An engaging documentary that plays out like a neo-noir mystery, The Penny Black succeeds on the strength of its strange but true story that does not let a good mystery go to waste.
Los Angeles is a city rife with strange yet fascinating tales that can be found on every street corner. On one of those streets several years ago was Will Cassayd-Smith, a young man enjoying a cigarette outside his apartment building where he strikes up a conversation with his chain smoking, intoxicated Russian neighbour.
As the night progresses and more alcoholic drinks are consumed, the chatty Russian confides in Will that he has a priceless collection of stamps, a duffle-bag portion of which he gives to Will for safe keeping. Years later Will is still left holding “the bag”, with its contents estimated to be worth in the millions.
It is an intriguing story to be sure, and one which The Penny Black director Joe Saunders and producer Alexaner Greer studiously chronicle over the next several years. Along with Will, the filmmakers delve into the world of stamp collecting, Russian organized crime, and even a murder that may be linked to their story. The blend of private investigators, an everyman caught un a web of crime, a chain-smoking villain, the ultimate McGuffin in the form of a duffel bag of stamps, and of course the city of Los Angeles, results in a film that is as much neo-noir mystery as it is a documentary.
At the centre of its all is Will himself, whose personal life in the form of his relationship with his estranged conman father adds further mystery and intrigue, especially when things, let’s say, start to get complicated with Will’s financial situation. Resembling a young Sam Rockwell during his phase of portraying shady characters, Will proves to be as much a wild card as he is a complex young man who found himself in a bizarre situation that comes with it all matter of dangers and temptations.
Saunders and Greer capture it all and craft a genuinely engaging and perplexing gumshoe documentary in the process, filled with twists and turns that the finest screenwriter could not replicate.
