A WAY OUT

THE SETUP

Firstly, I’d just like to start by saying thank you to Director, Jason Tostevin (Born Again) for allowing me access to an online screener of his 13-minute Crime/Drama short “A Way Out”, Written by Randall Greenland. A Way Out picks up with a pair of gangsters on a job. An aging Vick (played by Robert Costanzo) is preparing for retirement, but one last cat and mouse game with his protegé Reggie (Adam Hampton) will reveal that each has been keeping a secret from the other.

A Way Out was actually made back in 2015 and it marks Tostevin’s fifth short film in as many years. I’m a sucker for a good crime drama but they’re difficult to do, especially in the short format. Randall’s script is perfectly paced and includes a couple of key elements, in humor and violence, both of which are anchors that can be found in these sorts of gangster films. Both the audio track and foley are crisp and clear (it’s nice to finally hear punches that sound like punches) and the editing is quite sharp. Mike McNeese’s cinematography is simple but effective, framing a lot of two shots and medium close-ups which work well for the duration of Vick and Reggie’s car ride. The duo’s conversation about mattress flipping is an entertaining one and Greenland brings events with his characters to a somewhat surprising head. Costanzo’s been acting since the mid 70’s so it should come as no surprise that his delivery is extremely well-timed, and everything that comes out of his mouth feels authentic. Hampton is a little rawer but still manages to turn in a fairly consistent performance. Stylistically I found some of the natural light that was glaring through the driver’s side door in the car park scene rather distracting. I think the addition of some practical blood spray would have been beneficiary for genre fans too. Reggie’s only issue was that his proposition didn’t make a lot of sense and was always going to be problematic. His boss would’ve no doubt required proof, so how was he going to obtain that?

A Way Out is undoubtedly one of the best Crime/Drama shorts going around. The cinematography is smart, the audio and foley are even, and the edit comes together seamlessly. Both performances are engaging, Greenland’s script is a clever one, and the ending is a blast. Other than a couple of personal preference traits and the somewhat flawed logic behind Reggie’s proposal, A Way Out is as good as they come. This is Tostevin’s best work yet and I hope to see more from these guys in the world of crime.

My rating for “A Way Out” is 8.5/10