INDIE MOVIE REVIEW: CHARLIE TANGO

 CHARLIE TANGO

Desperate for a fresh start in life after a tragedy on her watch, a suspended air traffic controller finds herself sucked into a world of financial fraud and manipulation when she throws in her lot with her secret lover.

• Director
  • Simon Boisvert
• Writer
  • Simon Boisvert
• Stars
  •  David La Haye 
  • Stacie Mistysyn 
  • Bruce Dinsmore

So let me start my review by saying, (and I know I am not alone in this) that seeing Stacie Mistysyn on the screen again put a smile on my face, and it wasn't going to matter much what the movie was about or if it was going to be good for that moment. It was a small bit of reminiscing for 14-year-old Joe, remembering one of his first crushes in Caitlin Ryan from Degrassi (played by Stacie obviously). 

Then came inevitably the moment or thought that follows, what if this sucks? 

Well then I would have been nostalgic for a moment, waxed poetic about that time, and relished in seeing Stacie on screen again and that would have been that. Probably would have been the shortest review I had ever written. 

Luckily I have more to say about this movie and Stacie's performance. It really starts where this movie really starts for me which is about 40 minutes in, where the 2nd and 3rd acts shine brightly. The writing here even in the first 40 minutes is strong but after the 40-minute mark, this screenplay has a nice note of Mamet and Foley-esque plot twists and smaret details that make sense. The best thing about how this all unfolds is that while I think there could have been some editing in the first 40 minutes, you can't just skip to the 40 minute mark here. You need a few of those little details to help you buy in. I also enjoyed the deconstruction aspect in the 3rd act and it reminded me a lot of Foley's 2003 film Confidence, just as smart as that too. 

For her part to carry a good portion of this film Stacie's portrayal of Kim is solid. As are her cohort Bruce Dinsmore who plays Jeff, and David La Haye who plays Charlie. All 3 work in concert with one another to create great moments of doubt and deceit that coupled with Simon Boisvert's script really play into the who is good, who is bad aspect of this nice twisting tale. The idea that each of these characters has a nice arc that could give that off, is a nice craftsmanship. It helps sell the narrative's ambiguity. 

The unsung performance for me here is Peter Miller who plays Andy. He kind of becomes our moral compass and I think in a deceitful, treacherous cat and mouse story having that really sells a good portion that might have fallen through otherwise.

I also like that there were moments when Stacie's acting just naturally reminded me of Caitlin at Degrassi. She probably doesn't want to read that but I think the fact she played such an iconic character, on a show that so many adored, and she can still hit those type beats for us to remind us, helped us swallow, some of the earlier lulls especially. Having her lean into those strengths validates her prowess and the director's choices a few times and that helps bring the audience through the first 40 minutes.

I am intrigued by a lot of the choices in regard to time-of-day setups. The lighting choice to blow up the backgrounds at times to enhance the daylighting and soften the night, It is a tad too bright for me, wherein you get a kind of movie of the week vibe. However, when we do get into some of the darker, seedier night-type settings little later into the 2nd and 3rd Acts there is some beautiful work done production-wise to bring it to life and make it all feel authentic.  Again, anytime I feel that we are let down, this movie brings itself back into the fold with the dialogue, story structure, and nice little nuggets of truths or lies to nibble on and distract the small bits of shortcomings here. 

The story really saves a lot of the fundamental flaws that do happen here and it is one of the more well-designed scripts of the year for me. I think if you were looking for a story to sweep you away and give you enough to chew on, this is one of the better films out there to stream that does that.

You can check CHARLIE TANGO here