Good Time at Cultureplex

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Image courtesy of HOME

Good Time at Ducie Street Warehouse, Manchester 18 January 2020 Tickets from £8 — Book now

There are gritty, grimy street-level New York films, and then there’s the Safdie brothers’ Good Time. The film opens with a helicopter shot of the city, providing a familiar glance of downtown Manhattan, before zeroing in on the distressed face of Nick Nikas (played by co-director Ben Safdie), a mentally challenged patient undergoing a psychological assessment in a psychiatric hospital. The directors, with the aid of cinematographer Sean Price Williams, keep the camera close from there on out, capturing every hair follicle and bead of sweat without ever really letting up for one hundred brutally claustrophobic minutes.

Robert Pattinson – once again demonstrating his excellent taste in collaborators – plays Nick’s brother Connie. A street-smart hustler and low-level crook, Connie has designs to take his brother away from what he perceives as meddling psychiatrists and the pair’s abusive grandmother. He means well, but his plot to buy a house in the woods requires capital – which he intends to obtain by robbing a bank. Despite the best laid plans, the brothers botch the bank job and Nick is sent to jail where he inadvertently provokes a fight which puts him in hospital.

Ben Safdie and Robert Pattinson in Good Time
Ben Safdie and Robert Pattinson in Good Time

What follows is one hellishly dark night in New York City, in which Pattinson’s Connie tries everything within his power to break or bail Benny out of his secure hospital bed. Connie proves a quick thinker as leverages his race, his looks and his particular brand of greasy, dirt-bag charm to escape multiple close calls with the law. Good Time’s propulsive, off-kilter plotting does him no favours though, and with each narrow escape Connie is left scurrying with fewer and fewer options at his disposal as the authorities close in.

The thrill of Good Time is the way in which the Safdie brothers combine this slickly engineered plot with savage, down-and-dirty poetry and compellingly grubby aesthetic stylings. The performances – including a brief but memorable appearance by Jennifer Jason Leigh as Connie’s love interest/sugar mama – add a tense, uncomfortable realism to the proceedings. Connie is never really sympathetic, but his predicament highlights the everyday abuses and grim realities of life at the bottom of America’s food chain. Good Time is a relentless, pummelling experience and the perfect primer for the Safdie’s new film, Uncut Gems.

Where to go near Good Time at Cultureplex

Manchester
Restaurant
Bistrotheque

The in-house restaurant at Cultureplex offers up seasonal menus by Blaine Duffy, as well as some unique classic dishes.

Brownsfield Mill building in Manchester
Manchester
Tourist Attraction
Brownsfield Mill

Now a Grade-II listed building, Brownsfield Mill in Manchester was constructed in 1825 as a power mill, and later housed the A.V. Roe and Company aviation factory. The former mill forms part of the Piccadilly Basin and is to undergo refurbishment for potential use as flats or office space.

Chopstix Manchester
Manchester
Restaurant
Chopstix Manchester

Chopstix is a noodle bar based on the approach to Piccadilly Station, with a great range of quick and easy Chinese dishes.

Manchester
Event venue
DIECAST

Diecast is Manchester’s new creative neighbourhood, food hub and cultural space.

Idle Hands - Coffee Shops in Manchester - Creative Tourist
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Idle Hands

They say an idle brain is the Devil’s playground. So what, then, can be said about Manchester’s Idle Hands coffee shop? Artisan, specialty coffee enthusiasts Idle Hands have settled and Dale Street and we’re very happy about it.

Photo of the restaurant interior, with wood floors and dark tables
Manchester
Restaurant
ABode Restaurant

ABode Restaurant is a fine dining option in Manchester that often gets forgotten about. This might have something to do with its out of the way location, hidden away on a back street near Piccadilly, but it might also be because its offering is just a little outdated.

ABode Manchester
Manchester
Hotel
ABode Manchester

ABode Manchester is a boutique hotel in Manchester with a range of rooms and suites available. It has its own restaurant and plays host to live events. All conveniently situated just a couple of minutes from Piccadilly Station.

Malmaison Manchester
City Centre
Hotel
Malmaison Manchester

Malmaison Manchester has stylish rooms and an excellent bar, all situated conveniently on the doorstep of Piccadilly train station. Rooms start from as little as £90, if you’re looking for a boutique experience on a budget, look no further. 

Manchester
Restaurant
Store Street Exchange

Large open plan restaurant on the ground floor of DoubleTree by Hilton, near Manchester Piccadilly. The food is high quality, with a variety of menus, including a la carte and afternoon tea.

Dakota
Manchester
Restaurant
Dakota Bar & Grill Manchester

Great-looking brasserie based in the luxury Dakota Hotel on Manchester’s Ducie Street, now featuring a retractable terrace to handle all types of Manchester weather.

Manchester
Hotel
Dakota Manchester

Dakota is a luxury hotel near to Piccadilly Station, featuring the largest suite in Manchester, a Champagne Room and Cigar Garden.

What's on: Cinema

CinemaManchester
Dead Man’s Shoes at HOME

Shane Meadows’ potent revenge flick is a cult film in the truest sense, leaping beyond film-centric circles, passed along by in-the-know admirers in hushed tones.

from £11.15
CinemaManchester
Scream Stab-a-thon at CULTPLEX

Cultplex know you like scary movies, which is why they’ve lined up four of them to kick off their spooky season this October.

from £20.00

Culture Guides

Music in Manchester and the North

The end of summer means the start of gig season. From indie legends to the UK’s most exciting young acts, here's who we'll be watching this autumn.