The retribution visited upon exploiters of seniors by June Squibb in current sleeper hit “Thelma” has but Nerf-ball impact compared to the brass-knuckles style of vengeance practiced by Dale Dickey in “ The G .” This considerably less cozy tale has the star as a vinegary veteran of hard living who turns out to be very much the wrong person for organized criminals to safely prey upon. Canadian writer-director Karl R.
Hearne ’s second feature recalls much 1970s cinema in its emphasis on gritty character detail over suspense mechanics, resulting in an ostensible thriller that’s not very thrilling. Still, its storytelling has the same grim satisfaction that drives its heroine, a woman who’s not particularly ingratiating but is quite capable of doling out punishment to deserving parties. Known as “the G” to granddaughter Emma (Romane Denis), 72-year-old Ann Hunter (Dickey, playing a decade older than her age) is less fondly regarded by others, including in-laws who blame frail widower Chip’s (Greg Ellwand) declining health on her having married him.
Indeed, she’s no Florence Nightingale, smoking and drinking away the days while he lies abed, tethered to an oxygen tank. Still, neither of them are prepared for the sudden downturn in fortunes when they get evicted from their home, strong-armed to a bleak housing project inhabited by other elders forced into legal guardianship by court order. It turns out this is standard operating procedure for a well-oiled scam.