Holy Rollers

After I first saw a synopsis of this film I was immediately intrigued; "Based on the true story of a young Hasidic Jew who gets caught up in the international drug smuggling trade." You can't make this **** up. Its actually quite a genius idea to use a sector of the community whose moral fiber is known to have such a high standard to carry out low life deeds. Throughout the film you slowly see the transition of the main character, Sam (Jessie Eisenberg) from a future rabbi to a pivotal person in an illegal operation of drug trafficking. Thrown into a life where his fate is already decided makes you sympathize for the boy. It makes you question your own moral code and if you would be able to resist the ecstasy (pun intended) one would feel from such a heist and the extravagant lifestyle that it brings. It's quite easy to see how he did. Still I feel the films based on true stories tend to take the allure out of the ending, especially with such an abruptness to it. Because the real life story doesn't have any high profile notoriety, they should have including more of the details of the operation's discovery and eventual collapse. But the single person story complimented the ability for the viewer to understand the life and cognition of the main character. While a bit of an obvious choice as he tends to play roles of introverted characters, I thought Eisenberg was an overall good choice. He clearly demonstrates the type of actor the role is intended for. Much of the film depends on his ability to persuade the audience that they understand who he is and how he is driving the plot. While Ari Graynor did an excellent job the rest of the small cast was at best mediocre and pretty replaceable. But overall, I enjoyed the film and it did a good job of keeping my attention.