‘Ricky’ Review: A Poetic & Unsteady Exploration of Probation
'Ricky' delivers raw realism and a gripping lead performance, but its unfocused structure and underdeveloped subplots weaken its impact.
Moving with a frenetic, vérité-style energy, Ricky exists in the in-between, following a man who is neither fully free nor fully imprisoned, a man still haunted by the rhythms of incarceration even as he walks the streets of his hometown. Stephan James delivers a gripping, deeply internalized performance, allowing Ricky’s emotions to simmer beneath a surface that is always on the verge of cracking. But despite James’ anchoring presence, much of the film itself remains unsteady.
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