Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Plainclothes is a drama set in the 1990s about Lucas (Tom Blyth), an undercover officer running a sting operation to find gay men having sex in public bathrooms. To make arrests, Lucas poses as a gay man cruising a local mall. After making eye contact with a mark, he follows him to the men’s room and entices him into a stall. When the mark exposes himself, Lucas leaves. Once out of the men’s room, he motions to another officer waiting to go in and make the arrest.
Despite being successful with the operation, it brings up homosexual desires that Lucas had kept suppressed for years. And as he grapples with his resurfaced feelings and sexual identity, he must also come to terms with the nature of his job.
One day he follows an older man, Andrew (Russell Tovey), into the men’s room and something changes for him. Instead of ensnaring Andrew, he lets him go. Later, when walking through the mall, Andrew slips Lucas his phone number. With Andrew’s number in hand, Lucas has a chance to act on his desires and possibly come out of the closet. And with that, the drama begins.
Some Thoughts:
Plainclothes is told in flashbacks via Lucas, which come in shaky, washed-out images that give a sense of emotional instability. These flashbacks also make it feel as if something more sinister is going on, which isn’t quite the case.
Both Tovey and Blyth give fine performances and work well together. Their interactions feel natural, as do the experiences that make Lucas come to terms with himself. And between that, the death of Lucas’s father and his homophobic uncle, there’s enough drama going on that it becomes unclear why the story keeps hinting at Lucas being emotionally unstable. Sure, Lucas has issues, but not nearly as severe as the flashback imagery suggests. And in the end, they feel like a cheap trick that doesn’t work.
If director Carmen Emmi hadn’t attempted to force the film to be thriller, this could have been a fun family drama. The final scene has some great moments, and a simple shift of focus would have saved it.
The Final Verdict:
Plainclothes is a drama disguised as a thriller. And despite having a strong cast and some enjoyable moments, the lack of thrills makes a bit disappointing.