You Were Never Really Here

THE GIST: Joe is a hardened veteran suffering from PTSD, whose grip on reality is undermined by flashbacks and hallucinations. Currently, he cares for his aging mother and uses his battle skills to track down missing girls, ruthlessly dispatching their kidnappers. His latest assignment is finding Nina, the daughter of a powerful Senator. He's able to find and free her, but then things take a turn for the worse.

You Were Never Really Here is a title I picked up because I really enjoy Joaquin Phoenix's work. I did not expect this movie to be this good.

The plot is twisty enough to make you work to follow this crime/thriller, but it's a worthy endeavor.

Phoenix is spellbinding in the main role, and just as good are Alessandro Nivola and Ekaterina Samsonov.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Sit back and enjoy a smart movie with plenty of action, a good plot, and great acting. A really fine film.

Grade: 8