“99 Homes” is an arousing but tame think piece.

Rating: 3.5/5
Directed by Ramin Bahrani
Starring Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, Noah Lomax
Rated: R
Release Date: October 9, 2015

In spite of a sharp and well-aimed script, “99 Homes” fails to wholeheartedly confront America, which inexplicably bails out its cheaters and blames its losers. Due to empty and lifeless direction, the film is unable to pierce through the nation’s thick skin and disrupt the corruption embedded underneath.

Set shortly after the 2000s American housing crisis, “99 Homes” follows Dennis Nash, an unemployed construction worker, after he, his mother and his child are evicted from their family home. Rick Carver, the real estate agent who carried out their eviction, offers Nash a position at his firm, which a desperate Nash gratefully accepts.

That is, until he realizes how dirty his duties are. Carver has Nash stealing appliances, cheating vulnerable homeowners and evicting families just like his. Though devastated by the immorality of his new career, Nash makes a fortune off of cheating as Carver repeatedly pats him on the back for it, encouraging him to take advantage of what his country allows him to do.

Though Andrew Garfield supplies a heartfelt leading performance as Nash, Michael Shannon steals this film with his powerful portrayal of Carver. As Garfield is hitting all of his emotional cues, Shannon is soaring through various layers of personality and purpose, exuding an intimidating yet warm presence that brings the complexity of the screenplay to life. In his elegant, intense diatribes — which take you from his humble background through his courageous, though questionable, rise to fortune — you see his doubt and the conviction that suppresses it. His eyes, his twitches, reveal a boy from a painful and merciful past hiding inside of a man who would do anything to leave the boy behind.

Furthermore, the screenplay lays the foundation for an engaging and thought-provoking experience. Its careful presentation of each character as both flawed yet understandable made it difficult to definitively take a side, the mark of a truly challenging story. Beyond its performances and script, however, the film fails to engage and excel.

Visually, for instance, there was much to be desired. Possessing a free-flowing and informal appearance, the look of the film somewhat resembled that of a reality television show. Though this stylistic choice had intriguing potential, director Ramin Bahrani used it poorly, moving the camera to merely follow the characters wherever they went. Rarely did it feel as if he was shifting or framing with any intention, thus draining the story of much of its inherent liveliness and color. Had Bahrani instead shot the film in the vein of a thriller, which his tension-heavy script lends itself to, it would be much easier to invest emotionally in his characters and their stories as opposed to merely watching things happen to them.

Nonetheless, the film still serves as a solid, transparent window through which you can gaze upon America’s dishonesty from a distance. Whether you want to engage with its challenging script or study Shannon’s ferocious performance, “99 Homes” is worth at least your divided attention.