Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
A newly-released prison gangster is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.
Shot Caller is elevated primarily by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's committed and convincing performance as a man transformed by the prison system, with strong supporting work from Jon Bernthal and Jeffrey Donovan. The non-linear storytelling adds some structural interest, effectively showing the contrast between the protagonist's former life and his brutal present. However, the film treads familiar prison gang territory without offering much that hasn't been seen before — the undercover cop subplot and gang mechanics feel well-worn. Cinematography is competent but unremarkable for the genre. The ending is bleak and earned, but not particularly surprising given the trajectory of the narrative.