10 Greatest Neo-Noir Films Of The 21st Century
9. You Were Never Really Here
It has been plenty apparent that Joaquin Phoenix is one of the finest American actors around for many years, and while his Academy Award for Joker was well worthy, he’s far more interesting in films like Lynn Ramsay’s troubling 2017 drama.
Never one to baulk at a heavy role, Phoenix plays Joe, a former military man with a multilayered, traumatic past who now attempts to find purpose as a vigilante of sorts. Joe offers his services as a gun for hire, specifically tasked with tracking down missing children and doling out rough justice to those who’ve harmed them.
Clearly this is no easy watch, but Ramsay smartly keeps things snappy and for the most part avoids exploitation. Joe’s motivation for dedicating himself to this life is complex and often mysterious; he’s a damaged man trying to do good, but unsurprisingly the world in which he roams only harms his fragile state more.
Between them, Ramsay and Phoenix tap into a fully fleshed out character, utterly battered by the world but compelled to make a difference in his own way. Whether he succeeds or not is up for debate.