Like magic, movies are  illusions meant to capture our imaginations and engage our senses. Sleight is a film that does this with a story that has heart and pulse pounding stakes.

This movie is directed by J.D. Dillard and is written by himself and Alex Theurer. It tells the story of Bo played by Jacob Latimore who is a young street magician and gifted engineering student who takes up a life of crime after the death of his mother leaves him as the gaurdian to his younger sister.

The film owes alot to the superhero genre but breaths new life into it as well. Never do the proceedings get bogged down in expository diolague dumps but rather allows the visuals and characters actions to drive the plot organically and trusts the audience to understand whats going on even when the sci-fi elements ramp up in the third act.

Latimore gives an amazing performance as a gifted but troubled man doing his best but clearly in over his head when the consequences of the choices he has made prove to be more than he bargained for. The entire cast give great supporting work in this story about a man trying to do the right thing in a bad situation and gives him a great arc of redemption.Special note must be given to Dule’ Hill in a chilling performance as the villian of the piece. What begins as an understated performance evolves into a character of menace and dread.

The cinematography, editing, and score all combine to deliver an emotionally effecting and almost perfectly paced experiance. Sleight has a very brisk ninety minute run time and could have used a few aditional scenes to really flesh out the world and lives of the characters but thankfully a final sequence promises further and bigger adventures to come.

If Sleight is playing near you definatly go see it and support great filmmaking so that we can get more original entries in this genre and more stories in this world by this creative team.