Steven Knight has an impressive list of works credited to his name. On the television side of things, he was one of the creators of the very popular game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. Another show that he created, Peaky Blinders, has been a hit on both sides of the pond. As far as theatrical releases go, Knight has written Eastern Promises (2007), Allied (2016) and the screenplay for the English version of The Girl in the Spider’s Web (2018). The only theatrical titles that he had written and directed (until now) were Redemption (2013) and Locke (2013).
The consensus of Knight’s body of works have been varied to say the least. One aspect that has been a constant criticism is that many of his movies have a “drawn-out” feel to them. It’ll be interesting to see if that trend is avoided with the first movie that he has been wholly involved in (directing, writing, producing). Will fans find satisfaction and peace with Serenity?
Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey) is a fishing boat captain who is barely keeping it together financially and mentally. He charters his boat to anyone with cash in hand to give them memorable fishing experiences in a small sleepy community on Plymouth Island. Duke (Djimon Hounsou) serves as Baker’s assistant and pseudo-friend. Baker has a complicated past which is about to find its way to his doorstep. A familiar face, an ex named Karen (Anne Hathaway), tracks him down and offers him a way out of all of his troubles, well at least financially.
Married to a pompous wealthy man named Frank (Jason Clarke), Karen suggests a mutually beneficial scenario that will end everyone’s suffering. Trapped in an abusive relationship with a child, makes for an extremely tumultuous time. Yet, there’s something “off” about this entire situation that will slowly reveal itself as the story plays out.
Steven Knight brings together a talented pool of talent for Serenity. The drama thriller stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Djimon Hounsou, Diane Lane, Jason Clarke and Jeremy Strong. McConaughey always seems to put is best foot forward as of late, and this is no exception. His character struggles with his existence and with decisions made in his past. He plays his part to perfection. Anne Hathaway, who also costarred with McConaughey in Intersteller (2014), brings a familiar chemistry to this movie. Although she’s not front and center the entire time, she makes her scenes count, in a Lifetime movie kinda way.
Diane Lane feels kind of wasted. Maybe she was just in it for the trip to their filming in the exotic location of Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island nation, is known for its beaches, lagoons and reefs. Hounsou and Clarke give us okay performances but nothing to really sink your teeth into. I’ll say this about Jeremy Strong’s character, he’s quite peculiar so I suppose that’s a good thing since it stuck with me throughout.
Serenity is an interesting film at times, completely boring during others; then there’s the trying to decipher what’s really going on before your eyes. Don’t be surprised if you feel entertained, letdown, confused and strangely wanting to replay scenes again at times. Even though its runtime is only 106 minutes, you’d swear that you were in the theater for well over two hours. That’s not good. The pacing of this feature is uneven, to the point that might swear you’re feeling seasick. There are parts that are pretty gripping as you try to make sense of what you’re seeing while trying to make it logically fit. In the end though, this movie will leave audiences fishing for answers. You can see this one in theaters now.
