2011 - Knife Fight

And the performances crackle too. Lowe, as rakish and charming as ever, is adept at tough but good-natured characters — slipping a knife into someone’s ribs with a smile. He has a surprisingly engaging rapport with Chung, who is also quite good, and it’s surely a credit to Guttentag — a winner of two Academy Awards for his documentary work — that actresses like Crew and Jennifer Morrison shine in their small roles. Well put together and dinged only a smidge by an ending that could have used a few more smudges, “Knife Fight” puts a lively face on contemporary politicking. That KT Tunstall’s cover version of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” ends things is yet another reminder that certain core American traditions endure, but also always serve themselves up for changes.