You Were Never Really Here (2018)

An ex-soldier and former law enforcement officer (Joaquin Phoenix) suffers from what appears to be a form of post traumatic syndrome going back to his childhood (abusive) and on through his years as both a soldier and law enforcement officer. He now works as sort of a vigilante for hire and his latest assignment is to rescue an underage girl (Ekaterina Samsonov) from sex trafficking. But what should have been a routine job for him turns into a living hell. Based on the novel by Jonathan Ames and directed by Lynne Ramsay (WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN). This is a stunning film! Similarities to TAXI DRIVER aside, this is a deeply disturbing film anchored by a brilliant and intense performance by Joaquin Phoenix, who won the Cannes film festival best actor award for his work here while Ramsay won for her screenplay. While it's a violent film, Ramsay doesn't exploit or dwell on the violence, indeed what we often see is the aftermath of the violence rather than the violence itself. But there are moments of beauty too such as the water burial of Judith Roberts as Phoenix's mother. Highly recommended and hopefully Phoenix's performance will be remembered at awards season at the end of the year. And there's the bonus of another great Jonny Greenwood score. With Alessandro Nivola, Alex Manette and John Doman.