Jesse Eisenberg (who finally got his big break in last year’s “The Social Network”) stars in this minor, but not completely uninteresting movie as Sam Gold, a Hacidic Jew who finds himself caught up in the world of drug trafficking. Sam was a young man working for his father and studying to become a rabbi, until his neighbor, Yosef (Justin Bartha) introduced him to an Israeli drug Lord, Jackie, who smuggles ectasy. Jackie is clever enough to get Sam to do his bidding, leading him down to a one way path to impending doom. “Holy Rollers” doesn’t do much more than the many movies that chronicle the rise and fall of a drug dealer, to be honest. But first time director Kevin Asch knows how to tell his story, and doesn’t waste too much time on unnecessary details (and I liked that about it). Eisenberg is totally believable as the pure-hearted man whose desire to make money lead him away from his family and the life he values. I will always remember his performance in this movie, eventhough the end result wasn’t as satisfying as I wanted it to be. The film does succeed in delivering a powerful message, and the cast couldn’t be better, but the ending was a bit abrupt, and left me wanting more! But hey, it is an independent picture afterall; we shouldn’t expect miracles.
Rating: 2.5/4
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