Shot Caller is a American crime thriller drama directed and written by Ric Roman Waugh. This movie talks about how a responsible man life transforms into a hardened prison gangster due to an accident.
This movie stars Nikolaj Coster Waldau, Omar Hardwick, Joh bernthal among others.
Jacob Harlon is a successful stock broker living with his family which consists of his wife and son, it all started one night after Jacob accidentally runs a red light after a dinner with his friend and his wife killing his friend in the process. He had to do his time in prison after taking a plea deal due to his lawyer convincing him to instead of the case going to trail which could end badly for him. On getting to prison he was shocked by the harsh brutality in the prison system, him being a normal individual not being involved in what soever crime before in his life you'd understand that that would be hard for him. He was soon familiar among the prison inmates as the money man due to the fact that he was a stock broker and he dealt with money back in the out side. Soon he was involved in the way of the gangs in the prison, I think he had no choice because it this kind of scenarios it's either you become a player or a victim which he made his choice. Initially he was doing 18months after taking the plea deal but due to some other gang complications in the prison he had to serve more time. His family was affected so badly his wife couldn't understand the fact that he's changed so much in less than two years. Harlon grew up in rank and was transferred to another prison where them big hitters are, prisoners were only allowed 1 hour yard time in this prison. He then got out at some point and due to the fact that he was so dedicated to the gang ways he was tasked with one job. Harlon was tasked with the sales of some guns but the deal was already compromised due to a snitch among the gang, in realizing this Harlon kills the snitch and messed up the deal he was then return to prison after being caught but he won't give up the beast who happens to be the boss of the gangs he was then brought back into the same prison as the beast. What happens next?? You'll need to watch the movie to know.
This story was told with so much realism in it, even the actors did such a great job that it didn't seem that they were acting. Most of us all know Nikolaj Coaster waldau probably not by his name but he to the fact that he played the role of Jaimie Lannister in The very popular Game of Thrones, I wasn't sure of how he would do seeing him for the first time in a movie but boy he did good. His transition from the stock broker white collar job to a hardened jailed gangster was just a thing of beauty.
The writing and the screen play is I think what really made this movie to be so great. It's a story and a plot tolled really really well, the transitioning back and forth was just at the right time.
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Ric Roman Waugh, a former stunt man turned writer and director did an amazing job converting the various screen plays to a very convincing on screen golden masterpiece. The movie was so well edited that I barely noticed that the movie had a two hour ruining time, the two hours flew past like the breeze. The acting is so great, the scenes with reel you in, the dialogues never felt boring and the prison scenes were shot in such perfection that you will be left in awe.
One big question In this movie is Money's motivation for his actions, lots of characters wonder and ask him why would he take or make such decisions? The makers of this film were able to not supply easy answers but instead left us the viewers guessing a lot, this made money to look quite mysterious for his role which was just perfect. The idea of him turning bad from good in such a compelling way was so interesting.
This movie passed a lot of messages about the gang lifestyle, one of the messages i was able to get was that in the gang way of life there is no room for snitches because you get stitches, once you're in you're in. This movie still feels so unresolved to me because some Scenes made me imagine why???? Why would you do this but I guess this was what the director intended and I love it. Shot caller happens to be the best movie I have seen in a while and this was why I could remember after watching the movie I recommended it to almost every body around me because this movie gave me so much joy and realism.
Official trailer
Over all I would really recommend this to anybody looking for prison like movies. The details in this movie on how the prison life is was so correct from the rooms to the gangs.