Ethan Hawke makes what could have been an exhausting character equal parts charming, funny, tragic and self-aggrandizing. It is really entertaining, which is important here because Lorenz Hart is basically the entire movie.

It certainly contains elements from its predecessor, mixing it with aspects of A Nightmare on Elm Street to create a next step that is sort of logical. The result is uneven to say the least.

It is captivating because writer/director Kelly Reichardt never turns up the emotions or injects intensity. It is a subversive heist story focused on a man quietly struggling to admit he screwed up.

It is a fine story, yet the production does not contain a lot of power. It comes off as forced, like the path of the story is inevitable, regardless of whether or not it earns its emotions.