Emily the Criminal (2023) Dir. John Patton Ford

John Patton Ford’s debut is a raw and uncompromising social commentary featuring Aubrey Plaza as a desperate woman turning to shady dealings in an attempt to rid herself of her large student debt.

Plaza’s protagonist fails an interview after her criminal record comes to light and so returns to her dull and lowly-paid catering job. However an opportunity presents itself to take part in a credit card scam and after some success, her confidence increases leading to bigger (but riskier) frauds.

Plaza is known for her comedic talents but I’ve found that she in fact excels in dramatic roles, including her excellent performance in Ingrid Goes West. Here, her crimes are supervised by the sleazy but caring Youcef (Theo Rossi) but soon her gambles see her ambushed by other felons. Yet her determination sees her getting revenge with a taser and finding love with Youcef, who in turn falls out with his cousin Khalil.

With some of the feel of West Coast crime films like Destroyer and Den of Thieves, Emily the Criminal is a confident well-paced thriller with plenty to recommend. The actors add realism to their characters and there's a pulsing electronic soundtrack from Nathan Halpern, who also scored another brilliant low-budget thriller and one of my favourites of last year in Watcher. His intense music gives the narrative proceedings a seamy vibe with plenty of city attitude.

Art and fashion, working conditions, immigration, crime and the economy are all issues touched upon, but whilst Emily the Criminal certainly explores contemporary social concerns, its cinematic directing, great acting and corkscrew plot make it an entertaining pleasure to watch.

★★★★

Michael Sales

Out on UK home release January 16th 2023