Rosamund Pike hasn't had a role this deliciously good since Gone Girl.
I Care A Lot follows her ruthless character Marla Grayson, a woman who weasels her way into being appointed the professional legal guardian of various elderly or sickly people in a bid to amass a vast sum of money.
Working alongside her girlfriend Fran (Eiza González), Marla finds her latest victim in the form of the comfortably wealthy Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest) who she manages to ensnare and lock up in a nursing home.
However, Marla didn't bank on Jennifer having a dark past of her own in the form of powerful gangster Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage).
As a dangerous game of cat and mouse ensues, how far will Marla go to get what she wants and what is she willing to lose?
Revelling in the wickedness of its characters, I Care A Lot is devilish fun and enables its stars to truly have a ball with their cutting dialogue and ruthless dispositions.
Rocking one severe bob, Pike is clearly having a ball as the cold, calculating, and impeccably dressed Marla, providing a smooth viper of an anti-heroine to follow who is by far not easy to root for but charming enough to be thoroughly entertained by.
Her easy chemistry with the effortlessly cool Gonzalez is also welcome, and the tenderness displayed between the pair offers both characters a degree of sympathy from the audience even as their actions are endlessly scheming, self-serving, and lacking in empathy.
Meanwhile, Oscar winner Wiest is also reliably riveting as the abused but increasingly steely Jennifer, and Birds of Prey actor Chris Messina has a quietly devilish turn as a smooth-talking lawyer who squares off with Marla in a tense negotiation.
Yet, it is Game of Thrones legend Peter Dinklage that is the film's other secret weapon with his intelligent work as the vicious adversary that Marla finds herself going head to head with. Pike and Dinklage's scenes together are dynamite, like two predators circling each other.
Director J Blakeson clearly has delivered one ambitious piece, with his examination of how capitalism has even made a commodity of elderly bodies in need of care, how the most vulnerable in society will always be victimised, and how no one really wins in this system of zero empathy for others.
However, with so many twists and turns and elements being juggled, not everything lands as well as it should, and perhaps there are a few too many curveballs. The final act feels somewhat chaotic, almost as though it is uncertain on how to end.
Despite this, Blakeson never loses sight of entertainment value and the charismatic performances of his ensemble which makes it highly watchable and unpredictable to the last.
Ultimately, I Care A Lot is a hell of a lot of fun and a wonderful showcase for Rosamund Pike at the top of her game.
Verdict
I Care A Lot is a gloriously fun dark comedy thriller that boasts a wonderful supporting cast and a deliciously evil star turn from Rosamund Pike.
I Care A Lot is released on Amazon Prime Video in the UK on February 19, 2021.
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