School Ties

Set in the 1950s, School Ties follows Brendan Fraser’s David Greene as he’s faced with antisemitism after arriving at an exclusive prep school for his senior term. Filmmaker Robert Mandel, working from a screenplay by Dick Wolf and Darryl Ponicsan, delivers a progressively engrossing drama that benefits substantially from its compelling ’50s atmosphere and proliferation of standout performances, with, in terms of the latter, Fraser’s commanding and absolutely electrifying turn as the affable protagonist matched by a strong supporting cast that includes Chris O’Donnell, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck. And while the picture tends to unfold precisely as one might’ve anticipated, School Ties nevertheless grows more and more absorbing as it progresses and boasts a handful of undeniably captivating sequences (eg David discovers a swastika in his dorm room) – with the movie’s only real misstep a cheating-scandal focused third act that isn’t quite as engrossing as the material preceding it. This is ultimately a minor complaint for an endeavor that is, for the most part, stirring and incisive, with Fraser’s often unreasonably charismatic work here generally the tip of the iceberg in terms of School Ties‘ myriad of pleasures.

***1/2 out of ****