10 Movies From Cannes 2021 We're Hyped To See
6. Flag Day
It’s easy to harbour negative feelings towards Sean Penn, who doesn’t seem like the easiest of guys to get along with, but then along comes a film like Flag Day in which the intense method man reminds you just why he’s stayed at the top of his profession for so many years.
A film of real pedigree - Penn directs as well as stars, with Jez Butterworth on scripting duties - early reviews are slightly mixed on the movie on the whole, but have heaped praise upon its lead actor. Penn plays real life conman John Vogel, a con artist juggling his unrepentant swindling with a half hearted family life (his daughter, played slightly nepotistically here by Penn’s daughter Dylan, wrote the book the film is based on).
Movie conmen tend to be charming rogues - not so Vogel, played boldly as an irredeemable sociopath. Penn’s directing is, like his acting, generally on the bombastic side, but fans of Into The Wild will know that he has a great touch behind the lens, and a genuine vision that he’s not quick to compromise.