Al Pacino shouting is a ‘thing’. A cursory Google search throws up enough results to remind us the actor does a nifty line in bursting anger, so it’s good to see him rein it in for Danny Collins.
He’s not playing a cop or a crook or a demented boss of any kind: instead he’s a gentle ageing rock star, the titular Danny Collins.
His songwriting was once likened to his idol John Lennon but he’s not written anything for 30 years, is selling out to (increasingly old) crowds with a golden oldie hit, hoovering up drink and drugs and engaged to a girl a fraction of his age.
When his manager (a hard-boiled Christopher Plummer) unearths a letter that Lennon wrote to Collins years ago, it causes him to make changes in his life, including moving out of his massive pad into an anonymous hotel and finding the 40-year-old son he’s never met.
Written and directed by Dan Fogelman (the writer of Crazy Stupid Love and Disney/Pixar films Cars, Bolt and Tangled in his directorial debut) and ‘kind of based on a true story a little bit’, this could have been a broad brush stroke, hackneyed tale of redemption.
Instead, inspired writing and performances from a dynamite cast (Jennifer Garner and Annette Bening are both excellent) make Danny Collins an accomplished, absorbing drama.
It is surprisingly nuanced with liberal dashes of humour, a great (John Lennon-heavy) soundtrack, and plenty of emotional heft.
There are impressive performances all round, especially from Pacino, whose Collins is quiet, sweet and utterly charming.
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It would have been easy to over-egg the rock star ego but he goes the tougher, more rewarding route.
Bobby Cannavale, as stoic son Tom, can break your heart with a look.
Unlike a lot of releases, this is not a film packed with a lot of action. There are no explosions or wild excesses. Hell, there’s not even any trademark Pacino shouting.
It’s all the better for it. What we get is a slow burner that still manages to have you on the edge of your seat at the end with tears in your eyes.
Danny Collins (15) is out May 29.
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