Rosamund Pike plays Marla Grayson, a woman in a similar vein as the psychotic wife Pike played in Gone Girl. Twenty minutes into I Care a Lot, I was salivating to see her suffer consequences. Christ almighty, is her character loathsome.

Grayson earns her living by grifting the elderly. She exploits the law to get them institutionalized and become their guardian, seizing control of their assets in the process. Her most recent victim is Jennifer Peterson, a reclusive retiree played by Dianne West.

Peterson turns out to be more dangerous than expected. Her name isn't even Peterson. Her son (Peter Dinklage) is a Russian mobster. They've both been living under assumed identities. Grayson just fucked up their program, and the son doesn't take kindly to it. First he tries sending a lawyer to intimidate her. Then he resorts to good old-fashioned violence. Grayson proves to be a difficult adversary.

Sometimes movies give you villains who are sympathetic enough that you almost want to see them win. Not here. The most frustrating aspect of I Care a Lot is how much I wanted to see Grayson fail. The second most frustrating is that she's the protagonist, but I was way more invested in Jennifer Peterson. West is compelling in this role. I wish she had gotten more screen time.

As much as I hate Grayson as a character, I have to compliment Pike's performance. She's rock solid in just about any role, but she's proven to have an exceptional talent for villains and/or anitheroes in contemporary noir. She was great in Gone Girl and she's great again in I Care a Lot.

The ending is apropos but a little unsatisfying. It hinges on a minor character played by Macon Blair, the disgruntled son of another of Grayson's victims. His only other appearance is in the first ten minutes, right before the opening credits roll. By the time he reappears, I had almost forgotten he existed. The only reason I remembered him at all is that I recognized Blair from Blue Ruin and Green Room. If his role were slightly more prevalent, the ending might have carried more weight.

Writer/director J. Blakeson displays a lot of talent for constructing a tense thriller. Likable characters, not so much. I Care a Lot is a little tough to watch, but I have to admit, it's pretty good.

7 out of 10.

Seen on Netflix.