Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, American Gigolo, Auto Focus… You could fill this entire article with worth seeing films that Paul Schrader has brought into the world in his long career as a writer and/or director. Most recently, the American film legend experienced a new career spring with an acclaimed trilogy of thrillers. The third part of his completed trilogy, Master Gardener, has been streaming on Amazon Prime Video since last week and the best thing is that you don’t have to have seen the previous two films to see it.
Now on Amazon: In Master Gardener, Joel Edgerton’s past catches up with him
The trilogy in question is the so-called “Man in a Room” filmswhose actions stand alone but which have thematic parallels. The following films are included:
The trilogy takes its title because of a recurring image: lonely men in sparsely furnished rooms, pondering their dark memories and violent impulses at their desks.
In the case of Master Gardener, the man in the room is Narvel, played by Joel Edgerton. He once led a life as a neo-Nazi, now he lives in the witness protection program on Norma’s (Sigourney Weaver) estate, where he spends his hours tending to delicate plants. Here he meets Norma’s great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell), whom he is supposed to train.
The ex-neo-Nazi and the young black woman quickly feel attracted to each other. When Maya’s drug dealer comes on the scene, Narvel sees his violent past is closing in on him – but possibly also a path to making amends for his sins.
The streaming tip on Amazon Prime has an uncanny underlying tension
Master Gardener premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2022 and was unnecessarily grandiosely announced by Schrader at the time. This film would make people angry, he explained in interviews at the time, given the basic idea. But he didn’t present a provocation, but rather one quietly told thriller with a few precisely placed peaks of violencewhich brilliantly complement his character miniatures.
Last but not least, Edgerton ensures that Master Gardener develops a basic tension, although, like Ethan Hawke and Oscar Isaac before him, he holds back his acting. The Australian from Warrior and The Great Gatsby isn’t exactly associated with delicate flowers anyway, so his presence always raises the question of what’s lurking beneath his stoic surface. And especially when it breaks out.
The Master Gardener streams on Amazon Prime Video *, First Reformed and The Card Counter are available to buy and rent from the usual providers.
So if you’re up multi-layered thriller entertainment If it stands apart from the usual clichéd stories, you should definitely take the plunge into the psychological depths of Paul Schrader’s heroes.
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