The Martini Shot – Review
Ever wondered what a filmmaker thinks about when he believes he’s making his final movie? That’s the basic vibe of The Martini Shot – a drama about a film director wresting with life, art and maybe ideas bigger than it can hold.
The movie stars Matthew Modine as Steve, an ageing director who might be at the end of his career – or maybe at the end of everything. Beautifully shot in Ireland, the scenery is absolutely stunning, and the cast is stacked (John Cleese, Derek Jacobi, Stuart Townsend and Morgana Robinson among them), but for me the storytelling felt pretentious, like something a lecturer would tell their students is the greatest film about film making ever made and they would then all pretend to love it (and understand it).
Director Stephen Wallis keeps things deliberately low-key. The film moves at an unhurried pace, often prioritising dialogue over plot. At times it blurs the line between what’s happening in reality and what may be playing out in Steve’s head. He talks with old collaborators, banters with his long-suffering assistant Mary, and even has complete control of characters played by actors who shouldn’t exist in the world of the film. Time, memory and logic blur together, a little too much. Is Steve God? He certainly looks the part.
That approach will work for some viewers and frustrate many (myself included). Some of the writing can feel heavy, and a few scenes linger longer than they need to. The film feels long, mixing the personal with the philosophical. Modine leads with a kind of wry exhaustion and holds the film together with a steady, believable performance, and there are flashes of sharp humour and emotional honesty.
There’s something relatable in watching a creative person question whether their work mattered and what, if anything, comes next. It’s a quiet film about finishing something important – and not being entirely sure how to feel about that. Much like the creative process, it’s occasionally interesting, often frustrating, and never quite what it first promises.
The Martini Shot can feel like it’s asking you to lean in without giving much back in return. Some scenes land precisely because of the performances and the natural conversations; others stumble into the head scratcher side. It feels like a film made for directors.
If you’re in the mood for something thoughtful and character-focused that’ll leave you with more questions than answers, and are happy to sit with ambiguity, there’s something here to chew on.
The Martini Shot is on UK digital 2 March from Miracle Media
