It’s only when we’re under Pressure that we know who we truly are.
Directed by Phil Allocco, 5lbs of Pressure tells the story of Adam (Luke Evans), an ex-con who has finally finished his parole and returns to his old neighbourhood. Having served 16 years in prison, Adam’s greatest wish is to seek forgiveness and reconcile with his ex-wife and the son who grew up without ever knowing his father. Meanwhile, Mike (Rory Culkin) is a young drug dealer who has grown tired of working for his uncle (Alex Pettyfer). Looking ahead to the future, he desperately wants to find a way out from under his uncle’s thumb and escape to a new life. As Adam and Mike’s stories converge, both men find themselves on a path to redemption, unless violence stands in their way.
In this gritty action-thriller, Allocco shows the nasty side of New York. This is meant to be a world where everyone is making deals and violence befalls those who double-cross. Even so, Allocco also embeds the film with a certain sense of heart. Beneath the brutality, Pressure is really a film about trying to heal in the midst of the hurt.
Allocco highlights this tension visually through his use of lighting. In moments where the criminal underworld dominates, the screen is immersed in shadows. The viewer feels the unwelcome nature of these spaces, recognize that these corners of the city are unsafe. However, when characters are fighting for their family, these conversations take place in the light. In doing so, there’s a certain sense of hopefulness that makes these characters feel genuine, as though a new day is potentially dawning for them. Torn between the darkness and the light, Allocco wants the viewer to understand the pervasive evil that surrounds them yet also to yearn for their survival.
While Pressure features some good work from its cast, the soul of the film lies with Evans. Best known for his more outlandish performances such as Fast and Furious’ Owen Shaw or Gaston in Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast, Evans delivers a muted performance as Adam that absolutely charms. Although he’s come from a past of violence and tragedy, Evans creates an empathy and earnestness for his ex-con that shines through. This is a man who’s simply trying to get a second chance and Evans ensures that we want him to get it.
And it’s that beautiful empathy that makes Pressure cook.
After all, Pressure is very much a film about trying to break free from the cycle of violence that dominates this corner of New York. Here, brutality is simply expected, leaving a trail of broken people in its wake. For some, that violence is simply reality. But, for others, the darkness that surrounds them has become too much and they want to break free.
For Adam, that path requires him to make amends. His attempts to reconnect with Donna (Stephanie Leonidas) and Jimmy (Rudy Pankow) are rooted solely out of love and repentance. He owns the damage that he’s done. (“It weighs on me every day”, he points out.) But, he has made the changes necessary to be the type of man that they need in their lives, if they’re willing to forgive him, of course.
At the same time, Mike tries to begin again by going an entirely different route. Culkin pours a gritty naivete into his performance that creates a compelling contradiction within Mike. He knows that he needs to get out in order to start fresh but he also believes that the only way to be free is to step deeper into the darkness.
While both men carry the same dream, their paths to freedom may (or may not) lead to different outcomes.
Yet therein lies the beauty of 5lbs of Pressure. These characters are constantly forced to make choices that could make or break their future but Allocco paints them with a brush of grace. Many of them are on a search for hope, but whether or not they have the emotional strength to stand up to the Pressure of the world around them is the ultimate question.
5 Lbs of Pressure is available on VOD/Digital on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
