Dale Dickey is a beloved veteran character actor, having enjoyed a career that spans over 30 years of consistent, quality work. Typically inhabiting the souls of individuals who grew up and/or live rough, Dickey is always sure to make her presence known, turning out memorable performances in every feature or series in which she appears, no matter how big or small the role actually is. 2022’s A Love Song offered a change of pace for Dickey, gifting her a rare leading opportunity in a very tender film, starring opposite fellow all-star supporting actor Wes Studi. Fresh off the career-best acclaim that film earned her, Dickey is back for another lead performance with The G, a decidedly darker and more somber project. While the marketing hints at a Taken-esque thriller, the finished product doesn’t quite erupt into a whirlwind of violence, with writer/director Karl R. Hearne preferring to keep things to a simmer, increasing tension at a deliberate pace. The G is a slow burn, and while the plotting gets a little knotty, there’s still Dickey, whose commanding performance guides the film to a secure landing.
Ann Hunter (Dickey) is 72 years old, dealing with dwindling health in a cold and lonely world. Worse off is her husband, Chip (Greg Ellwand), who is frequently bedridden and growing worse with Ann as his only caretaker. Ann’s house is in complete disarray, with the woman prone to chain-smoking and utilizing empty yogurt cups to pour herself some vodka, numbing the pain with a sink full of dirty dishes. Stepson Charles (Daniel Brochu) is disgusted and disappointed with her treatment of his father, wishing the poor woman out of his family’s life. The only bright spot in Ann’s world is step-granddaughter Emma (Romane Denis), who thinks fondly of her “G” and pays her visits with regularity. Late one night, Ann and Chip are forced out of their home by a shadowy figure named Rivera (Bruce Ramsay), who summarily deposits the couple into an elderly care facility with no warning. Exploiting a legal loophole to assume guardianship of Ann and Chip, Rivera reveals his financial motivations and confronts the two for their fortune, putting a hurting on Chip in the process. Meanwhile, Emma does not take kindly to learning about the displacement of her grandparents, enlisting the help of local landscaper Matt (Joe Scarpellino) to track them down and free them both.
The G is set in the thick of winter, offering an icy atmosphere that complements the emotionally chilling proceedings. There’s a threat of violence around every corner, with the film opening on a pair of henchmen cruelly burying one of their marks alive in the wilderness. Things haven’t been going well for Ann, who’s also estranged from her biological family, with those visits from Emma being the only thing she can look forward to. But it’s the arrival of Rivera that finally disrupts what little stability she had left in her life, thrusting her into an unknown world, with the only support emerging from kindly neighbor Joseph (Roc Lafortune), a fellow senior also confined to the facility. The G does offer some commentary on the treatment of senior citizens, particularly those who are manipulated for monetary gain without any sort of consideration for their well-being. Rivera greets Ann and Chip with daily acts of intimidation and beatings, eventually widowing Ann in the process. She may be down, but while Ann doesn’t necessarily have a particular set of skills, she does have contacts from her days of working in the underworld, calling in the help of fellow enforcers who know how to deliver pain.
Hearne keeps The G dialed to a slow crawl, doling out the minimum of information and character whenever necessary, preferring to keep the action moving at a snail’s pace. Ann’s quest for vengeance does not immediately take off, finding time spent alone with a woman who’s done bad in the past, allowing a more contemplative mood to creep in for a woman who may be heading toward the end of her life sooner than expected, even sharing scenes of intimacy with Joseph, a likewise lonely individual. Time is also spent with Emma and Matt, with the latter forming an attraction to the former despite having his advances rebuffed, while more figures emerge from Ann’s past as well, soon dovetailing with the shady exploits of Rivera and his company. Violence eventually emerges, but only in fits and spurts, never quite rising to crowd-pleasing levels of righteous fury. Which is to say, those expecting a “Senior Citizen Taken” are bound to be sorely disappointed, as the film is more engrossed in capturing mood and steely confrontation than it is in delivering much bloodletting. Still, on that front, The G is very satisfying, Hearne’s restrained approach pairing nicely with Dickey’s anchoring performance, resulting in a film that consistently surprises from its thriller vantage and another highlight performance from an actress boasting a career that’s full of them.
DIRECTOR: Karl R. Hearne; CAST: Dale Dickey, Romane Denis, Roc Lafortune, Bruce Ramsay; DISTRIBUTOR: Dark Sky Films; IN THEATERS/STREAMING: June 27; RUNTIME: 1 hr. 40 min.
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