Awards Columnist/Chief Film Critic

I’ve been eyeing the new dark crime comedy Greedy People for a while now, and I had to check IMDb to make sure this wasn’t a film that one or both of the Coen brothers had actually made and that I somehow hadn’t figured that out before diving in. Nope, it was Potsy Ponciroli directing and Mike Vukadinovich writing. No Coens in sight, except as obvious inspirations for this enjoyable film that the masters behind Blood Simple and Fargo would probably approve of and might even have made early in their illustrious careers.

Take this as a plot.

New and very inexperienced cop Will (Himesh Patel) arrives in the small East Coast town of Providence for his new job as a cop, teamed with quirky veterinarian Terry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). With a pregnant wife (Lily James) and their loving dog in tow, it seems like a good career move. However, Will quickly discovers that Terry is not exactly the brightest guy, but rather a free spirit who tells him all about the town as he drives him around the neighborhood, only to stop for a little afternoon delight with a married townsman, with whom he makes out while Will waits in the police car.