The Baker, 2023.
Directed by Jonathan Sobol.
Starring Ron Perlman, Harvey Keitel, Elias Koteas, Joel David Moore, Emma Ho, Ronnie James Hughes, Samantha Kaine, Paolo Mancini, Adam Moryto, Dax Ravina, Caroline Raynaud, Varun Saranga, and Amber Ashley Smith.
SYNOPSIS:
An elderly baker must do everything he can to protect his granddaughter from gangsters.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, The Baker wouldn’t exist.
In what feels like an attempt to capitalize on Ron Perlman’s viral Internet video reminding the world that he is as much of a real-life badass as much as he is on screen (a direct, threatening message to greedy studios regarding the ongoing writers and actors strikes), The Baker, a movie I didn’t know existed until a few days ago was suddenly dropped into the release date calendar (at least it feels like this was done as a response to that, since I check the schedule regularly and often but was still blindsided, in a good way, by this review opportunity.)
On the surface, director Jonathan Sobol’s The Baker has all the makings and ingredients of doing what Taken and John Wick did for Liam Neeson and Keanu Reeves, this time for Ron Perlman. The eponymous baker is a traumatized war veteran estranged from his family, now living quietly and running a bakery. Naturally, that peaceful existence is about to be upended, thrusting himself back into a world of violence (there are also allusions that the character has participated in horrors beyond war.)
While there is a decent helping of absurd violence (such as a moment where our hero starts using defibrillators as boxing gloves, or baking equipment such as rolling pins to bludgeon someone), screenwriters Paulo Mancini and Thomas Michael are also concerned with telling a human story about mistakes, flaws, grief, second chances, and trauma-bonding. Some unfortunate circumstances leave the baker’s son Peter (Joel David Moore) barging back into his life with a mute granddaughter he hasn’t met, Delfi (and a moving performance from Emma Ho that overcomes certain physical restrictions). The Baker doesn’t want to help; the sun bluntly tells him, “Do you think I would come to you if there were literally anyone else I could go to?”
About 24 hours prior, Peter witnessed a major drug deal go south in an airport parking garage, which left him as a witness liability to a dangerous party, including career criminals played by Elias Koteas and Harvey Keitel. Peter leaves Delfi with his father while he attempts to fix everything, which also doesn’t go as planned, sending his daughter and grandfather on the run and rescue mission, with the baker admirably ensuring that Delfi doesn’t witness any of the physical damage he inflicts upon others.
Whether or not Peter is still alive is somewhat irrelevant here, as the touching character-driven moments come from Ron Perlman’s baker, who is almost certain Delfi’s father is dead, quickly catches himself from spreading that doom, holding onto a sliver of a chance that he is still alive, taking the investigation and fight through those pushing this designer drug that had their deal botched. There is also a genuine sense that if they can find solace in one another, things will be okay no matter what. It goes without saying that Ron Perlman is credible in the role as a brawler with a sensitive soft side underneath that rocky exterior, but young Emma Ho also excels, mashing the emotion found within his performance.
That’s not to say any of this is new or original. The Baker is quite the generic grounded action-drama, but one that happens to be elevated by terrific lead acting tapping into the traumatized wounds of these characters. It’s a reminder that even the most overused tropes can be overcome through solid execution and sincerity. And although there aren’t too many fight sequences, there is brutal pleasure in watching Ron Perlman dish out punishment and revenge.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
