‘The G’ Review: Grandma Is No Pushover in This Bleakly Effective Revenge Drama

As a fan who’s spent countless hours immersed in gritty crime dramas, I must say that Dale Dickey’s portrayal of Ann Hunter in “The G” is nothing short of extraordinary. Her performance is a testament to the raw power and resilience that can be found in those who have been hardened by life’s unforgiving blows.


In the film “Thelma,” June Squibb’s retribution against senior exploiters is more like playing with a soft Nerf ball compared to Dale Dickey’s brutal style of revenge in “The G.” The latter movie, which is less comforting, portrays its star as a tough, hard-living veteran who proves to be a dangerous adversary for any criminal organization that targets her.

As a movie enthusiast, I found myself drawn to Canadian filmmaker Karl R. Hearne’s second production, which bore a striking resemblance to ’70s cinema with its intense focus on the gritty nuances of character rather than traditional suspense elements. However, despite being categorized as a thriller, it failed to deliver the heart-pounding excitement one usually expects from such films.

72-year-old Ann Hunter, often called “the G” by her granddaughter Emma (Romane Denis), is not particularly well-liked by others, including Chip’s in-laws who attribute his deteriorating health to their marriage. Unlike Florence Nightingale, she spends her days smoking and drinking rather than caring for him, who lies in bed connected to an oxygen tank.

Despite being neither expecting it, they find themselves unprepared when they’re evicted from their home and compelled to move into a dismal housing complex, populated by other seniors who have been forced into guardianship through court orders. It transpires that this is a common practice for a systemic scam, orchestrated by corrupt individuals such as doctors, judges, and the criminal mastermind Rivera (Bruce Ramsay). This scheme aims to exploit the vulnerabilities of seniors, declaring them incompetent to allow Rivera to seize their properties, savings, and other assets. Essentially, they become virtual prisoners, with some being treated even more harshly — as we see at the beginning, two henchmen of the boss bury alive one unfortunate individual who has outlived his usefulness financially.

Based on my years of experience in law enforcement and dealing with various characters, I can’t help but feel that Ann and Chip might not be worth the trouble they seem to cause. However, there’s a nagging suspicion about Ann that won’t go away – Rivera seems convinced she’s hiding a substantial fortune somewhere, despite her denials. From what I’ve gathered, Ann has quite a checkered past, one she prefers not to discuss. Her family in Texas, with their many enemies, have left her tough as nails and unwilling to take any crap from anyone. The violence of that world has hardened her, making her someone who doesn’t back down easily. It’s clear that Ann is not your average woman, and I can’t help but wonder what secrets she might be hiding.

When Chip faces a hefty penalty for not speaking up, Ann mobilizes her dormant yet powerful assets to bring harsh justice upon their tormentors. She employs the assistance of an enforcer from Texas and forms an alliance with a fellow resident (Roc Lafortune), who is passive but owns guns. Simultaneously, Emma, relying on the apartment block’s young gardener (Joe Scarpellino), takes risky actions to rescue her grandmother. These associates might prove untrustworthy, though. Meanwhile, Chip’s silent stance incurs a heavy cost, and Ann responds by rallying her resources to mete out retribution on their oppressors, even enlisting the help of a Texas enforcer and befriending a gun-owning neighbor. Emma, too, acts clandestinely, engaging the aid of the apartment’s young gardener in a daring rescue attempt for her grandmother. However, these allies may ultimately prove unreliable.

Seemingly set in Montreal, this English film intentionally avoids specific location details. The gloomy color scheme, drab locations, and sparsely decorated interiors, coupled with Vlad Horodinca’s wide-screen cinematography that presents clean yet uncheerful compositions, creates an atmosphere of anonymity. This is the kind of neglected environment where individuals can easily disappear without drawing attention.

In certain moments, one might yearn for “The G” to exhibit more excitement, to escalate the tension. However, its almost depressing authenticity effectively eliminates any sense of artificial melodrama, making the narrative feel genuine rather than manipulated. Furthermore, Dickey’s performance is so powerful that she seems to disregard cheap thrills entirely. She portrays Ann as someone who has been in life-threatening situations before, and this conviction is palpable. Even when Hearne’s film concludes with a weak, anticlimactic ending, Dickey injects it with as much gritty intensity as possible.

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2024-08-07 21:46