case warmed in the world of gangster movies. An old school plot that relies on its two protagonists.
An impeccable cast
Sons of Philadelphia does not revolutionize the genre. Jérémie Guez signs a work finally quite agreed, in any case already seen. He does not necessarily claim to revolutionize the style, but simply seeks to bring his personal perspective on the issue. And the filmmaker can count on an impressive leading duo. Joel Kinnaman and Matthias Schoenaerts are surgically precise. The two actors create a foolproof alchemy and offer performances of crazy intensity. The whole film rests on their shoulders, and they ultimately remain the primary interest of the story. And even if it is a fairly common story, it is treated with an interesting look, especially thanks to the presence of those inspired actors. 
The relationship between the two protagonists is perfectly executed. The whole film is based on their tribulations. On the staging side, Jérémie Guez chooses to keep a certain restraint. It remains quite implicit, and avoids bloodshed or explosive action sequences. A wise choice that allows Sons of Philadelphia to be part of a long legacy of gangster movies without bluff or pretension. On the staging side, Jérémie Guez's film is reminiscent of productions such as Quand vient la nuit or Blood Ties, especially in its choice of colorimetry, quite yellowish. Similarly, family and gangster themes are also part of this continuity. Sons of Philadelphia is therefore a classic but effective thriller. Jérémie Guez offers fascinating portraits of two men connected by blood, magnified by the perfect performances of Joel Kinnaman and Matthias Schoenaerts. https://youtu.be/K0Th833QYYs
