Freeze Frame: “Capone” (R), “Sorry We Missed You” (Not rated)

Tom Hardy’s gonzo performance is the main draw for “Capone,” now available on Amazon Prime. This experimental movie concentrates on the last hellish year of the infamous mobster’s life when he was suffering from dementia and his body was wracked with syphilis. Did he actually hide millions in cash? That’s what his family, associates and the FBI wanted to know. So did he.

The storyline meanders and the filmmakers don’t make much of an attempt to let us know if the action we see was real or if it was all going on in Capone’s head. None of this matters much if you don’t buy into Hardy’s over-the-top portrayal. It’s brave and gutsy but is more of a spectacle than a full-blooded portrait. “Capone” may have been a cathartic experience for director Josh Trank, but it’s simply a curiosity for the rest of us.

Celebrated English filmmaker Ken Loach has been making sober kitchen sink dramas about the trials and tribulations of the working class since the 1960s. His latest effort “Sorry We Missed You” is no exception. A realistic take down of the new gig economy, “Sorry We Missed You” concentrates on the difficulties faced by a man who goes deep into debt to buy a van so that he can work as an independent contractor for a delivery service. The film depicts the toll this decision takes on his struggling family.

Loach’s political agenda is crystal clear, but he handles the material and his characters with such empathy and compassion that one can’t help but be moved by their heartbreaking predicament.

Your local art house theaters are offering online viewing options for a number of these intriguing movie titles. More information is available at nelson-atkins.org, Screenland.com, fineartsgroup.com and bbtheaters.com.


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