“November Criminals” is a movie that, on paper, should be a homerun. Long in development, Lisa Cholodenko (“The Kids Are All Right,” “Olive Kitteridge“) was initially attached to direct, before Sacha Gervasi (“Hitchcock,” the upcoming “My Dinner With Hervé“) took over. With a script by Steven Knight (“Eastern Promises,” “Locke“) the film landed two rising young stars in Ansel Elgort (“Baby Driver“) and Chloe Grace Moretz, and even has the cinematography skills of Mihai Malaimare Jr. (“Tetro,” “The Master“). But something clearly didn’t click, because the film is pretty much headed straight to VOD.
Based on the novel by Sam Munson, the story centers on a student who delves into the Washington, D.C. underbelly to solve the mystery behind the death of his friend. The cops are quick to write it off as a gang related slaying, but our hero is not so sure. Here’s the brief, official synopsis:
A pair of college bound friends (Chloë Grace Moretz and Ansel Elgort) find themselves falling for one another, but after the mysterious murder of their classmate they defy the authorities to uncover the truth.
“November Criminals” hits VOD on November 7th and cinemas on December 8th.