As somebody who watches quite a lot of movies (I’ve seen more than 90 flicks in theaters in 2024 to date), I’ve become increasingly good at picking up narrative and tonal patterns over the years. Turns out, a lot of mainstream movies are kind of similar in their construction. So, when something comes along that genuinely catches me off guard it always ranks high in my estimations, and that was exactly the case with “A Different Man."
This psychological thriller, which also blends in a thick dose of dark comedy and plenty of character-driven drama, was very much not the movie I expected having only read a brief synopsis ahead of watching. I anticipated a schmaltzy tear-jerker that would see Sebastian Stan wear a lot of makeup and chew the scenery in an effort to scoop an Oscar nomination. Instead, I got one of the very best movies of 2024 and a remarkably clever flick that goes in fresh directions.
