‘Small Crimes’ Is A Stunning Showcase for ‘Game Of Thrones’ Star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Games of Thrones has taken the world by storm and introduced us to some of our favorite characters, and with them, some incredible actors. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, perhaps best known to us as Ser Jaime Lannister, is at the center of Netflix original film Small Crimes, and he delivers a performance that proves there is indeed life for these stars outside of Westeros. The fresh neo-noir directed by Evan Katz follows disgraced former police officer Joe Denton (Coster-Waldau) who returns home seeking redemption after serving six years in prison for attempted murder.

Back in the real world, Joe finds adjustment is not as easy as he had hoped. His wife and daughters have moved away, and when he tries to get in touch with them, she warns him not to call again or she’ll press charges. He really does try his best to let the dark parts of his past go, but when a dying mob boss begins to reveal his secrets, the past latches onto Joe and refuses to be shaken off. Small Crimes is a fascinating character study of a man who just can’t keep it together, no matter how badly he wants to; despite having achieved sobriety during his time in prison, he relapses within the first fifteen minutes of the film, downing shot after shot at his neighborhood bar. It’s painful to watch him desperately try his best to improve and continually fail, and by the end, you can’t help but wonder if defeat is simply the destiny of folks like Joe. Coster-Waldau plays him with a subtle, weary sincerity (and narcissism) that makes him a unique antihero; he does not have inherently bad intentions, but he gets sucked into bad situations and suffers for it.

Small Crimes would probably have benefited from a tad more exposition – flashbacks, perhaps – to give us some more context for Joe’s struggles, and the bluish-green, dark color grading occasionally makes scenes that take place in broad daylight hard to see, but as a whole, this unique, anxiety-plagued thriller is a compelling one. In addition to Coster-Waldeau, the rest of the cast delivers some truly outsanding performances – Robert Forster as Joe’s father in particular. His heart-wrenching, quietly bewildered Mr. Denton plays stunningly opposite Jacki Weaver as his wife and Coster-Waldau’s consistently disappointing Joe. There’s also Gary Cole who’s near-perfect as a monstrous, dirty cop, and House of Cards‘ Molly Parker as a nurse-turned-love-interest who is mildly underutilized for all the talents she has to offer.

Weird color grading and plot holes aside, Small Crimes mainly functions as a helluva showcase for Coster-Waldau’s talents. As Game of Thrones enters its final two seasons, its stars – including Gwendoline Christie (Star Wars, The Hunger Games), Emilia Clarke (Me Before You, Terminator Genisys), and Sophie Turner (X-Men: Apocalypse), among a slew of others – are proving that they are fully capable of carrying the weight of feature film. We can’t wait to see what’s ahead for the rest of the cast, especially if they continue to act at this level. As far as Small Crimes goes, there are no crimes committed here – only a first-rate performance from the incredibly gifted Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.