99 Homes follows the story of a naive carpenter (Andrew Garfield) who makes a deal with Rick Carver’s devil (Michael Shannon) in order to secure his family’s future.
Ramin Bahrani's drama opens with an intense jolt of energy, as the camera tracks real estate snake Rick Carver (Michael Shannon) weaving in and out of a bloody crime scene. Carver, not caring a bit about collateral damage, merely traipses around the chaos barking orders: Opportunity, after all, is knocking. It's not a subtle opening, but it is a thrilling one, and nicely announces Bahrani's intentions to take on the U.S. housing crisis.
Unfortunately, the rest of the film can't keep pace with its first few minutes, and instead bobs along following the story of a naive carpenter (Andrew Garfield) who makes a deal with Carver's devil in order to secure his family's future. The resulting beats are predictable, though perhaps justified when weighed against Shannon's fierce and captivating performance.