Vincent N Roxxy

Writer-director Gary Michael Schultz presumably was aiming for a modern noir in the Quentin Tarantino mold in this oddly bland would-be romance that eventually becomes ultraviolent. After Vincent (Emile Hirsch) rescues Roxxy (Zoë Kravitz) from being accosted by an angry mobster named Suga (Scott Mescudi) outside her late brother's house, the pair speed away from the city. Vincent invites Roxxy to hide at his remote family farm, where he reconnects with his estranged brother JC (Emory Cohen) and the latter's girlfriend (Zoey Deutch). The brothers reconcile despite JC's hotheadedness, and Vincent and Roxxy become intimate as well, but when Suga and his minions show up, an explosive orgy of mayhem ensues, including bondage, knifings, execution-style shootings, rape, and even a hanging. Naturally, there are also revelations, the most important concerning the whereabouts of a cache of money that Roxxy's brother had stolen from Suga. Schultz stages the first hour of the film like a dirge (and the lack of chemistry between Hirsch and Kravitz is deadening), while the subsequent grisly confrontations are simply ugly. By the time the credits roll, most viewers will regret having met both Vincent and Roxxy. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)