Joaquin Phoenix grows a shaggy beard and adds dozens of pounds to his frame as a stressed veteran turned hitman, specializing in rescuing missing children. The movie aims for outsider status, laying on the indie techniques, including jump cuts, blurry close-ups and mind-numbing violence. Phoenix must find a young teen, who's been kidnapped and sold into sex slavery. Sometimes "You Were Never Really Here" has echoes of Phoenix's far superior "Inherent Vice." But most of the time, this is unwatchable. "You Were Never Really Here," rated "R," zero stars. Does it deliver what it promises? A misfire. Is it entertaining? I started to leave several times, and by the end, I wish I had. Is it worth the price of admission? No, and not worth your time either.
