I wasn’t really ambitious about the new Sci-Fi Indie “Sleight,” but I decided to give it the BOTD, and found it to be a surprise. It has special effects on a low budget without making them wall-to-wall, and it somehow manages to splice with the everyday life of a young drug dealer trying to make ends meet. It has the kind of narrative I looked for and missed in “Now You See Me 2.”
Jacob Latimore plays Bo, the young drug dealer, trying to take care of his younger sister Tina (Storm Read), after the death of their mother. He implanted a magnetic device in his shoulder, which helps out his magic tricks very well, and that’s where his extra scratch comes from.
His supplier Angelo (Dule Hill from “Psych”) is impressed with Bo’s drug dealings, and enlists his help in setting an example towards a coke dealer, who is in his territory. He forces Bo to cut off the dealer’s hand (probably the most difficult scene to watch), and finds out he has been sneaking parts of his cut, and orders him to pay him back. Also in the film is Holly (Seychelle Gabriel), a young college student, who has an abusive mother. She becomes Bo’s girlfriend, and he wants what’s best for her. She even agrees to help him get out the jam with Angelo.
“Sleight,” written and directed by J.D. Dillard, combines harsh LA life with magic tricks without using the big marketing campaign. It offers dazzling special effects, thrills, pure drama, and fine acting from Latimore, Gabriel, and Hill. I’m not going to give away any spoilers, but once you see the film’s climax, you will be entertained. Other than a few scenes, this is another fresh Sci-Fi indie, on par with “Colossal.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Leave a Reply